83-700: The Lymington River drains part of the New Forest in Hampshire in southern England. Numerous headwaters to the west of Lyndhurst give rise to the river, including Highland Water , Bratley Water and Fletchers Water . From Brockenhurst the river runs southwards to the Solent at Lymington . Highland Water rises north of the Ocknell Inclosure ( SU243125 ) and flows for 10 km (6 mi) to Bolderford Bridge ( SU291041 ) where it meets Ober Water. From there, it
166-553: A Ramsar Site ; it also has its own Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). The New Forest itself gives its name to the New Forest district of Hampshire , and the National Park area, of which it forms the core. The Forest itself is dominated by four larger 'defined' villages, Sway , Brockenhurst , Lyndhurst and Ashurst , with several smaller villages such as Burley , Beaulieu , Godshill , Fritham , Nomansland , and Minstead also lying within or immediately adjacent. Outside of
249-492: A Site of Special Scientific Interest . The Environment Agency measure water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares
332-408: A Commoner qualifying for both schemes would receive over £8,000 a year, and more if they also put out pigs: net of marking fees, feed and veterinary costs this part-time level of involvement across a family is calculated to give an annual income in the thousands of pounds in most years. Whether those subsidies will survive Brexit is unclear. The BPS payment was based on the number of animals marked for
415-406: A benefiting house with paddock or farm. The Verderers and Commoners' Defence Association has fought back against these allied economic threats. The EU Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) helped some Commoners significantly. Commoners marking animals for grazing can claim about £200 per cow per year, and about £160 for a pony, and more if participating in the stewardship scheme. With 10 cattle and 40 ponies,
498-580: A continuation of the historical management of the land. Where an owner or occupier is unwilling or unable to carry out management, ultimately the conservation body can require it to be done. Public bodies which own or occupy an SSSI have a duty to manage it properly. Site management statements for SSSI in Scotland are available to download from the NatureScot website using the "Sitelink" facility. The law protecting SSSIs now covers everyone, not just public bodies and
581-461: A fixed number of animals, as is often the case on other commons. Instead a "marking fee" is paid for each animal each year by the owner. The marked animal's tail is trimmed by the local agister (verderers' official), with each of the four or five forest agisters using a different trimming pattern. Ponies are branded with the owner's brand mark; cattle may be branded, or nowadays may have the brand mark on an ear tag. Grazing of Commoners' ponies and cattle
664-474: A long way upstream of a wetland SSSI might require consultation. Some developments might be neutral or beneficial, even if they are within the SSSI itself – the critical point is whether they harm the interest features. The owners and occupiers of SSSIs are required (Scotland, England, Wales) to obtain consent from the relevant nature conservation body if they want to carry out, cause or permit to be carried out within
747-597: A problem. During the Second World War, an area of the forest, Ashley Range , was used as a bombing range. The Beaulieu, Hampshire estate of Lord Montagu in the New Forest was the site of group B finishing schools for agents operated by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) between 1941 and 1945. (One of the trainers was Kim Philby who was later found to be part of a spy ring passing information to
830-497: A profusion of rare wildlife, including the New Forest cicada Cicadetta montana , the only cicada native to Great Britain, although the last unconfirmed sighting was in 2000. The wet heaths are important for rare plants, such as marsh gentian ( Gentiana pneumonanthe ) and marsh clubmoss ( Lycopodiella inundata ) and other important species include the wild gladiolus ( Gladiolus illyricus ). Several species of sundew are found, as well as many unusual insect species, including
913-407: A proposed activity would not affect the interest or is beneficial to it, then the conservation body will issue a "consent" allowing it to be carried out without further consultation. If it would be harmful, the conservation body may issue consent subject to conditions or refuse the application. If consent in writing is not given the operation must not proceed. Conditions may cover any relevant aspect of
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#1732852259939996-428: A site may contain strata containing vertebrate fossils, insect fossils and plant fossils and it may also be of importance for stratigraphy . Geological sites fall into two types, having different conservation priorities: exposure sites, and deposit sites. Exposure sites are where quarries , disused railway cuttings, cliffs or outcrops give access to extensive geological features, such as particular rock layers. If
1079-425: A standard list for that country. The ORCs/OLDs are not "banned" activities – the list includes activities which would damage the interest, but also many which might be beneficial. For example, " grazing " (a standard item on the list) would require consent, even on a chalk grassland or heathland where grazing is an essential part of management. In England and Wales the list of OLDs is almost the same for each SSSI – and
