The New Forest

How and why the New Forest has evolved to be an area of international importance – and Britain's richest 'nature reserve'. How and why the New Forest has evolved to be an area of international importance - and Britain's richest 'nature reserve'. This popular, accessible and beautiful stretch of Hampshire countryside has an appeal far beyond local interest, for it is unique on a world scale. The unparalleled diversity, extent and pattern of its habitats in their favoured climatic position, shelter an incredible variety of plant, insect and animal life. The ancient woodlands, heaths and mires are all rare and precious habitats. The pasture woodlands - with no counterpart anywhere else in Europe - are all we have left to show what Britain must have been like when the vast Atlantic forests covered the land thousands of years ago. And because of the protection afforded by its royal status, common rights, and the Forest Verderers, the New Forest is a recognizable piece of medieval...