New Forest National Park and BMW UK partner to better connect young people and EV drivers to nature
PUBLISHED ON: 22 AUGUST 2024- In Jubilee Field Car Park, Sway, New Forest National Park, a new twin electric vehicle (EV) charging point will help locals and tourists make zero emission journeys.
- BMW UK is also funding the appointment of two apprentice rangers and supporting around 80 young people to connect with nature and feel inspired to help protect it through its Youth Action Programme.
- BMW UK’s work with New Forest National Park is part of its Recharge in Nature partnership with the UK National Parks.
The New Forest National Park Authority and BMW UK celebrate a milestone in its partnership, as a new twin electric vehicle (EV) charging point officially goes live in the New Forest National Park.
As well as enhancing the EV charging network, the pair’s collaboration will also see BMW fund the appointment of two apprentice rangers and support around 80 young people to better connect with nature and feel inspired to protect it.
To increase the availability of public EV charging options for both local people and visitors, the new twin charging point has been installed in the Jubilee Field Car Park in Sway, one of the New Forest’s most central locations. It means that more EV drivers can enjoy the unique beauty of the National Park’s ancient woodlands, wild heathlands and beautiful coastlines.
The installation is the latest win for the Recharge in Nature Project, which will see EV charge points installed across all 15 UK National Parks – from the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands down to Dartmoor in England’s south-west. By the end of the three-year partnership in 2025, there will be a total of 135 charge points thanks to the partnership.
Currently, the UK’s National Parks are visited over 100 million times each year (STEAM tourism data, 2019) – with 93% of these visits made by car (Aggregated National Parks data, 2018). Enhancing the National Parks’ EV recharging network is consequently vital to enabling better access to the UK’s most precious wild landscapes for the lowest emitting and quietest drives.
BMW UK Corporate Communications Director, Graham Biggs, said: ‘We are proud to be leading the charge towards more sustainable tourism in the New Forest, one of the UK’s most beloved landscapes and home to the famous free-roaming ponies. With EVs now accounting for over 18 per cent (https://www.zap-map.com/ev-stats/ev-market) of the UK’s new car sales and demand for them growing strongly, a fully-fledged EV charging infrastructure is essential to helping to decarbonise travel and tourism in and around the nation’s celebrated beauty spots. Our Recharge in Nature partnership with the UK National Parks is about adding to the spread of rural EV chargers to reduce driving emissions – as well as noise and air pollution.’
As well as helping enhance the rural charging network, BMW UK’s support of Recharge in Nature is funding nature and community impact projects in every National Park. In the New Forest, this includes the funding of two apprentice rangers, who will gain practical experience and develop skills in environmental conservation. The two rangers spent their first six weeks training in first aid and the operation of chainsaws, brush cutters and strimmers. Currently, they are spending time with each of the different local ranger teams to learn about their essential work – with the chance to join the New Forest’s Early Green Careers Network for additional mentoring.
BMW UK is also supporting the New Forest National Park’s Youth Action Programme by funding three-month nature conservation projects for up to 10 young people at a time aged between 11 and 30 years. The aim of the programme is to connect these local young people more deeply with nature and inspire them to help protect it. The programme will feature a mix of nature protection volunteering, walks, educational talks, cycling, mindfulness exercises, training in bushcraft skills and discussions about supporting nature and combating the climate crisis in daily life.
Chair of the New Forest National Park Authority, David Bence, said: ‘We’re really excited about our new EV twin charge point. The New Forest is a world capital for wildlife with many rare habitats and species and we’re already seeing the impacts of climate change. We must do everything we can to protect the New Forest for future generations – and that includes encouraging the people who call our wonderful National Park home and the millions of visitors each year, to embrace lower emission journey options.
‘We’re also thrilled that this partnership with BMW UK means investment in the local community through two new ranger apprentices and a programme to connect young people more deeply with the New Forest’s ancient landscapes. After all, young people are the future of conservation, but they won’t protect what they don’t know and love.’
The BMW Group has set clear CO2 reduction targets across the lifecycle of every vehicle and is constantly seeking new ways to cut emissions. By 2030, the CO2 emissions per vehicle will be at least halved from 2019 levels. BMW Group was one of the first automotive brands to join the Business Ambition for 1.5°C as part of the Paris Climate Agreement – the most robust commitment to the goal of full climate neutrality, over the entire value chain, by 2050 at the latest. By doing so, the company is also part of the Race to Zero.
For more information about BMW Group UK and the Recharge in Nature partnership, please visit bmw.co.uk/nationalparks
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Header photo caption:
New Forest National Park Authority’s Sustainable Visitor Experience Officer Aynsley Clinton and Sway Parish Councillor Mike Butler launch the BMW EV charging point at Sway.
Notes to editors
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2023, the BMW Group sold over 2.55 million passenger vehicles and more than 209,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2023 was €17.1 billion on revenues amounting to €155.5 billion. As of 31 December 2023, the BMW Group had a workforce of 154,950 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.
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About UK National Parks
- There are 15 national parks in the UK – 10 in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland.
- National parks cover almost 10% of England, 20% of Wales and 8% of Scotland.
- Each national park is administered by its own authority, but that authority does not own all of the land within the national park. They are independent bodies funded by central government to:
- Conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage.
- Promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of national parks by the public.
- In carrying out these aims, National Park Authorities are also required to seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities within the National Park.
- National Parks are free to enter and explore and have 104 million visits each year.
- For more information visit nationalparks.uk
National Parks Partnerships (NPP)
Working across all 15 national parks in the UK (Peak District, Lake District, Eryri, Dartmoor, Pembrokeshire Coast, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Exmoor, Northumberland, Bannau Brycheiniog, The Broads, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, Cairngorms, New Forest, South Downs), National Parks Partnerships (NPP) creates purpose-driven partnerships with the private sector and funders to help protect and improve national parks for people, nature and climate.
Since its inception in 2016, NPP has developed partnerships with some of the world’s biggest brands to support the UK’s National Parks including BMW UK, Santander UK and Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland. Working with global impact firm Palladium, NPP launched Revere: Investing in Nature to deploy green finance at an unprecedented scale in National Parks and has an in-house Nature-Based Solutions team that supports National Parks to do more for nature.
Find out more at: www.nationalparks.uk/national-parks-partnerships/ or follow National Parks Partnerships on LinkedIn.