1162-498: Is a Special Area of Conservation , a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area . Copythorne Common is managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust , Kingston Great Common is a national nature reserve and New Forest Northern Commons is managed by the National Trust . Like much of England, the site of the New Forest was once deciduous woodland, recolonised by birch and eventually beech and oak after
1245-425: Is an essential part of the management of the forest, helping to maintain the heathland, bog, grassland and wood-pasture habitats and their associated wildlife. Recently this ancient practice has come under pressure as houses that benefit from forest rights pass to owners with no interest in commoning. Existing families with a new generation heavily rely on inheritance of, rather than the (mostly expensive) purchase of,
1328-643: Is bounded by the Dorset Heaths and Dorset Downs to the west, the West Wiltshire Downs to the north and the South Hampshire Lowlands and South Coast Plain to the east. The New Forest is drained to the south by three rivers, Lymington River , Beaulieu River and Avon Water , and to the west by the Latchmore Brook , Dockens Water, Linford Brook and other streams. The highest point in
1411-516: Is governed by published SSSI Selection Guidelines. Within each area, a representative series of the best examples of each significant natural habitat may be notified, and for rarer habitats all examples may be included. Sites of particular significance for various taxonomic groups may be selected (for example birds, dragonflies , butterflies , reptiles, amphibians , etc.)—each of these groups has its own set of selection guidelines. Conservation of biological SSSI/ASSIs usually involves continuation of
1494-587: Is known as the Lymington River and flows for a further 12 km (7 mi) to ( SZ3493 ). In 1731 a merchant navy captain, Captain Cross, constructed a causeway and bridge across the estuary to the north of Lymington . He built toll houses and charged travellers using his causeway, more than a mile south of the existing bridge at Boldre . This impedes the river and further silted up Lymington harbour, losing its minor shipping rapidly. Lymington Corporation pursued
1577-546: Is named The Snakecatcher in his memory. All British snakes are now legally protected , and so the New Forest snakes are no longer caught. A programme to reintroduce the sand lizard ( Lacerta agilis ) started in 1989 and the great crested newt ( Triturus cristatus ) already breeds in many locations. Sand lizards in a captive breeding and reintroduction programme together with adders, grass snakes, smooth snakes , frogs and toads can be seen at The New Forest Reptile Centre about two miles east of Lyndhurst . The centre
1660-420: Is not necessarily absolute—generally it requires the SSSI interest to be considered properly against other factors. Local planning authorities are required to have policies in their development plans which protect SSSIs. They are then required to consult the appropriate conservation body over planning applications which might affect the interest of an SSSI (such a development might not be within or even close to
1743-441: Is often pronounced "triple-S I". Sites notified for their biological interest are known as Biological SSSIs (or ASSIs), and those notified for geological or physiographic interest are Geological SSSIs (or ASSIs). Sites may be divided into management units, with some areas including units that are noted for both biological and geological interest. Biological SSSI/ASSIs may be selected for various reasons, which for Great Britain
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#17328522599391826-556: Is one of the indigenous horse breeds of the British Isles, and is one of the New Forest's most famous attractions – most of the Forest ponies are of this breed, but there are also some Shetlands and their crossbreeds . Cattle are of various breeds, most commonly Galloways and their crossbreeds, but also various other hardy types such as Highlands , Herefords , Dexters , Kerries and British whites . The pigs used for pannage , during
1909-412: Is still an important part of the Forest's ecology. Pigs can eat acorns without problem, but for ponies and cattle, large quantities of acorns can be poisonous. Pannage always lasts at least 60 days, but the start date varies according to the weather – and when the acorns fall. The verderers decide when pannage will start each year. At other times the pigs must be taken in and kept on the owner's land, with
1992-700: The Countryside Agency in 1999. An order to create the park was made by the Agency on 24 January 2002 and submitted to the Secretary of State for confirmation in February 2002. Following objections from seven local authorities and others, a public inquiry was held from 8 October 2002 to 10 April 2003, and concluded by endorsing the proposal with some detailed changes to the boundary of the area to be designated. On 28 June 2004, Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael confirmed
2075-640: The Isle of Man and Northern Ireland , is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man . SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves , Ramsar sites , Special Protection Areas , and Special Areas of Conservation . The acronym "SSSI"
