When we think of rainforests, we usually picture tropical rainforests like the Amazon in South America, the Congo in Central Africa, or Borneo in Southeast Asia. We don’t usually (or ever, really) think of the British Isles.
But surprisingly, the United Kingdom is home to one of the most critically endangered rainforests in the world. The Atlantic, or Celtic, rainforest is one of the rarest biomes, as temperate rainforests make up only 2.5% of the forested land on Earth. And one man and his son are on a mission to save it.
Robin Hanbury-Tenison has spent much of his 90 years traveling the world’s rainforests. As an explorer and conservationist, founder and former president of Survival International, Gold Medallist of the Royal Geographical Society, and the author of more than 25 books, he could reasonably have retired from arduous conservation work long ago. Instead, he’s been training to pedal a water bike 104 miles down the River Thames to help save the British rainforest.
Why is a 90-year-old biking down the Thames?
On June 19, he will set off from Magdalen Bridge in Oxford on a water bike, pedaling the floating bicycle down the famed River Thames. After covering approximately 26 miles per day over four days and navigating at least 31 locks, he will end his journey at Teddington Lock on International Rainforest Day, June 22. Each day, he will be joined by a prominent guest who will be interviewed alongside him.
The objective is to raise £150,000 for the Thousand Year Trust, a charity led by his son, Merlin, to construct Europe’s first dedicated temperate rainforest research station.
“I’ve spent a lifetime exploring the world’s great rainforests,” Robin told Oxford Mail. “What many people don’t realize is that one of the most remarkable was right here, on our own doorstep, and it’s almost gone. I’ve seen what we’ve lost.”
Rather than let his age stop him, he says that it’s a motivating factor: “I’ve reached an age where I feel, rather urgently, that if I’m going to do something about it, I’d better get on with it.”
Europe’s first temperate rainforest research station
Merlin founded the Thousand Year Trust to address the loss of Britain’s temperate rainforest. The trust operates from a 250-acre rainforest restoration site on the edge of Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor, which contains an ancient oak woodland carbon-dated to be more than 3,600 years old.
As the only charity focused solely on this unique habitat, the trust is advancing scientific research, conservation practices, and community partnerships to restore Britain’s temperate rainforest on a large scale.
The money raised from Robin’s pedal-powered trek down the river will help the trust build Europe’s first dedicated temperate rainforest research station.
“My father has spent his life fighting for the natural world,” Merlin said. “To see him take on something like this at 90 for a cause we are now building together, is extraordinary. This research station will give Britain’s temperate
rainforest the scientific home it has never had. We are asking people to help us make it a reality.”
How we can all help conserve and restore the endangered rainforest
Robin’s water bike challenge, like the “Ice Bucket Challenge” and other public stunts, is meant to bring attention, awareness, and ultimately financial support to an important cause. Saving our planet, even one forest at a time, is a worthy cause.
Temperate rainforests are home to some of the largest and oldest organisms on the planet. The biodiversity and biomass these forests hold are impressive, as are the massive amounts of carbon they absorb from the atmosphere. Beyond that, they are simply beautiful and magical:
While the majority of temperate rainforests have been altered by centuries of human harvesting, climate change threatens those that remain.
The health of one part of our planet is a concern for all. What happens in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa affects us here in North America, and vice versa. We can all help support Robin and Merlin’s “once-in-a-generation” effort to save the British rainforest for all our sakes.
You can learn more about and donate to Robin’s water bike challenge here.
