90-Year-Old Tackles Thames on Water-Bike for Rainforests

Robin Hanbury-Tenison, a 90-year-old rainforest campaigner, is currently embarking on a challenging 104-mile water-bike journey along the River Thames. This endeavor, from Oxford to Richmond, is undertaken to raise funds for a groundbreaking research station dedicated to studying Britain's temperate rainforests. Hanbury-Tenison, a founder of Survival International, has shifted his focus to the critically endangered temperate rainforests, discovering a significant fragment on his Cornish farm.

The expedition is scheduled to conclude on International Rainforest Day, Monday. Hanbury-Tenison is pedaling a unique water-bike, navigating 31 locks and contending with headwinds. Despite physical challenges at 90, including a bad knee and balance issues, he is determined to press on. His son, Merlin, accompanies him, offering support and encouragement for this significant conservation effort.

The funds raised are earmarked for Europe's first temperate rainforest research station, to be built on Hanbury-Tenison's farm in Cornwall by the Thousand Year Trust. This facility aims to fill a crucial gap in scientific study, as temperate rainforests, which once covered a fifth of Britain, are now reduced to less than 1%. The project has garnered support from over 20 university research partnerships.

Actor Russell Crowe has pledged to match the first £25,000 in donations, significantly boosting the fundraising target of £100,000. The construction of the research station is underway, but substantial further funding is required to complete the facility. Hanbury-Tenison's commitment underscores the urgency of preserving these unique and endangered ecosystems.