Welsh citizens to protect rainforest the size of Wales

A new Welsh charity is bringing the nation together to help conserve an area of rainforest the size of Wales – two million hectares or 7,722 sq miles

“The term ‘an area the size of Wales’ is frequently used to measure the rate of forest destruction,” said the charity, Size of Wales, which is aiming to turn the negative use of the phrase on its head by encouraging the people of Wales to take positive action and help protect an area of rainforest equivalent to the size of the nation.

Supporters are encouraged to donate or raise funds for specific projects in rainforest areas, including tree planting and helping locals get land rights.

One of the projects aims to link the mid-Wales community of Lampeter with the sub-Saharan community of Bore in Kenya’s Coastal Province. This forest area and its stored carbon is under a lot of pressure from a variety of sources, including charcoal burning, mining and clearing for agriculture.

The charity Tree Flights has already distributed 5,250 cashew nut trees to 40 Bore farmers, providing a source of protein and a cash crop for the local population. The people of Bore are keen to expand the scheme with an increased range and number of trees to promote biodiversity and reduce dependence on charcoal burning which requires them to cut down the forest on which they depend.