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Minister for Climate joins researchers for rainforest visit in the Dales

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A group of people, including Minister for Climate Katie White, standing on a bridge and smiling for a photo

University of Leeds researchers hosted Katie White, Minister for Climate, at Park Gill Nature Reserve in the Yorkshire Dales last month, where they are investigating the potential for, and impacts of, temperate rainforest restoration. 

Katie White has been the MP for Leeds North West since July 2024, and was  appointed Minister for Climate in the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero in September 2025. The Minister’s visit to the Park Gill Nature Reserve follows up on a recent Priestley Centre visit, allowing her to get a feel for the important practical work happening on site and the collaborative spirit that makes it possible. 

Before heading to COP in Belem to discuss tropical rainforests, the Minister was able to see another important ecosystem first hand. Temperate rainforest currently only covers around 1% of the UK and is hugely fragmented across the nation, despite 20% of our land having the right climate for these ecosystems to exist. Temperate rainforests are characterised by high levels of biodiversity, including abundant epiphytes (plants that grow on top of trees) like ferns, mosses, lichens, and liverworts, which are comparatively rare in other British woodlands. Unfortunately, temperate rainforest is an increasingly threatened habitat worldwide, making it more important than ever to protect, understand, and restore suitable landscapes in the UK.

A group walking along a hillside with some trees in the river valley below

The group hiked out to Park Gill

Park Gill already has fragments of temperate rainforest, but thanks to funding from Aviva and United Bank of Carbon (UBoC), this site will be restored by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as part of The Wildlife Trusts’ wider Temperate Rainforest programme. Researchers from the University of Leeds will be monitoring conditions at the site as the restored woodlands establish. In particular, monitoring temperatures across Park Gill and other sites will help researchers to understand whether small scale differences in climate conditions affect the success of rainforest restoration. 

Research like this, paired with collaborative work and shared understanding between government, local communities, land managers, and scientists, is crucial to the success of these restoration efforts and their application in other suitable locations. 

small trees along a valley stream

The Park Gill Nature Reserve