A new survey has found that Brits are in the dark about the declining state of nature in England, with almost 9 out of 10 believing that the country has significantly more native ancient woodland than it actually has. Over half the respondents felt anger at discovering the miniscule amount of this historic habitat that remains, while nearly 60% said they want the Government and responsible public bodies to do more to protect wildlife in ancient woodlands. Strikingly, older generations emerged as the age group that support action the most, with 87% of those aged 65+ backing action, compared with 31% of 18-24 year olds.

The poll of over 1,000 Brits was conducted by Survation on behalf of campaign group 38 Degrees and rewilding movement Wild Card. It follows the launch of a petition, backed by Dame Judi Dench and signed by over 125,000 members of the public, that calls on Forestry England (the government body responsible for managing England’s publicly owned forests) to fulfil its commitment to bring back the nation’s “ghost woods”– ancient woodland sites felled and replaced by timber plantations in the 20th century.

The Government recently announced a £1 billion spending pot for trees, of which over £800 million is allocated for planting and new woodland. Currently there is no public commitment to fund the restoration of native ancient woodland, despite it supporting more biodiversity than any other land-based habitat in the UK.

Poppy Silk, Campaigner at Wild Card said: “The vast majority of Brits are unaware of how nature-depleted the country has become. Once they realise, there is immense support for taking action, including from parts of society that are often perceived as not prioritising the environment. This should send a clear message to all political leaders that protecting our natural heritage must be at the heart of this country’s future.

“While it is promising to see the Government make efforts to create new woodland, we are running out of time to save our ancient forests. The mono-culture plantations, which have replaced ancient woodland, still contain remnants of native species, but without urgent restoration, they will disappear. The Government needs to allocate money to turn the nation’s Ghost Woods into thriving habitats that offer unbeatable benefits for nature and support climate resilience.’

Key findings from the poll

1. Awareness of how little native ancient woodland remains in England is very low. Presented with a range of options of how much of England is covered in ancient woodland, only 12% of respondents selected the correct answer of less than 5%. 9% opted for above 30%, 18% thought coverage was between 20 – 29% and 27% selected 10 – 19%.
2. Most respondents were surprised, angry and concerned to discover that native ancient woodland covers only 1.6% of England*. 

After revealing the statistic, respondents were asked to rate how they felt on a scale of 1-10 (1 being “Not at all” and 10 “Extremely”). 60% of respondents rated their level of surprise at 6 or above, with 21% opting for 10/10.

Similarly, 60% rated their level of concern as at least 6 out of 10, while over a third of respondents rated their anger as 8 out of 10 or above. 

3. Most people back greater action, particularly pensioners and Reform voters.

Nearly 60% of respondents said the Government and responsible public bodies should do more to protect wildlife in ancient woodlands. 

Older generations felt the strongest, with 87% of those aged 65+ backing action, compared with 31% of 18-24 year olds.

Breaking down data by voting intention, revealed that 67% of Reform supporters thought more should be done, followed by 65% of Green party supporters. This compares with around half of Labour (52%) and half of Conservative supporters (49%) .

4. Ancient native forest is important to people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Almost half (49%) of those surveyed agreed with the statement: ‘it helps me relax’, 47% agreed ‘it helps me feel closer to nature’ and 43% that ‘it improves my mood’.
5. The main reason people want ancient forest to be restored is because it provides a home for wildlife (57%). The second most popular reason was that natural heritage should be preserved for future generations (51%).

Matthew McGregor, CEO of 38 Degrees said:
“We know from the hundreds of thousands of people that join our campaigns each year that the British public cares deeply about their local green spaces and woodlands. We are glad to be able to commission research like this which gives us more understanding of where the public is at and support Wild Card to demand a safer, greener, clean environment for all.”

FOOTNOTES

* native ancient woodland covers 1.6% of England. Hectares of native ancient woodland are included in Table 3-1 in the Woodland Trust’s Current State of Ancient Woodland Restoration report and then calculated as a percentage of the land in England.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

• Native ancient woodland refers to a site continuously wooded since at least 1600 AD, predominantly composed of tree and plant species that are native to Britain
• Poll of 1,034 UK adults was conducted by Survation on behalf of 38 Degrees from 21st – 25th November 2025. Data is available upon request.
• View the petition here

METHODOLOGY
Fieldwork Dates: 21st – 25th November 2025

Data Collection Method: The survey was conducted via an online panel by Survation. Invitations to complete surveys were sent out to members of the panel. Differential response rates from different demographic groups were taken into account. The population sampled was all residents aged 18+ living in the UK and the sample size was 1,034.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Heather Carswell: press@wildcard.land

Kate Wilsea: press@38degrees.org.uk

ABOUT WILD CARD

Wild Card is a citizens’ movement campaigning for the UK’s biggest landowners to urgently rewild their lands in response to the climate and nature emergency. With over 250,000 people supporting their campaigns to date they have already claimed successes in persuading the royal estates and other landowners to begin ambitious nature restoration schemes. Discover more about the campaign to rewild the Ghost Woods here. 

ABOUT 38 DEGREES

38 Degrees is a community of a million people who – in a moment away from their busy days – take small actions on issues they care about, which all add up to something bigger, a movement for a better Britain for everyone who calls our country home.  Whether it’s the grieving wife who forced the Government to review betting laws after the tragic loss of her husband to gambling-related suicide, or 1.2 million of us who forced Post Office boss Paula Vennells to hand back her CBE, every time we win, we move our country a step towards the fairer, more sustainable place we’re fighting for, where we are treated – and treat each other – with respect.