This is the first in a series of posts about some of the issues raised by Guy Shrubsole’s book: The Lost Rainforests of Britain (2022) William Collins: London.
This is a thoroughly researched and well-written book. The book is clearly based on intensive reading but much of the information comes from ethnographic research: immersing himself in the rainforest and spending time with relevant people. This anthropological approach makes the book very insightful.
Temperate rainforests are characterised by species growing on other species, as well as a lot of rainfall. These species are often overlooked as people focus on the views or the more obvious species. He talks about “plant blindness”. The number of species is huge but often unseen and unnoticed by most. “Learning to see moss and liverworts requires unlearning…”. A diverse range of bryophytes (moss and liverworts) get lumped together as moss. It takes time and work to be able to distinguish the different species of mosses. Guy struggled at first but worked hard to see (and also smell). The forests are full of “gifts” if we are willing to look. A magnifying class often has to be used to open this world up.
The main threat to the rainforests is this plant blindness. “Too many of us are simply unaware of the wonders of the plant kingdom: the worlds in microcosm which thrive in our fragments of the rainforest”. If we don’t perceive something then we cannot protect it. Therefore public access combined with education is crucial. Natural history compulsory at school, getting children close up to nature. We need to know first before we can care.
In my own research I had some contact with the kind of forests and species he is writing about. This included my visit with Ross to a Woodland Trust-managed property near Oban where we went looking for Hazel Gloves. Tom Prescott had organised a visit to a woods near Grantown with people interested in moss, lichen and fungi. I realised, like Guy, how much there is to see if you only look. A local ranger talked about taking children to these woods and how much they enjoyed using the magnifying class to open a whole new world.
There are a number of organisations campaigning to save the rainforests. In Scotland they are grouped together under the umbrella of Alliance for Scottish Rainforests: https://savingscotlandsrainforest.org.uk/rainforest.
The Woodland Trust also has loads of information about Britain’s temperate rainforests:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/habitats/temperate-rainforest/
The role of education is clearly crucial in ensuring we know about, care for, and save these amazing places. There are a number of organisations that are promoting nature education.
https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/
https://www.naturefriendlyschools.co.uk/
Land for What? Land for Whom? 