Mission to Save the Bizarre Treasures of UK Rainforests

Conservationists are working urgently to protect rare plants and animals in the UK's last temperate rainforests. These rainforests, located mostly along the western coasts of the UK, are home to unique and fascinating lichens that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The decline of rainforests globally has put many important plants and fungi at risk of extinction. One rare lichen, for example, is believed to only exist in a single wood in Somerset. The habitats of these rainforests are threatened by deforestation, climate change, air pollution, and ash dieback. Temperate rainforests are found in the middle latitudes of the Earth and receive heavy rainfall. Their wet and humid nature provides a special environment for rare plants and fungi. Small pockets of these rainforests can be found in Scotland, north Wales, the Lake District, and southwest England. However, they have significantly reduced in size due to deforestation and over-grazing over the years. To protect these biodiversity hotspots, conservation charities like The National Trust and PlantLife are actively working on conservation efforts. According to Dartmoor ranger, Demelza Hyde, the mosses and lichens in these rainforests are crucial to their existence. Many rare species have only been discovered in recent years at places like Lydford Gorge. Work is underway to preserve lichens growing on dying trees by transplanting them to other parts of the forest and planting new trees. The urgency to protect these rainforests stems from the threat of ash dieback, a fungus that originated from Asia and has devastated European ash trees. Lichens are a unique class of organisms found in temperate rainforests, consisting of fungi growing in association with other life forms like algae. There are over 2,000 species of lichens in Britain and Ireland alone, many of which are found in temperate rainforests. Some particularly rare lichens in the UK include the horsehair lichen (Bryoria smithii), found only at two rainforest sites in Britain, and Arthonia thoriana, a comma lichen found exclusively at Horner Wood in Somerset. A naturalist from Devon, April Windle, emphasizes that these obscure species deserve attention, just like the bigger and more flashy species. She believes that the lichens found in these woodlands are as rare, or even rarer, than the habitats themselves. Until recently, few people were aware of the existence of temperate rainforests in the UK and the need to protect them. Conservation efforts in Devon are focused on restoring the existing woodlands to safeguard important plant and animal species.