Context

Temperate rainforests once covered up to a fifth of Britain. Today just a few fragments remain across the country and most people aren’t aware they exist.

Our activity

Seahorse worked with the campaigner, Guy Shrubsole, to create The Lost Rainforests of Britain campaign to raise awareness and advocate on behalf of this rare, beautiful habitat. We fundraised for the campaign and developed the public and political advocacy plans.

Our impact

Seahorse briefed Number 10 and Defra on the existence of and threats to Britain’s temperate rainforests, resulting in the habitat receiving funds for the first time in Defra’s £30 million Big Nature Impact Fund and the inclusion of temperate rainforest in the Environmental Land Management Landscape Recovery pilots. The campaign achieved a huge win as following engagement with the campaign, the Duchy of Cornwall announced plans to double Wistman’s Wood, the UK’s most iconic temperate rainforest. 

Seahorse also launched a public call to action to invite people to help map the remaining fragments of temperate rainforest around Britain. The campaign received media coverage in The Telegraph, The Guardian, BBC Travel, the Express and National Geographic, (an estimated 2 million+ views).  

Since the campaign was established, temperate rainforests have become a well known and loved habitat of the UK. Almost all the leading conservation NGOs are now campaigning to protect them, and they have been mentioned over 10 times in Government policies, having never featured previously. 

In Autumn 2023, the campaign secured its biggest win when the Government announced a Temperate Rainforest Strategy for England, which included £750,000 investment for R&D into resilience and 7 new Landscape Recovery Pilot Schemes focused on temperate rainforests.