The Isle of Man
Helen Mark visits the Isle of Man, to learn about plans to restore temperate rainforest. She discovers ruined farm buildings called 'tholtans' - a feature of the Manx landscape.
Thousands of years ago, large parts of Britain were covered with temperate rainforest - also known as "Atlantic woodland" or "Celtic rainforest". It's a habitat which needs high rainfall and low annual variation in temperature, so the western fringes of the British Isles provide perfect conditions. But temperate rainforest has been largely destroyed over the centuries and there are now only fragments of it left. One of the few surviving areas is in the Isle of Man, where work now is underway to expand and restore this unique habitat, thanks to a 拢38 million grant. At Creg y Cowin over 70 acres will be planted with native tree species, with around 20 acres left to regenerate naturally. Helen Mark visits the island to learn about this project and meets the Wildlife Trust volunteers involved in the early stages of getting the work underway. She also finds out about "tholtans" - abandoned agricultural dwellings which are a feature of the landscape of the Isle of Man. She meets a couple who are trying to document as many of these ruined buildings as possible, and finds out about links between the landscape and the Manx language.
Produced by Emma Campbell for 成人快手 Audio Bristol
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- Thu 3 Aug 2023 15:00成人快手 Radio 4
- Sat 5 Aug 2023 06:07成人快手 Radio 4
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Open Country
Countryside magazine featuring the people and wildlife that shape the landscape of Britain