Sting urged the public today to show their support for efforts to save the world's rainforests.

The former Police frontman is backing a new initiative by the Prince's Rainforests Project to encourage campaigners to text a "rainforest SOS" message backing action to halt the deforestation of the vital eco-systems.

The project was established by the Prince of Wales two years ago to find a solution to making natural resources "worth more alive than dead".

Charles's organisation has released a special video compilation featuring SOS messages from famous supporters such as David Attenborough, Harrison Ford and Robin Williams alongside footage of rainforests both thriving and destroyed with the Police's Message In A Bottle song as the soundtrack.

Sting says in his message recorded for the video: "Thirty years ago, I wrote Message In A Bottle. Today, I'm joining forces with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and many others supporting the Prince's Rainforests Project to send an SOS to the world.

"Sending your SOS is easy, and can help create the climate for change. If there is one thing you do today, make it this."

The singer is a well-known environmental campaigner who established his own Rainforest Foundation, aimed at protecting both the environment and indigenous peoples, after visiting the Amazon rainforest in 1987.

Charles has also recorded a video message in support of the campaign that encourages the public to text the project with their messages.

He states: "Rainforests are utterly essential in our fight against climate change.

"They absorb nearly a fifth of all our carbon emissions and yet they are being destroyed at the rate of a football pitch every four seconds.

"To solve the problem, we have to find ways to ensure the trees become more valuable alive than dead so there is no incentive to cut them down."

The Prince's Rainforest SOS campaign will culminate at a major rainforest event hosted by Charles in November.

A cross-section of messages will be included in a special edition of a book of rainforest photographs to be given to world leaders before the climate change summit in Copenhagen in December.

Campaigners can send their messages by visiting www.rainforestsos.org or texting SOS with their full name to 60777.