Now on bbc news, deforestation has skyrocketed in colombia since the peace deal of 2016. Our world joins a team of scientists from the royal botanic gardens, kew on a mission in virgin tropical rainforest. They hope to discover and save rare plant species before they are destroyed this fallen giant will make the loggers 300. These valleys are populated by miners and loggers. And vanish forever. In the town of 0tanche, members of the community have been invited to a workshop in the forests of colombia, nature is under attack. Since the civil war ended in 2016, organised by the authorities. Deforestation has skyrocketed. Im Frank Gardner and i am heading into what remains of the virgin tropical rainforest. I traded in my wheelchair for a packhorse and am tested to my limits. I dont think i can do this. I think this is too dangerous. I am joining a crack team of scientists from the royal botanic gardens, kew. They are on a mission to discover and save unique plant species before they vanish forever. They hope ecotourism will be the silver bullet, providing an income for the community while saving the forest. The botanists from kew have been invited to make their case. I am going to bear witness on the frontline of rainforest conservation. The fact that there is such this is where the journey begins a good turnout here, not in colombia, better than expected, but in the royal botanic shows there is a lot of interest gardens, kew, london. In alternatives to cutting down the forest. But the question is, is it going to give people enough kew is the world leader in developing plant science. Of a livelihood, and the botanists are preparing thats a big question. For their mission to the colonel has turned up. Discover new species. Sitting next to him is edemildo, whos been a logger all his life. Now, though, he is looking for new opportunities. And it is from here that this expedition will be launched. I have come here to see the expedition leader, doctor mauricio de bernardos. He works in a library for lab specimens. This is where we identify new plants. We believe we have more than 200,000 different species here. You are a botanist and a biologist. And a scientist and an explorer in some sense. What are you expecting to get from this mission . The most remote areas are the best preserved and this lidia is one of the is going to be our most pioneers of ecotourism. Important expedition. She set up a butterfly sanctuary were going to try to get into the heart of this area. To try and entice tourists into the region. We do not know what it is a natural destination for tourism but there is no infrastructure for it at all. We expect to find. What is at stake with this whole trip that were doing . Why is this so important . We are in a race against time to protect this biodiversity from disappearing. We have rapid deforestation. We see how we are losing this forest its going to take years, isnt it, and by then, very quickly and ourjob is to get the forest will be almost gone . An understanding about the diversity of these resources as well as their importance. Are you optimistic or pessimistic . Are you going to win this fight to save colombias Natural Heritage . In 2016, the colombian government signed a peace deal with the farc rebels. For more than half a century, civil war actually slowed the pace of deforestation. For future generations and the environment, time is running out. The need for a solution is urgent. But now remote tracts im back on the horse on another of land have opened up. Farmers, loggers, and miners are scrambling for resources. Colombia is now reportedly losing 3,000 Square Kilometres of forest every year. We are travelling to an area famous for its emerald field trip with the botanists. Mines, western boyaca. This time, on more even ground. Oh, my god. Its like. This is incredible. Of all the wild, remote places ive been to in the world, i think this is got to be right up there near the top and as a disabled this is a bittersweet person, as somebody who cant walk, journey for me. Who has to use of wheelchair, this could be the last time that i could see this forest. Its amazingly liberating that if i come back in ten years, here amongst all this flora and fauna, there are these beautiful this forest could be gone. Butterflies and rare plants, colombia is still an eden. Its this amazing biodiversity. Its the second most biodiverse country in the world, after brazil. The scientists from kew remain i may be the bbcs security hopeful of finding Hidden Treasures correspondent, but my passion before its too late. There are things ive is for nature. Never seen before. I have no idea what you know, just look around you. Genus it belongs to. Theres incredible scenery. The thing about plants, they can be rare and special. They all look the same but its it is such a privilege to be here. When you go back and start comparing i love being surrounded them with others you found out by the sounds and smells of nature. Nature has always been something of an antidote to myjob as a security correspondent. In 2004, i was shot and partly paralysed while on the job. How important they are. I wont deny, i have a certain mauricio, do you think you can trepidation about the trip itself persuade people to stop cutting down the forest soon enough before the forest is gone . Thats very hard to say. Thats our hope and thats our mission. Thats why we are here. Because everybody else is walking. I will need to do this on horseback or i will not make it. The team assemble at the edge of the rainforest in las quinchas. Its going to be a beautiful day. I believe that we can make a change. We just have to do our best to protect the best of this biodiversity. This is the first time this area jennifer is a local botanist. Shes exploring new areas will be explored by scientists. Of her country for the first time. How optimistic or pessimistic are you that you and others like you, who care about nature, for so many years, conflict and criminality made this area who care about biodiversity, that you can save this forest . Inaccessible to outsiders. Its great that youre if you see a snake, everybody optimistic but the reality is, please freeze, dont move. We are going to carry the area of forest is getting radios at all times. Smaller every year. You, actually, frank, youll have a radio. So this is going to be your radio. Im going to be quite busy trying to control the horse. Well, yes, maybe we can put