Top Posts
African climate change projects secure major funding
Former French PM urges China, Europe to unite...
NDDC, FOSDO launch tree-planting campaign to address climate...
WHO unveils an ambitious blueprint for action on...
New report shows nearly 900 million poor people...
Lagos to Host 2025 International Climate Change Summit
New study shows overheating world will add 57...
NAICOM urges W’African insurers to invest in climate...
Climate change: Nigeria, development partners launch Net Zero...
Nigeria launches net zero project to fight climate...
EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World
World

Former soldier launches project to triple UK’s rainforests

by admineconai May 9, 2023
written by admineconai May 9, 2023
728

A new charity founded by a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who found solace in this unique and biodiverse habitat says that he plans to triple Britain’s temperate rainforest with the launch of the Thousand Year Trust which hopes to transform his 120-hectare (300-acre) hill farm on Bodmin Moor into the largest rainforest restoration project in England and Wales.

Merlin Hanbury-Tenison’s charity is working with local farmers, landowners and charities to identify land suitable to triple Cornwall’s estimated 1,200-1,600 hectares of surviving temperate rainforest, with the ultimate aim of tripling Britain’s surviving rainforest to 1m acres over the next 30 years.

“We’ve all grown up thinking of rainforests as tropical rainforests and that’s how I grew up, not realising there was a rainforest on my doorstep – a temperate rainforest, the most stunning habitat we have in the UK,” said Hanbury-Tenison, who is transforming his family farm with agroforestry, natural regeneration, planting 100,000 trees and farming free-ranging Highland cattle, Cornish black pigs and the local ponies.

Read also: Satellite imagery to boost yields for Ugandan farmers

According to reports, the profile of temperate rainforests has soared in recent months after the success of Guy Shrubsole’s The Lost Rainforests of Britain. They are particularly effective at sequestering carbon because of the density of growth and the carbon held in the canopy by epiphytes.

Shrubsole, who is a trustee of the Thousand Year Trust, said: “For too long, we had forgotten we even possessed this habitat – but now there is growing recognition of its wonders, and it seems to have really caught the public imagination. As people become re-enchanted with the magic of our rainforests, I hope more farmers, landowners and politicians will step up to help protect and regenerate them.”

Recall that Hanbury-Tenison took over his family farm, Cabilla, in Cornwall five years ago and found the temperate rainforest still surviving there to be a balm after working in London and spending a decade in the military.

“After London and with some of the experiences I’d had in Afghanistan bubbling to the surface I started to suffer from quite bad PTSD and I very much attribute the forest at Cabilla being a large part of what stopped me from getting really unwell,” he said.

Although 100,000 trees are being planted at Cabilla to add to its 40 hectares of rainforest, 40% of the forest restoration will be via natural regeneration, with the process accelerated by the rootling and seed-spreading of free-roaming pigs and protection for jays who bury acorns and inadvertently plant oaks.

Story was adapted from the Guardian.

FarmLaunchProjectTemperate rainforestUK
0 comment 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
admineconai

previous post
Satellite imagery to boost yields for Ugandan farmers
next post
Eni faces lawsuit alleging early knowledge of climate crisis

Related Posts

Former French PM urges China, Europe to unite...

October 22, 2025

WHO unveils an ambitious blueprint for action on...

October 20, 2025

New report shows nearly 900 million poor people...

October 20, 2025

New study shows overheating world will add 57...

October 16, 2025

Heaviest monsoon in a decade kills 458 people...

October 9, 2025

Council releases first fully electric bin lorry

October 9, 2025

Study shows US asthma inhalers produce same emissions...

October 7, 2025

Pope Leo hits out at climate change critics

October 3, 2025

Protesters seek $5tr payment from fossil fuel companies

October 1, 2025

UN official says climate change displaces up to...

September 30, 2025

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Bloglovin
  • Vimeo

@2021 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Eco-Nai+

EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World