Temperate

Temperate is an ongoing body of work exploring the remaining fragments of Atlantic temperate rainforest found along the western coast of Britain.

Often overlooked and little understood, these forests are among Britain's most fragile landscapes. Shaped by rain, mist, wind and the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, they support an extraordinary richness of mosses, lichens, fungi, plants, insects and wildlife.

Rarer than their tropical counterparts, temperate rainforests cover less than one percent of the planet's land surface. At one point, Britain was home to an estimated 22 percent of these forests. Today, only fragments remain.

The forests face a growing number of pressures, from habitat loss and fragmentation to changes in climate, grazing, invasive species and the gradual decline of the conditions upon which these unique ecosystems depend.

Temperate seeks to look beyond the familiar idea of the British landscape. Through photography, the work explores both the beauty and vulnerability of these locations and environmental challenges that threaten their future. The project follows the length of Britain's western coastline, documenting the places where these remnants of Atlantic rainforest still survive.

A book is planned for the future, bringing together the photography with written contributions from photographer Paul Sanders, conservation organisation Plantlife, and Professor Carl G. Jones, a dear friend whose remarkable career and lifelong commitment to conservation were, in many ways, defined by these magical forests.

Temperate is ultimately a celebration of what remains and a visual record of what we stand to lose.