Families encouraged to explore Wales’ rainforests in new wildlife photography competition

Nation.Cymru Staff

A BBC wildlife presenter is encouraging families to discover Wales’ little-known temperate rainforests after new research found two-thirds of people surveyed did not realise the UK is home to the rare habitat.

New research has revealed that 67% of people surveyed in Wales don’t realise the UK is home to rare and important temperate rainforests.

Additionally, more than two thirds of Welsh residents surveyed didn’t identify Bannau Brycheiniog as a temperate rainforest location, while around three in four failed to recognise Ceredigion or Gwynedd as being home to these habitats.

To help remedy this, 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 explore native rainforests.

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 awareness of the role temperate rainforests play in helping landscapes adapt to extreme weather remains low. Almost 64% of people surveyed in Wales were unaware that these habitats can help reduce flood risk by slowing the flow of heavy rainfall.

In addition, just over a quarter of parents surveyed in Wales said their children had learned about the UK’s temperate rainforests at school, highlighting the opportunity to help a new generation understand their wildlife and climate benefits.

Once covering as much as 20% of Britain, temperate rainforests now account for less than 1% of land cover 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 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.

Hamza Yassin, said: “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, added: “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 the Aviva site here.

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 4,000 Nationally representative general consumers (aged 18-75). The data was collected between 18.08.2026 – 25.08.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles 

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