Edinburgh champions world forests
16 September 2011
People from all over the world have the chance to celebrate forests and unite in support of those under threat through a new website launched by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh (RBGE).
'Forgotten Forests' gives people and departments such as The Forestry Commission the chance to tell others about their favourite forests by sharing photographs and videos online. It also provides a platform for discussion about how to tackle the hazards they face. As well as contributions from all over the UK – including as far north as the Shetland Islands – forests are being championed from Borneo, Nepal, Malawi and the United States.
'This is a very exciting new multimedia initiative to make sure forests around the world are not forgotten,' said Elinor Gallant of the RBGE.
Films already contributed to the website include videos of woods and forests from the ancient Atlantic rainforest remnant of Crinan Wood in Scotland, to the woodland savannah of the Cerrado in Brazil, many drawing on the expertise of RGBE botanists who have spent many years studying forest plants in their native habitats.
The project was set up as part of the International Year of Forests this year, and is backed by a series of events and exhibitions including photographic exhibitions, a film festival and tree identification workshops.