Possible impacts in the New Forest

How climate change will impact the New Forest National Park is still a matter of uncertainty but there are a range of possibilities that we can be preparing for.

Potential:

• loss of rare species and habitats such as the wet, peaty areas of Holmsley Bog and Shatterford Bottom, both important areas for wildlife within the New Forest
• changes in the coast line, with possible loss of beaches and wetlands such as Lymington salt marshes
• loss of important historic and archaeological features due to increased weathering and erosion
• changes in agriculture and commoning due to possible loss of grazing and changes in growing seasons
• increase in tourism as more people holiday in the UK
• alteration of the typical New Forest landscapes caused by a possible increase in forest fires and potential loss of key species
• changes in the New Forest woodlands if, for example, the numbers of oak and beech trees were to decline.

It is widely agreed that the extent of warming, and so the severity of climate change impacts, depends on our behaviour and actions today.