Temperate rainforests are among the rarest habitats on Earth, supporting unique biodiversity and providing vital benefits from climate regulation and natural flood management to supporting human wellbeing.
They have been a feature of the South West landscape for centuries, with examples including important ancient sites such as Wistman's Wood on Dartmoor, and Horner Woods on the edge of Exmoor. Yet only small fragments remain and these are extremely vulnerable to a wide range of threats and at risk of being lost or damaged.
In fact, a new report - The State of the South West Rainforests - highlights that around 40% (just under 1million hectares) of the region offers the appropriate climatic conditions to support a rainforest landscape.
However, less than 10% of the South West's rainforest climatic zone actually includes suitable woodland and only 1% of existing woodlands are located in the most favourable zone that supports temperate rainforests (called the hyper-oceanic zone), highlighting just how rare these habitats are.
The report was carried out by researchers from the University of Plymouth, and also found the vast majority of existing ancient woodland within the rainforest landscape - sites that have been in existence since 1600, and which cover 2% of the suitable land area - have no legal protection, with just 15% recognised by the UK Government as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
All of these sites - together with younger woodland, lone trees and wood pasture areas - form part of the wider temperate rainforest landscape, much of which is in a poor or unfavourable state. It is also under threat from a combination of factors including climate change, over- and under-grazing, and the spread of invasive species.
/University Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
