Renowned wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin is calling on families across Northern England to discover Yorkshire’s overlooked rainforest heritage, after new research* revealed that nearly three in four (71%1) Leeds residents surveyed didn’t realise the UK is home to temperate rainforests.

Despite fragments of these rare and important habitats surviving across Northern England, awareness of Yorkshire’s own rainforest heritage is particularly low. Less than one in five people nationally (18%) identified the Yorkshire Dales as containing temperate rainforest, even though three in ten (30%) have visited.

Among Leeds residents, that rises to 71% who have visited the Yorkshire Dales, suggesting many people may know the landscape without realising it forms part of Britain’s rainforest story.

To help change that, BBC wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin has teamed up with Aviva and The Wildlife Trusts to launch the Rainforest Explorers Photography Competition, encouraging children and families to discover Britain's native rainforests and celebrate nature through photography.

The campaign comes after the UK's hottest summer on record, with more than 1,000 wildfires recorded across England and Wales by mid-August. Yet public awareness of the role temperate rainforests play in helping landscapes adapt to extreme weather remains low. In fact, two thirds (66%) of UK adults surveyed didn’t know that temperate rainforests help to reduce the risk of flooding by slowing the flow of heavy rainfall.

Once covering as much as 20% of Britain, temperate rainforests now account for less than 1% of land cover1 and are among the UK's rarest habitats. Found in only a handful of places across the UK - and in a small number of countries worldwide, including Japan, New Zealand, Chile and Canada - they provide a home for wildlife including pine martens and red squirrels.

The Rainforest Explorers Photography Competition invites children to visit one of the UK’s temperate rainforests with family, friends or their school, take a photograph, choose their favourite image and ask a parent or guardian to submit it on their behalf.

Entries will be judged across two age groups (4-7 and 8-11 years) and two competition categories:
Rainforest Explorers: photographs taken in a UK temperate rainforest.
Urban Jungle: photographs capturing nature and wildlife closer to home, whether in a garden, park, woodland, pond or other local green space, making the competition accessible to children who are unable to visit a UK temperate rainforest.
Winners will take part in a special wildlife photography masterclass in a UK temperate rainforest with acclaimed young wildlife photographer Jamie Smart. Jamie will share her top tips for photographing wildlife and help winners develop their skills in capturing the natural world. The competition follows Aviva’s £38 million donation to The Wildlife Trusts in 2023 to help restore the UK’s lost temperate rainforests.

Most people are amazed to discover that we have rainforests right here in the UK. These hidden, magical places and bursting with wildlife and play an important role in tackling climate change, so I’m passionate about helping more people discover them. It’s why I’m so excited to team up with Aviva, supported by The Wildlife Trusts, to launch the Rainforest Explorers Photography Competition. I’m inviting young nature lovers to grab a camera, head outdoors and show us the natural world through their eyes. Whether they explore a rainforest or local green space, I can’t wait to see what they discover. Nature is full of surprises, and you never know what might be hiding just around the corner!

Claudine Blamey, Aviva’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said:
“Protecting and restoring nature to help our customers and communities get ready for a changing climate is hugely important to Aviva. This campaign forms part of our partnership with the Wildlife Trusts to help restore the UK’s lost temperate rainforests, which are so critical to how we build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Hamza Yassin is the perfect ambassador to front our competition and help educate the next generation about the importance of these magical woodlands.”

For full details and how to enter, visit: www.aviva.com/rainforest-explorers