环保人士如何拯救苏格兰的热带雨林

How conservationists are saving Scotland's rainforests

环保人士如何拯救苏格兰的热带雨林

Scotland may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of rainforests, but U.K.'s northernmost country is home to these verdant habitats, though they are diminishing and under threat.

提到热带雨林，你首先想到的可能不是苏格兰，但是这个英国最北部的国家是这些郁郁葱葱的栖息地的家园，尽管它们正在减少并受到威胁。

"Scotland's rainforest is just as lush and just as important as tropical rainforest, but is even rarer," Adam Harrison of Woodland Trust Scotland, tells The Scotsman.

苏格兰林地信托公司的亚当·哈里森告诉《苏格兰人》杂志：“苏格兰的雨林和热带雨林一样郁郁葱葱，同样重要，但更稀有。”

"It is found along the West Coast and on the inner isles and is a unique habitat of ancient native oak, birch, ash, pine and hazel woodlands and includes open glades and river gorges. Our rainforest relies on mild, wet and clean air coming in off the Atlantic, and is garlanded with a spectacular array of lichens, fungi, mosses, liverworts and ferns. Many are nationally and globally rare and some are found nowhere else in the world."

“它位于西海岸和内岛，是古老的本地橡树、桦树、灰烬、松树和榛子林地的独特栖息地，包括开阔的沼泽地和河流峡谷。我们的雨林依赖于来自大西洋的温和、湿润和清洁的空气，其花环上有一系列壮观的地衣、真菌、苔藓和蕨类植物。许多在国内和全球范围内都很少见，有些在世界其他地方根本没有。”

The rainforests were once plentiful but many factors have resulted in their destruction. The forest are being lost to overgrazing by deer and livestock, invasive plant species and disease, reports the BBC. In addition, the land has been cleared for industry and harmed by pollution, according to The Herald.

热带雨林曾经很丰富，但许多因素导致了它们被破坏。据BBC报道，由于鹿和牲畜的过度放牧、植物种类和疾病的入侵，森林正在消失。此外，据“先驱报”报道，这片土地已被清除为工业用地，并受到了污染。

The remaining oak, birch, ash, pine and hazel woodlands are small and are isolated from each other. Conservationists say they are over-mature and often show little or no regrowth.

剩下的橡树、桦树、灰烬、松树和榛子林地都很小，而且彼此隔绝。环保主义者说，它们过于成熟了，而且经常表现出很少或根本没有再生的迹象。

A group of 16 of Scotland's largest conservation organizations and charities are joining together to save the rainforests. The Atlantic Woodland Alliance has proposed eradicating several non-native plants, such as invasive rhododendron and Sitka spruce, while planting more native trees such as oak and birch. According to the alliance report, invasive rhododendron alone can be found in 40% of rainforest locations where it threatens to choke the woodlands and prevent traditional rainforest plants from flourishing.

16个苏格兰最大的保护组织和慈善机构中的环保主义者正在联合起来拯救热带雨林。大西洋林地联盟建议根除几种外来植物，如入侵的杜鹃花和西特卡云杉，同时种植更多的本土树木，如橡树和桦树。根据联盟的报告，仅在40%的热带雨林地区就能发现入侵的杜鹃花，在这些地区，杜鹃花会阻塞林地，阻碍传统的热带雨林植物生长。

Although the Scottish rainforest is threatened, the conservationists don't believe it's too late to be saved.

尽管苏格兰雨林受到威胁，但自然资源保护主义者认为现在开始保护并不晚。

"Our vision for regenerating Scotland's rainforest is clear," says Gordon Gray Stephens, of the Community Woodlands Association. "We need to make it larger, in better condition, and with improved connections between people and woods."

“我们希望苏格兰雨林再生的愿景是清晰的。”社区林地协会的戈登·格雷·斯蒂芬斯说，“我们需要通过改善人与森林之间的联系，使它变得更大，处于更好的环境中。”