Ambitious Project Grows Britain’s Atlantic Rainforest with 100,000 Trees

Ambitious Project Grows Britain’s Atlantic Rainforest with 100,000 Trees

By
Drew Campbell

Publish Date:March 9, 2025

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📰 The quick summary: A former soldier is restoring Britain’s rare Atlantic rainforest through an innovative project that combines conservation, wellness retreats, and sustainable farming to expand these vital ecosystems.
📈 One key stat: Cabilla, a 250-acre hill-farm in Cornwall, has hosted 3,000 people for wellness retreats in the past four years, demonstrating how ancient forests can support both environmental and human wellbeing.
💬 One key quote: “It’s a place of healing. It’s healing people and it’s a place to heal the land,” says Merlin Hanbury-Tenison.

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1️⃣ The big picture: Merlin Hanbury-Tenison is leading an ambitious project to restore and expand Britain’s Atlantic rainforest through his charity, the Thousand Year Trust. From his 250-acre Cabilla farm in Cornwall, he combines ancient woodland conservation with wellness retreats and sustainable farming practices. The project aims to demonstrate how these rare temperate rainforests can thrive while supporting local communities and providing healing spaces for people. This innovative approach has already attracted thousands of visitors and inspired other local landowners to join the conservation effort.

2️⃣ Why is this good news: This project creates a sustainable model for expanding Britain’s rare and biodiverse Atlantic rainforest while generating local employment and providing mental health benefits. The initiative has already planted 100,000 trees and is sequestering thousands of tonnes of carbon. Nine people now work at the retreat center and five more at the charity, compared to just one seasonal worker previously. The success has inspired neighboring landowners with 6,500 acres to join the conservation effort, potentially creating vital wildlife corridors between forest fragments.

3️⃣ What’s next: The project plans to introduce grazing cattle, horses and pigs once regenerating trees are established, creating a new “agro-rainforestry” model. They aim to produce high-welfare “Cornish rainforest beef” sold directly to consumers. The site also expects to double its current research activity, hosting more universities and PhD students to advance scientific understanding of temperate rainforests.

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Read the full story here: The Guardian – ‘It’s a place of healing’: the man on a mission to restore Britain’s ancient rainforest

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