Open Country

Britain's Forgotten Rainforest


Listen Later

Did you know that we have rainforest, lush, green rainforest, right here in the UK? Many don't, yet it's once of our most ancient - and threatened - habitats. Gnarled trees, twisted with age, covered from root to tip in mosses and lichens, epiphytic ferns dripping from every branch.

Once existing in a vast swathe right down the west coast of Britain, "temperate rainforest" is one of the world's rarest habitats. There are species living here that can live nowhere else, but it's been gradually encroached on by humans for centuries. Now clinging on in small pockets, you can find patches of rainforest if you know where to look: in places like Dartmoor, West Wales and the west coast of Scotland. But there may be other patches out there - quietly enduring the passing centuries.

Helen Mark takes a walk into the secret forests of Britain to find out how we can save them. In Wales, projects are underway to save and expand the Celtic Rainforests, rescuing them from invading rhododendrons, and employing some hardy (but elusive) Highland Cattle to help keep the weeds in check. And a new project is launched this year, aiming to find and map the full extend of the British rainforest for the first time. They need your help to track down every last bit of it.

Presented by Helen Mark

Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Open CountryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

83 ratings


More shows like Open Country

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,434 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,830 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,791 Listeners

Scotland Outdoors by BBC Radio Scotland

Scotland Outdoors

237 Listeners

Farming Today by BBC Radio 4

Farming Today

65 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

501 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,754 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,066 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

150 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

274 Listeners

Gardeners' Corner by BBC Radio Ulster

Gardeners' Corner

98 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,036 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

267 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,955 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,054 Listeners

Gardening with the RHS by Royal Horticultural Society

Gardening with the RHS

259 Listeners

The Plodcast by Our Media

The Plodcast

107 Listeners

The English Heritage Podcast by English Heritage

The English Heritage Podcast

217 Listeners

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast by National Trust

Wild Tales | Nature Podcast

104 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

764 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,028 Listeners

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast by Immediate Media

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast

298 Listeners

As the Season Turns by Ffern

As the Season Turns

202 Listeners

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends by Sarah Raven

grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

214 Listeners

A Life More Wild by Canopy & Stars

A Life More Wild

17 Listeners