New Forest to benefit from landmark conservation agreement
17 March 2010
Natural England announces record-breaking £16 million conservation programme.
Rare species and habitats in the New Forest - one of England’s most precious landscapes - are to benefit from a landmark conservation agreement, launched today by Natural England. The new agreement will provide £16 million over the next 10 years and will help safeguard the traditional grazing methods that for centuries have shaped the New Forest’s unique wildlife.
Under the historic practice of “commoning”, ponies and cattle have been allowed to graze freely over extensive areas of the Forest, preserving the richness of its heathland and wood pasture habitats. The agreement announced today will provide a major funding boost for these grazing activities and will also support habitat restoration projects and the preservation of many archaeological features in this historic landscape.
A royal hunting ground for William the Conqueror and later a source of timber for the Navy’s battleships, the New Forest has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years and now supports many rare and threatened plants and animals. It is the largest lowland heath in Europe and also boasts some of the finest deciduous woodlands in southern England. Dartford warblers, nightjars, many species of bats and the rare smooth snake can all be found there, alongside a wide range of unusual flowers, mosses and ferns – and of course the famous New Forest ponies. The Forest’s unique array of plants and wildlife is recognised by its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Park.
The new funding agreement involves a number of organisations who already work in partnership managing and protecting the Forest. Alongside Natural England it includes the Verderers of the New Forest - who protect and administer the area’s agricultural commoning practices - the New Forest National Park Authority, the Commoners Defence Association and the Forestry Commission.
Poul Christensen, Chair of Natural England, said: “This is a significant moment in the New Forest’s long and illustrious history. By establishing a major source of funding for the forest’s traditional agricultural practices, this agreement will help to preserve its distinctive environment for many years to come. It will also have a major impact on the restoration of special habitats, safeguarding the survival of popular wildlife and plants.
“We appreciate the vital role that commoners have played in protecting the forest for a thousand years and we are delighted to be able to work with them to ensure they have the support they need to continue looking after this beautiful landscape.”
The agreement is part of Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme – which draws on EU and Defra funding – and is the largest agri-environment agreement by area in Europe. Annual funding payments will help to safeguard a viable future for commoning in the New Forest, as well as deliver habitat restoration of wood pasture, heathland and species rich grassland. This will include putting back meanders in streams which have been straightened and deepened in the past, allowing them to interact naturally with the floodplain again. The historic environment will also be surveyed using remote sensing technology to ensure it is mapped and protected.
These measures will ensure that 20,000 hectares of SSSI land are maintained in top condition and contribute 22 per cent of the national Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) habitat management target for the current year.
Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre, Official Verderer, said: “The thousands of ponies and cattle that roam free are essential for conserving the Forest; in fact it is their grazing that has created the landscape over hundreds of years. But all these animals have owners, and therefore the direct financial support that this scheme will give to them is invaluable.”
Barrie Foley, Interim Chief Executive of the New Forest National Park Authority, said: “We are delighted that there is proper recognition for the role of the commoners in caring for the forest. We look forward to everyone benefiting from this substantial public investment into the forest.”
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Notes to editors
1. The New Forest National Park, which covers 56,000 hectares in Hampshire and Wiltshire, is an internationally important environment of woodland pasture, heaths and bogs. Just under 29,000 ha is designated as the New Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest and the HLS agreement covers 20,000 ha of this SSSI. The land has been grazed for centuries by the cattle, ponies and pigs of commoners exercising their ancient rights of common. It was designated a national park in 2005, contains a number of nature reserves and is also a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and a Ramsar site.
2. Although the land is poor in nutrients it sustains a variety of rare species, including New Forest ponies, nightjar, Dartford warbler, kingfisher, Bechstein bat, bog orchid, wild gladiolus, pennyroyal, Hampshire purslane, stag beetle and tadpole shrimp. It was constituted as “Nova Foresta” by William I in 1079 and its historic features include Bronze Age barrows, Iron Age forts and Roman pottery sites. It provided wood for naval shipbuilders and some of Admiral Lord Nelson’s ships were built at Buckler’s Hard.
3. Natural England delivers Environmental Stewardship schemes, comprising Entry Level Stewardship and Higher Level Stewardship, on behalf of Defra. These agri-environment schemes are funded by the EU and Defra, to reward farmers and land managers who conserve and enhance their natural and historic environment. They are the enhanced successors to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) and the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) scheme, which are now coming to an end. For more information visit www.naturalengland.org.uk/es
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4. Natural England offered the New Forest management partnership the opportunity to end prematurely an existing Countryside Stewardship Scheme and to replace it with the larger and more wide-ranging Higher Level Scheme, which involves a wider management partnership. This scheme has now been agreed and signed by the Verderers and came into effect on March 1.
5. The Verderers have existed for centuries as guardians of the agricultural communing practices. They derive their offices, powers and responsibilities from an Act of Parliament in 1877 and subsequent Acts. The Verderers Court comprises the Official Verderer, five elected Verderers representing the Commoners and four appointed Verderers: one each appointed by the Forestry Commission, DEFRA, the National Park Authority and Natural England. The post of Official Verderer is a statutory appointment made by Her Majesty the Queen. The Verderers work in conjunction with the Forestry Commission (which manages the Forest on behalf of the Crown), Natural England, and with owners of other areas of common land within the Forest, such as the National Trust. For more information visit the Verderers website.
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run England’s green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
