Become a Rainforest Recorder

Love your local rainforest and want to know how to help conserve it for the future? One really important activity that anyone can take part in is to record and share details of the Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) that you see when you are out exploring the area!

INNS are species, both animals and plants, which are introduced outside their natural range both intentionally or un-intentionally, and which have harmful impacts on their new environment. They are able to out-compete our native wild plants and wildlife, resulting in the degradation of natural habitats, and are one of the biggest threats to safeguarding our Welsh temperate rainforests future.

You might find Rhododendron ponticum, one of our target species, a fast-growing shrub that escaped Georgian era gardens and now dominates parts of the Celtic Rainforest, where it forms a dense carpet which can shade out future veteran oaks and other ground flora. Look out for it’s vibrant purple blooms in spring, and its dark green leathery leaves that don’t drop in winter.

If you would like to save our Welsh rainforests through recording, the first step is to get outside and start exploring! Download the LERC Wales app and report what species you’ve found, plus where and when you saw it – and add a photo if you’re unsure of its identity. Every piece of information you submit helps to build a picture of the species living in our woodlands, and what we need to do to protect it for the future.

Here’s a quick guide you can print out or save to your phone with some of the species we need your help to find. Tag us on Twitter and Instagram of your photos of you out and about to share your finds!

Download the LERC Wales app here