Rainforest could be revived in UK if allowed to naturally regenerate

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Two maps released by Lost Rainforests of Britain, and shared with The Guardian, revealed that a temperate rainforest that has been ravaged for thousands of years could potentially be restored and revived across a fifth of Great Britain.

The west coasts of Britain and Ireland were once covered by the Atlantic temperate rainforest in the mild conditions of the archipelago, which nurtures rainforest indicator species such as lichens, mosses, and liverworts. However, today it covers less than 1% of land only found in isolated pockets, such as the waterfalls in the Brecon Beacons and Ausewell Wood on Dartmoor.

The maps demonstrate the current and future conditions, showing the remaining pieces of rainforest in England, Wales and Scotland after being compiled with the help of the public, scientists, and geolocation specialists.

93% of Britain's public advocate for protecting the rainforest

One of the two maps illustrates that more than half of Wales and almost all of western Scotland, as well as large parts of Cornwall, the Lake District and other pockets north of Manchester, have the suitable potential to harbor climates for the temperate rainforest.

Environmental campaigner Guy Shrubsole, who leads the Lost Rainforests of Britain campaign, spoke of the possibility to double the 18,870 hectares (46,628 acres) that currently exist in England if permitted to naturally regenerate and be spread by ecosystem engineers such as the jay bird - proven to be substantial support to forest revival and regrowth.

“I don’t necessarily think we could cover all of the 20%. But I do think we could allow those existing fragments that we have identified to expand in size.”

After Shurbsole's organization commissioned a YouGov poll, it was discovered that 93% of the British public advocate for protecting the country’s rainforest, 85% support its expansion and 80% believe that its restoration should be supported by public funding. 

According to ecologists, pollution, invasive species, and grazing by livestock have wreaked havoc on the temperate rainforest but hope for natural regeneration could be validated if substantive protection and careful tree-planting are applied. 

Just last month, the British parliament was looking into the possibility of revoking 570 environmental laws from the national legislation system, which would leave wildlife unprotected and deregulated, going against post-Brexit promises to put nature's demise to a halt by 2030.