THE CHARITY Plantlife is launching its rainforest appeal this week, in order to raise awareness and funds for the last vestiges of temperate rainforest in the UK, much of which is on Dartmoor.

Although rainforests are not commonly associated with Devon, our county holds some of the last remaining pockets of temperate rainforest in Europe, with some of the best examples being Wistman’s Woods, Fingle Woods, Bovey Woods and Lydford Gorge.

Nonetheless, Britain’s temperate rainforest is vanishingly rare, covering less than 1% of Britain.

Alison Smith, lead scientist on the project Building Resilience in South West Woodlands, is one of the top experts on this unique habitat.

Alison said: ‘Temperate rainforests are characterised by their climate.

‘They are very mild, and have very high levels of rainfall all year round with high humidity – but one of the defining features is the really rich diversity of life within them.

‘Many species of lichens, mosses, liverworts and ferns are unique to temperate rainforests and therefore are  vulnerable to change.’

Alison explained the project’s conservation strategy: ‘The main thing is making the conditions in the woodland as good as they can be so species can spread and colonise more naturally.

‘Once the species are gone, they tend to be very difficult to put back, because many of them take such a long time to establish themselves.

‘We therefore do a lot of management work, as well as training woodland managers and owners to identify  precious species and look after them.’

► To find out more, or to get involved in the appeal, visit: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/support-us/fight-for-our-rainforests