2158-449: The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2010 ). Access to SSSIs is the same as for the rest of the countryside of the relevant country. Most SSSIs/ASSIs are in private ownership and form parts of working farms, forests and estates. In Scotland, people may use their rights of responsible access to visit SSSIs. When designating an SSSI/ASSI, the relevant nature conservation body must formally notify
2241-877: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 , but the current legal framework for SSSIs is provided in England and Wales by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , amended in 1985 and further substantially amended in 2000 (by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 ), in Scotland by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and in Northern Ireland by the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 . SSSIs are also covered under
2324-600: The New Forest local government district). As well as most of the New Forest district of Hampshire , it takes in the South Hampshire Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , a small corner of Test Valley district around the village of Canada and part of Wiltshire south-east of Redlynch . Site of Special Scientific Interest A site of special scientific interest ( SSSI ) in Great Britain , or an area of special scientific interest ( ASSI ) in
2407-561: The Water Resources Act 1991 and related legislation. An SSSI may be made on any area of land which is considered to be of special interest by virtue of its fauna , flora , geological or physiographical / geomorphological features. SSSI notification can cover any "land" within the area of the relevant nature conservation body, including dry land, land covered by fresh water . The extent to which an SSSI/ASSI may extend seawards differs between countries. In Scotland an SSSI may include
2490-574: The Conqueror (for the making of the said Forest a harbour for Wild-beasts for his Game) caused 36 Parish Churches, with all the Houses thereto belonging, to be pulled down, and the poor Inhabitants left succourless of house or home. But this wicked act did not long go unpunished, for his Sons felt the smart thereof; Richard being blasted with a pestilent Air; Rufus shot through with an Arrow; and Henry his Grand-child, by Robert his eldest son, as he pursued his Game,
2573-663: The Forest they still also breed in many of the bogs and heaths respectively. Woodland birds include wood warbler ( Phylloscopus sibilatrix ), stock dove ( Columba oenas ), European honey buzzard ( Pernis apivorus ) and northern goshawk ( Accipiter gentilis ). Common buzzard ( Buteo buteo ) is very common and common raven ( Corvus corax ) is spreading. Birds seen more rarely include red kite ( Milvus milvus ), wintering great grey shrike ( Lanius exubitor ) and hen harrier ( Circus cyaneus ) and migrating ring ouzel ( Turdus torquatus ) and northern wheatear ( Oenanthe oenanthe ). All three British native species of snake inhabit
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2656-402: The Forest to graze ( common pasture ), to gather fuel wood ( estovers ), to cut peat for fuel ( turbary ), to dig clay ( marl ), and to turn out pigs between September and November to eat fallen acorns and beechnuts ( pannage or mast ). There were also licences granted to gather bracken after Michaelmas Day (29 September) as litter for animals ( fern ). Along with grazing, pannage
2739-628: The Forest, whether or not these are actually turned out. The livestock actually grazing the Forest are therefore considerably fewer than those marked. The New Forest National Park area covers 566 km (219 sq mi), and the New Forest SSSI covers almost 300 km (120 sq mi), making it the largest contiguous area of unsown vegetation in lowland Britain. It includes roughly: The New Forest has also been classed as National Character Area No. 131 by Natural England . The NCA covers an area of 738 km (285 sq mi) and
2822-573: The Forest. The adder ( Vipera berus ) is the most common, being found on open heath and grassland. The grass snake ( Natrix natrix ) prefers the damper environment of the valley mires. The rare smooth snake ( Coronella austriaca ) occurs on sandy hillsides with heather and gorse . It was mainly adders which were caught by Brusher Mills (1840–1905), the "New Forest Snake Catcher". He caught many thousands in his lifetime, sending some to London Zoo as food for their animals. A pub in Brockenhurst
2905-591: The King in chase Pursues the hart, just vengeance comes apace, And King pursues. Tirrell him seing not, Unwares him flew with dint of arrow shot. The common rights were confirmed by statute in 1698. The New Forest became a source of timber for the Royal Navy , and plantations were created in the 18th century for this purpose. During the Great Storm of 1703 , about 4,000 oak trees were lost. The naval plantations encroached on
2988-735: The National Park Area in New Forest District, several clusters of larger towns frame the area – Totton and the Waterside settlements ( Marchwood , Dibden , Hythe , Fawley ) to the East, Christchurch , New Milton , Milford on Sea , and Lymington to the South, and Fordingbridge and Ringwood to the West. Consultations on the possible designation of a National Park in the New Forest were commenced by
