Frequently asked questions - students
The following answers give an introduction to some of the commonly asked questions about the New Forest National Park. If you can’t find what you are looking for here why not try the themes to study section which breaks down the information by topic area, or the factsheets which give lots of detailed facts, figures and information on specific subjects.
1. How long has the New Forest been a National Park?
The New Forest became a national park in March 2005. The New Forest National Park Authority took on its full duties in April 2006. There are 14 national parks in total in Britain and the New Forest was the first to have been created in England in nearly 50 years.
2. How big is the New Forest National Park?
The National Park is just under 219 square miles (or 56,651 hectares) in area and stretches from the Wiltshire chalk downs in the north to the Solent coast in the south. It lies between Southampton Water in the east and the Avon valley in the west.
3. How many people live in the New Forest National Park?
There are approximately 34,000 people living in the National Park – it is the most densely populated National Park in the UK. However, there are only three villages that have a population of over 3,000 people. These are Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst and Sway.
4. Who owns the National Park?
The Forestry Commission manages just under 50% of the National Park (25,800 hectares in total) on behalf of the Crown. Other organisations that own or manage land within the Park include the County Council, the District Council, the Parish Councils, the National Trust, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the private estates and private landowners. The National Park Authority does not own or manage any land.
5. What wildlife is there in the National Park?
The New Forest National Park has a wide range of habitats which makes it a very good home for lots of different plants and animals. These habitats include valley mires, lowland heath, coastal lagoons, grassland and woodland. The New Forest is home to over 10,000 species of invertebrates, all six species of reptile. There are many rare and endangered species including the sand lizard, New Forest cicada, honey buzzard and wild gladiolus.
6. How many people visit the National Park each year?
There are around 13.5 million day visits to the National Park every year and some estimates are even larger! Of these 3 million are holiday makers and 10.5 million are day visitors who travel from home.
7. What makes the National Park so special?
There is no doubt that the New Forest National Park is a very special place. But what makes it so special is a personal thing and differs from one person to another. Some of these ‘special qualities’ are listed below:
- the sights, sounds and smells of ancient woodland, heather-covered heath, unspoilt coastline with views of the Isle of Wight and the Solent and autumn colour
- an extraordinary diversity of plants and animals of international importance including wild deer, rare birds and reptiles
- a unique historic and cultural heritage from royal hunting ground to ship-building and strong local communities with distinct character
- commoning and the historic grazing system that maintains so much of what people know and love as 'the New Forest'
- the iconic New Forest pony together with donkeys, pigs and cattle roaming free •wonderful opportunities for quiet recreation, learning and discovery in one of the last extensive, gentle landscapes in the south including unmatched open access to ancient woodlands
- a healthy environment: fresh air, clean water, local produce, tranquillity, a sense of 'wilderness' and low levels of urbanisation interesting literary, artistic and scientific connections
We would like to know what makes the New Forest National Park special for you.
8. How many animals graze in the Open Forest?
There are around 6,500 animals grazing the Open Forest. This includes ponies, sheep, cattle, donkeys as well as pigs which are allowed on the open forest at certain times of the year.
9. Who owns the grazing animals?
Lots of people think that the grazing animals in the Open Forest are wild. In fact they are owned by people with common rights attached to their properties. These rights go back nearly 1,000 years to when the New Forest was a Royal Hunting Forest and governed by ancient laws. There are around 500 commoners living within the National Park. There are five common rights including the practice of lawful de-pasture of ponies (as well as cattle, pigs, donkeys and sheep) upon the crown lands and adjacent commons.
10. How much of the New Forest National Park is covered by trees?
Less than half of the National Park is tree-covered – just over 22,300 hectares in total. Ancient semi-natural woodland covers nearly 10,000 hectares including the greatest concentration of ‘veteran’ trees in Western Europe.
