One of Britain's only rainforests at risk of disappearing because of climate threats

When mist drifts through moss-draped oaks, droplets glitter like glass beads in the dim green light.

It sounds like a scene from a fairytale but this ancient rainforest is not hidden in the Amazon but on Britain's own Western edges - and it is at risk of vanishing without help.

The UK's temperate rainforests are globally rare and cover less than 1% of Great Britain, a drastic reduction from the fifth of the land they once occupied.

Buckland Wood, a 104 hectares temperate rainforest in Devon, is among the habitats at risk because of climate change, disease and pests.

Danielle Semple, engagement and communications officer for the Woodland Trust, said: "It is a really, really important temperate rainforest site -partly because of the beauty but also because of the species that live within it.

"Just one example of a type of lichen that lives here; 25% of the global population of this one species of lichen is found on two trees just down the valley here. The fact that this woodland can hold so much biodiversity is really, really critical in the temperate rainforest's future.

"When we talk about the future of temperate rainforests, the threats largely are climate change - so more intense heat and longer summers and less rainfall spread evenly throughout the year which is what is critical to temperate rainforest habitats.

"We've also got other threats such as invasive, non-native species coming along. We have rhododendrons and some pests that are coming through that we see with climate change which proliferate further throughout the woodland."

The plan is to reconnect the gushing River Webburn to its flood plain, create more dams and slow the flow of water.

Danielle said: "This will have lots of benefits, largely for the rainforest in the way that they would be more resilient in times of drought by raising the humidity levels. There'll be more wildlife - birds, bats, insects, fish. It would be a great carbon sequester too."

The temperate rainforest's wet, mild conditions are ideal for lichens, mosses and liverworts. But centuries of destruction have meant that only small, isolated pockets remain.

Members of the Asháninka and Guarani recently visited the moss-laced ecosystem of Buckland Wood.

They are indigenous people of the Amazon who have a deep connection to their rainforest home and face challenges like deforestation and land encroachment.

Their visit came ahead of a crucial moment for global climate action as the world turned its attention to the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belém in Brazil.

Like the moss-draped oaks of Devon, the vast canopy of the Amazon also faces the twin threats of climate change and human activity.

Andy Egan, head of conservation policy at the Woodland Trust, said: "At COP30, the Government needs to combine global leadership with leadership at home to address both the climate and nature crises. We are therefore calling on the Government to commit to protecting and investing in restoring our ancient woods and the UK's own unique temperate rainforest. We need to ensure these precious places that are rich in biodiversity, significant carbon stores and so valued by people and communities survive and thrive for present and future generations."

The Woodland Trust used nearby Avon Valley Woods, an ancient semi-natural woodland that clings to the steep-sided valley of the River Avon, as an example of their restoration work.

The charity described how re-wetting the woodland is vital for the temperate rainforest's restoration.

The re-routing of a brook will help create a wetland which will invite more wildlife, capture carbon and ensure more consistent humidity.

In 2023, the then Tory government published a strategy to recover England's degraded temperate rainforest with a target to double the area by 2050.

- Find out more about the Woodland Trust's Buckland Wood appeal here.