3071-459: The New Forest Acts also retain their responsibilities, and the park authority is expected to co-operate with these bodies, the local authorities, English Nature and other interested parties. The designated area of the National Park covers 566 km (219 sq mi) and includes many existing SSSIs . It has a population of about 38,000 (it excludes most of the 170,256 people who live in
3154-604: The New Forest is Pipers Wait, near Nomansland . Its summit is 129 metres (423 feet) above sea level . The geology of the New Forest consists mainly of sedimentary rock, in the centre of a sedimentary basin known as the Hampshire Basin. The ecological value of the New Forest is enhanced by the relatively large areas of lowland habitats, lost elsewhere, which have survived. There are several kinds of important lowland habitat including valley bogs , alder carr , wet heaths , dry heaths and deciduous woodland . The area contains
3237-629: The New Forest is still owned by the Crown. The Crown lands have been managed by Forestry England since 1923 and most of the Crown lands now fall inside the new National Park. Felling of broadleaved trees, and their replacement by conifers , began during the First World War to meet the wartime demand for wood. Further encroachments were made during the Second World War. This process is today being reversed in places, with some plantations being returned to heathland or broadleaved woodland. Rhododendron remains
3320-478: The New Forest was proclaimed a royal forest , in about 1079, by William the Conqueror . It was used for royal hunts, mainly of deer . It was created at the expense of more than 20 small hamlets and isolated farmsteads ; hence it was then 'new' as a single compact area. The New Forest was first recorded as Nova Foresta in Domesday Book in 1086, where a section devoted to it is interpolated between lands of
3403-560: The ORC lists for each SSSI and removed those activities that were unlikely to happen and if they were to would be unlikely to damage the protected natural features, and other activities adequately regulated by other statutory regimes. The intention of this was to remove the need for owners and occupiers to obtain SSSI consent as well as licences/ permits from other authorities (who must consult NatureScot prior to determining such applications). Purely geological SSSIs often have much shorter OLD lists. If
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3486-581: The SSSI Register, hosted by The Registers of Scotland . Further information about SSSIs in Scotland is available on the NatureScot website. The decision to notify an SSSI is made by the relevant nature conservation body (the appropriate conservation body ) for that part of the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland Environment Agency , Natural England , NatureScot or Natural Resources Wales . SSSIs were originally set up by
3569-414: The SSSI any of the activities listed in the notification. Formerly these activities were called 'potentially damaging operations' or PDOs. Under the current legal arrangements they are called 'operations requiring consent' or ORCs (Scotland), or 'operations likely to damage the SSSI interest' or OLDs (England & Wales). The list of ORCs/OLDs for each SSSI is unique to that site – though all are derived from
3652-402: The SSSI itself). The effect of this is to prevent development which harms the interest – except where the value of that interest is over-ridden by some more important factor, for example a requirement for a major road or port or oil pipe. The requirement for consultation covers any development which might affect the interest, not just developments within the SSSI itself – for example, a development
3735-568: The Soviets.) In 2005, a special exhibition was mounted at the estate, with a video showing photographs from that era as well as voice recordings of former SOE trainers and agents. Further New Forest Acts followed in 1949, 1964 and 1970. The New Forest became a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1971, and was granted special status as the New Forest Heritage Area in 1985, with additional planning controls added in 1992. The New Forest
3818-604: The acidic soil. Following Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain, according to Florence of Worcester (d. 1118), the area became the site of the Jutish kingdom of Ytene ; this name was the genitive plural of Yt meaning "Jute", i.e. "of the Jutes". The Jutes were one of the early Anglo-Saxon tribal groups who colonised this area of southern Hampshire. Following the Norman Conquest ,
3901-549: The autumn months, are now of various breeds, but the New Forest was the original home of the Wessex Saddleback , now extinct in Britain. Numerous deer live in the Forest; they are usually rather shy and tend to stay out of sight when people are around, but are surprisingly bold at night, even when a car drives past. Fallow deer ( Dama dama ) are the most common, followed by roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ) and red deer ( Cervus elaphus ). There are also smaller populations of
3984-475: The carbon dioxide emissions of the New Forest District Council area were recorded as 928,000 tonnes. Forest laws were enacted to preserve the New Forest as a location for royal deer hunting , and interference with the king's deer and its forage was punished. The inhabitants of the area ( commoners ) had pre-existing rights of common : to turn horses and cattle (but only rarely sheep) out into