this on the horse so you can have something that you can. The horse can do the radio. There is a bit of a risk here. My legs are like honeycomb, the bones. I cannot afford to fall off and break things. Colombia today is a post conflict at the beginning of the track nation, but it faces a new battle is a steep descent. To protect its natural resources. The botanists hope to find new species deep inside the forest. But i am unable to the biodiversity contained in these forests could prove to be its most precious commodity of all. Hold on with my legs. I think you will have to carry on without me. But the local guides come up with an idea. Well done. 0k. I am so thrilled that despite my injuries, thanks to the endurance and kindness of these guys, hello again. The next few days will bring a real mixture of weather across the uk, i am able to see this just like we saw during the first amazing scenery. Half of the weekend. Primary forests are the most the sunshine in the north west of wales lifted temperatures to a high of 25. 5 degrees here. Bio diverse terrestrial ecosystems anywhere on the planet. Forests are not only vital whereas the low cloud, the fog, in mitigating climate change, the haar, that affected eastern the botanists hope to find plants scotland meant the temperature with untold potential. They get to work in edinburgh was only 12 degrees in the afternoon. We also saw quite a few heavy and thundery showers breaking out, but weve still got this area of low collecting specimens. Pressure sitting close to the south west. Thats where we had more frequent showers earlier on. And there may well be some further we dont know what it is. Thundery showers breaking out it could be a philodendron. On sunday, but large parts beautiful. Of the uk will be dry, warm and humid as well. It will start off grey and misty and murky, though, across much of scotland and the north east of england. That low cloud, the haar, retreating back to coastal areas, and well see some sunny spells developing. That will trigger some showers, particularly into the afternoon across parts of england and wales. It may stay dry in the south east of england. There wont be as many showers in the south west. The main focus of the thundery showers breaking out probably across wales and the midlands. Further north, some sunshine, but also areas of low cloud lapping onto coasts of north east england and affecting eastern scotland. So its likely to be about ten degrees warmer, perhaps, in western scotland than the eastern side of the country. There may be a bit of rain up towards aberdeenshire. Those heavy showers, though, continuing through the evening across england and wales, one of the local guides tending to fade away believes that he has chanced as the sun goes down. But as we move into the beginning on something extraordinary. This, we actually dont of the week, weve still got this know exactly what it is. Very warm and muggy air and an area it could be something new. We are the first botanists of low pressure sitting close collecting in this area. To the uk, so thats a recipe so basically every single collection is a new report for science for more heavy and thundery showers to break out. In this area. Again, therell be a lot of low cloud starting the day across scotland and the north east of england, tending to lift in most areas. But when we get some the scientists will take sunshine coming through, the cuttings to the laboratory thatll bubble up the showers again, for further examination, in kew. More especially for the western side of the uk. And again, those temperatures will typically be reaching around about the low 20s or so. And as we move into tuesday as well, its a similar sort of story. Perhaps not so much of that low cloud in the north east of the uk, some sunshine, but more showers more widely on tuesday. Notjust in the west this time, beyond the fact that it is scientifically interesting, and again they could be heavy what does it mean to find and thundery and theyre not new species like this going to move very far at all, in a remote forest . So some torrential downpours and temperatures into the low 20s. Not a great deal changing, really, through wednesday and thursday. More heavy and thundery showers to come. Probably a bit drier on friday. In a country like this, unusually biodiverse, we still do not know how many species are out there. We are estimating in colombia we have about 30,000 species, but still probably 6,000 new species to be discovered. So you think that there are new species out here in these forests that could actually vanish before they are even discovered . Yes, absolutely. And we still dont know the uses of many species. Some of the species could have the properties to cure important diseases for humans. And so as biologists, as botanists, we need to understand as much as possible as quick as possible of this amazing biodiversity. This is like a supermarket, or a pharmacy, and we dont know it, we dont appreciate the forest. 0ur quality of life relies on the preservation of these environments. In the fight to save the forests, the colombian government has extended its protection to millions of acres of land. The Army Launched 0peracion artemisa in 2019 to combat illegal logging. Colonel hermida has a thousand troops deployed in the area. What effect has this had on deforestation here . But this cant really apply to the whole of colombia because deforestation is continuing throughout the country. Even here, they are still doing it. This region, colonel, seems very secure, very peaceful but of course in the past, it wasnt like that. Do you worry that if they dont find proper alternatives for people to make a living, that this region will go back to conflict . Under colombian law, illegal deforestation carries 00 13 43,299 2147483051 43 36,364 a sentence of up to 2147483051 43 36,364 4294966103 13 29,430 12 years in prison. This is bbc news welcome if youre watching here in the uk or around the globe. Im Lewis Vaughan jones. Our top stories the police chief in the American City of atlanta resigns a day after an officer shot dead a black man. Far right protesters clash with police in central london, saying theyre protecting a statue of winston churchill. In paris, clashes as anti racist protestors demonstrate against police brutality. The canadian Prime Minister calls for an independent investigation after the Violent Arrest of an indigenous chief is caught on police camera