UK’s temperate rainforests have long been under threat, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Dartmoor Nature Alliance are campaigning to double the size of rainforests across Dartmoor’s commons and they are looking for people to speak out in support.
This is a great and unusual opportunity to take action aligned to our #HowWeSpeakOut pillar. They’re asking for words, poems and artwork that illustrate why doubling the size of rainforests matters to you.
Check out their campaign here https://www.dartmoornature.org.uk/rainforests
Martin Elcoate brought this to our attention and shared his contribution with us. He’s kindly agreed that we can share his reflections on why this matters to him from the perspective of a Green Runner.
Dartmoor from the perspective of a green runner
“I mostly run solo across Dartmoor using the myriad of paths and tracks to venture away from road and rail. But sometimes I run with others across the moors, long distance adventures from north to south, from east to west. I use these group runs as an opportunity to dispel landscape myths. Many runners marvel at the wild and natural Dartmoor landscape, the expansive views, the tors and valleys. That is until I remark on the silence. Just the occasional Meadow Pipit or Carrion Crow calling. That is until I remark on the desert, Purple Moor Grass marching to the horizons, dead leaves blowing in clumps. That is until I point out the penned in tiny ancient forest, constrained by fences, constrained by sheep. This isn’t a wild untouched landscape, this is a landscape shaped by man. Dartmoor depresses me when it should lift my spirits. For mile after mile I see a land suffering from a lack of biodiversity. Just one example of our nature depleted country.
The few remaining fragments of rainforests remind us of what is possible. I want to see trees dripping in lichens lining the valleys, Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers singing, the occasional Wildcat tail disappearing into the undergrowth.
We can make this happen. Our native trees are ready to regenerate naturally. We need to give them the space and protection to spread. There are plenty of examples of the dramatic changes that can take place when over grazing is addressed.
I want Dartmoor to be a National Park to be proud of. Nature first. Carbon sink. Alive with birdsong. A natural landscape that inspires others to bring life back elsewhere.
I support Dartmoor Nature Alliance’s campaign to bring back Dartmoor’s rainforests.”
– Martin Elcoate