4067-501: The concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail. Water quality of the Lymington River in 2019: [REDACTED] Media related to Lymington River at Wikimedia Commons New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England , covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire . It
4150-837: The designating authority is NatureScot ; the role in Wales is performed by Natural Resources Wales (formerly the Countryside Council for Wales ). In the Isle of Man the role is performed by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture . Geological SSSI/ASSIs are selected by a different mechanism to biological ones, with a minimalistic system selecting one site for each geological feature in Great Britain. Academic geological specialists have reviewed geological literature, selecting sites within Great Britain of at least national importance for each of
4233-625: The end of the Middle Iron Age around 250–100 BC, and most importantly the 12th and 13th centuries , and of this essentially all that remains today is the New Forest. There are around 250 round barrows within its boundaries, and scattered boiling mounds , and it also includes about 150 scheduled monuments . One may be the only known inhumation site of the Early Iron Age and the only known Hallstatt culture burial place in Britain, though any bodies are likely decomposed beyond detection by
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#17328522599394316-462: The exception that pregnant sows, known as privileged sows , are always allowed out providing they are not a nuisance and return to the Commoner's holding at night (they must not be " levant and couchant " in the Forest, that is, they may not consecutively feed and sleep there). This last is an established practice rather than a formal right. The principle of levancy and couchancy applies generally to
4399-461: The exposure becomes obscured, the feature could in principle be re-exposed elsewhere. Conservation of these sites usually concentrates on maintenance of access for future study. Deposit sites are features which are limited in extent or physically delicate—for example, they include small lenses of sediment , mine tailings , caves and other landforms . If such features become damaged they cannot be recreated, and conservation usually involves protecting
4482-504: The feature from erosion or other damage. Following devolution, legal arrangements for SSSIs (Scotland, England, Wales) and ASSIs (Northern Ireland) differ between the countries of the UK. The Isle of Man ASSI system is a separate entity. NatureScot publishes a summary of the SSSI arrangements for SSSI owners and occupiers (other than public bodies) which can be downloaded from its website. Legal documents for all SSSIs in Scotland are available on
4565-402: The forest have varied over time and depend on the purpose of delimiting them. It is a 28,924.5-hectare (71,474-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest . Several areas are Geological Conservation Review sites, including Mark Ash Wood, Shepherd’s Gutter, Cranes Moor, Studley Wood, and Wood Green. There are also a number of Nature Conservation Review sites. It
4648-497: The forest: Prince Richard sometime between 1069 and 1075, and King William II (William Rufus) in 1100. Though many claim the latter is due to an inaccurate arrow shot from his hunting companion, local folklore asserted that this was punishment for the crimes committed by William when he created his New Forest; 17th-century writer Richard Blome provides detail: In this County [Hantshire] is New-Forest, formerly called Ytene, being about 30 miles in compass; in which said tract William
4731-455: The government's intention to designate the area as a National Park, with further detailed boundary adjustments. The area was formally designated as such on 1 March 2005. A national park authority for the New Forest was established on 1 April 2005 and assumed its full statutory powers on 1 April 2006. Forestry England retain their powers to manage the Crown land within the Park. The Verderers under
4814-405: The interest), but not illegal trail biking. This loophole was closed by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and section 19 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Funding for the monitoring of SSSIs in England has been cut from £1.58 million in 2010 to £700,000 in 2018, causing concern that many have not been inspected over the last six years, as required by guidelines. Since
4897-473: The interested parties and allow a period for them to make representations before confirming the notification. When creating a new SSSI/ASSI the designation has legal effect from the date of notification. The interested parties include central government, local planning authorities , national park authorities, all the owners and occupiers of the land, relevant public bodies such as the utility providers e.g., water companies . In Scotland, NatureScot must also notify
4980-464: The intertidal land down to mean low water spring or to the extent of the local planning authority area, thus only limited areas of estuaries and coastal waters beyond MLWS may be included. In England, Natural England may notify an SSSI over estuarial waters and further adjacent waters in certain circumstances (section 28(1A & 1B) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by Part 2 of Annex 13 of
