Major New Forest landscape scheme gains £2m funding extension

FUNDING worth £2m has been given to the New Forest in a one-year extension to a formerly EU-funded environmental subsidy scheme which has spent £20m on landscapes and commoning.

Launched in 2010, the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme is the largest agri-environment scheme in England and was created to help protect internationally important wildlife and habitats in the New Forest.

Administered by the Rural Payments Agency, over a decade it has funded conservation projects such as stream and heathland restoration, boosted education and training, and provided financial support for commoners.

The fund, worth around £2m a year, is managed by the verderers in partnership with the national park authority and Forestry England. It also works to increase the New Forest’s resilience to habitat loss and climate change.

The one-year extension has been agreed by the Rural Payments Agency. It has been has been welcomed locally as Britain moves out of the EU and works towards a domestic agricultural programme.

Official Verderer Lord Manners said he was “delighted”, adding: “The partner organisations will now carry on with their work of delivering vital environmental benefits to the New Forest.

“This includes supporting commoning through the Verderers’ Grazing Scheme, thereby ensuring that the free-roaming stock continues to help maintain the New Forest’s rare and internationally-important mosaic of habitats.”

Since its launch in 2010 the HLS scheme has funded the natural restoration of 20 miles of artificially-straightened watercourses. The work, which won the UK River Prize in 2019, has helped to improve the carbon storage in wetlands, prevented flooding and supported rare habitats.

It has paid for crucial funding and expert advice to be provided to hundreds of commoners enabling them to continue the traditional system of turning ponies and cattle onto the New Forest.

As part of the scheme a laser scanning survey of the whole national park was undertaken revealing 3,000 archaeology sites which can now be recorded and preserved.

The extra funding was hailed as “good news” by NPA chair Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre who said: “The HLS scheme is a perfect example of public money being given in return for public goods, which is at the heart of government’s policy for all future support for farming and landscape management.”

It has also enabled more than 14,000 children to gain a greater understanding of the New Forest through school visits.

Further work has reduced invasive rhododendron and other non-native species across approximately half of the New Forest, and restored 865 hectares of heath and grassland such as through tree felling and bracken harvesting.

Bruce Rothnie, Forestry England’s Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest, said: “The New Forest is a really critical conservation area, home to landscapes and wildlife which have long since disappeared from many other parts of England.

“It is really encouraging to see this recognised by continued investment in this scheme which brings together the efforts of all forest organisations. Forestry England is excited to continue to play its part in delivering further habitat enhancement to this precious landscape.”

A 10-year celebration of the HLS will be held at Minstead Village Hall on Wednesday 3rd June at 6pm, when all are welcome. To find out more visit www.hlsnewforest.org.uk.