5063-464: The introduced sika deer ( Cervus nippon ) and muntjac ( Muntiacus reevesii ). The red squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris ) survived in the Forest until the 1970s – longer than most places in lowland Britain (though it still occurs on the Isle of Wight and the nearby Brownsea Island ). It is now fully supplanted in the Forest by the introduced North American grey squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis ). The European polecat ( Mustela putorius ) has recolonised
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#17328522599395146-530: The king's thegns and the town of Southampton ; it is the only forest that the book describes in detail. Twelfth-century chroniclers alleged that William had created the forest by evicting the inhabitants of 36 parishes, reducing a flourishing district to a wasteland; this account is thought dubious by most historians, as the poor soil in much of the area is believed to have been incapable of supporting large-scale agriculture, and significant areas appear to have always been uninhabited. Two of William's sons died in
5229-402: The list for an SSSI will only omit activities impossible on the particular SSSI (such as fishing where there is no water), and things requiring planning permission (which are covered by the local planning authority consultation process). In Scotland, and following the implementation of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, Scottish Natural Heritage (the former name for NatureScot) reviewed
5312-442: The matter in court and lost their case. In 1795 the mud building up in the estuary "has rendered it already very narrow; and will probably in a few years, so completely choke it up, as to make it unnavigable by any ships of considerable burden." The causeway was taken over by the regional rail firm who collected the tolls until, after nationalised rail, it was bought out by Hampshire County Council in 1955 – tolls paid down
5395-519: The most important features within each geological topic (or block ). Each of these sites is described, with most published in the Geological Conservation Review series, and so becomes a GCR site . Almost all GCR sites (but no other sites) are subsequently notified as geological SSSIs, except some that coincide with designated biological SSSI management units. A GCR site may contain features from several different topic blocks, for example
5478-400: The natural and artificial processes which resulted in their development and survival, for example the continued traditional grazing of heathland or chalk grassland . In England, the designating body for SSSIs, Natural England , selects biological SSSIs from within natural areas which are areas with particular landscape and ecological characteristics, or on a county basis. In Scotland,
5561-979: The new Act, often with boundary changes. This complex process took some ten years to complete for the several thousand SSSIs. For the purposes of selecting the original tranche of SSSIs, Natural England's predecessors (the Nature Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy Council and English Nature ) used a system termed "areas of search" (AOSs). In England these were largely based on the 1974–1996 administrative counties (with larger counties divided into two or more areas), whereas in Scotland and Wales they are based around districts. The individual AOSs are between 400 km (150 sq mi) and 4,000 km (1,500 sq mi) in size. There were 59 AOSs in England, 12 in Wales, and 44 in Scotland. Watsonian vice-counties were formerly used for selection over
5644-399: The notification is then confirmed or withdrawn (in whole or part). At the time of the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , many SSSIs were already in existence, having been notified over the previous decades under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 . Each of these was considered in turn, and either denotified, or renotified —brought under the provisions of
5727-447: The owners and occupiers of SSSIs. Previously, activities by "third parties" were not illegal under the SSSI legislation. This meant that damaging activities such as fly-tipping , intensive bait-digging or trail biking on an SSSI were only prevented if done (or permitted) by the owner or occupier – not if done by trespassers or under public rights. The effect was, for example, to allow control of legal trail biking on SSSIs (where damaging to
5810-626: The past, there are control measures now in place to manage this. Specialist heathland birds are widespread, including Dartford warbler ( Curruca undata ), woodlark ( Lullula arborea ), northern lapwing ( Vanellus vanellus ), Eurasian curlew ( Numenius arquata ), European nightjar ( Caprimulgus europaeus ), Eurasian hobby ( Falco subbuteo ), European stonechat ( Saxicola rubecola ), common redstart ( Phoenicurus phoenicurus ) and tree pipit ( Anthus sylvestris ). As in much of Britain common snipe ( Gallinago gallinago ) and meadow pipit ( Anthus trivialis ) are common as wintering birds, but in
5893-478: The price and ceased a few years later. Today silting in the harbour as a result of the structure (almost a dam) occurs, but is ameliorated a higher sea level and the scouring effects of the Isle of Wight ferries . Before the structure it is said the diurnal tide influenced flow up to Brockenhurst . Against the sea, the outer limit of the end of the estuary's mud at low tide is 550–650 metres closer to land than in 1895. The river's extensive reedbeds are
5976-517: The proposed operation and may, for example, limit its timing, location or intensity. The process is slightly different where the owner or occupier is a public body, but the effect is broadly similar. The relevant nature conservation body sends all SSSI owners and occupiers a site-specific 'site management statement' describing the ideal management (there may be grants available to help fund management). Owners and occupiers are encouraged to carry out this management, which in many (but not all) cases will be
6059-557: The referendum to leave the EU in 2016, more than 450 staff have been transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Neglected areas include Exmoor , the Lake District , the Pennines , and The Wash . The process of designating a site as of Special Scientific Interest is called notification; this is followed by consultation with the site's owners and occupiers, and
6142-560: The relevant community councils and community group having registered an interest in the land. The notification includes a description of the land and the natural features for which it is notified ("the citation"), a boundary map, and a list of the acts or omissions (activities) that the nature conservation body regulates through the issue of consents. The various laws protect the interest features of SSSIs from development, from other damage, and (since 2000 in England) also from neglect. Protection
6225-451: The right of pasture. Commoners must have backup land, outside the Forest, to accommodate these depastured animals when necessary, for example during a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic. Commons rights are attached to particular plots of land (or in the case of turbary, to particular hearths ), and different land has different rights – and some of this land is some distance from the Forest itself. Rights to graze ponies and cattle are not for
6308-609: The rights of the Commoners, but the Forest gained new protection under the New Forest Act 1877, which confirmed the historic rights of the Commoners and entrenched that the total of enclosures was henceforth not to exceed 65 km (25 sq mi) at any time. It also reconstituted the Court of Verderers as representatives of the Commoners (rather than the Crown). As of 2005 , roughly 90% of
6391-627: The southern damselfly ( Coenagrion mercuriale ), large marsh grasshopper ( Stethophyma grossum ) and the mole cricket ( Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa ), all rare in Britain. In 2009, 500 adult southern damselflies were captured and released in the Venn Ottery nature reserve in Devon , which is owned and managed by the Devon Wildlife Trust . The Forest is an important stronghold for a rich variety of fungi , and although these have been heavily gathered in
6474-414: The western edge of the Forest in recent years. European otter ( Lutra lutra ) occurs along watercourses, as well as the introduced American mink ( Neogale vison ). In 2021 a population of Pine Martens was confirmed to be present. The New Forest is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), an EU Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Special Protection Area for birds (SPA), and
6557-489: The withdrawal of the ice sheets starting around 12,000 years ago. Some areas were cleared for cultivation from the Bronze Age onwards; the poor quality of the soil in the New Forest meant that the cleared areas turned into heathland "waste", which may have been used even then as grazing land for horses. There was still a significant amount of woodland in this part of Britain, but this was gradually reduced, particularly towards
6640-498: Was established in 1969 by Derek Thomson MBE , a Forestry England keeper, who was also involved in establishing the deer viewing platform at nearby Bolderwood . Commoners' cattle, ponies and donkeys roam throughout the open heath and much of the woodland, and it is largely their grazing that maintains the open character of the Forest. They are also frequently seen in the Forest villages, where home and shop owners must take care to keep them out of gardens and shops. The New Forest pony
6723-536: Was hanged among the boughs, and so dyed. This Forest at present affordeth great variety of Game, where his Majesty oft-times withdraws himself for his divertisement. The reputed spot of Rufus's death is marked with a stone known as the Rufus Stone . John White , Bishop of Winchester , said of the forest: From God and Saint King Rufus did Churches take, From Citizens town-court, and mercate place, From Farmer lands: New Forrest for to make, In Beaulew tract, where whiles
6806-487: Was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror , featuring in the Domesday Book . It is the home of the New Forest Commoners , whose ancient rights of common pasture are still recognised and exercised, enforced by official verderers and agisters . In the 18th century, the New Forest became a source of timber for the Royal Navy . It remains a habitat for many rare birds and mammals . The boundaries of
6889-583: Was proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 1999, but UNESCO did not take up the nomination. It became a National Park on 1 March 2005, transferring a wide variety of planning and control decisions to the New Forest National Park Authority, who work alongside the local authorities, land owners and crown estates in managing the New Forest. A report in 2023 stated that the region will face hotter, drier summers and wetter winters. In 2019,
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