Funding boost for farmers to drive nature recovery in the New Forest

Funding boost for farmers to drive nature recovery in the New Forest

A fund helping farmers, commoners and landowners to support nature recovery and sustainable farming in the New Forest National Park has been extended for another year.

Farming in Protected Landscapes grants are managed locally by the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA). As of March 2025, £850,000 in grants have improved the natural environment, cultural heritage and public access, and made farms more resilient and fit for the future.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) national grant programme was originally launched in July 2021 as a three-year scheme to support the people who live and work in protected landscapes. The one-year extension means that a further £225,084 of funding will be available in the New Forest.

To date, the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has funded 60 projects in the New Forest, seen 42 schemes completed and nearly 34,000 hectares of land (equivalent to more than 40,000 football pitches) supported to drive improvements for nature.

These include:

• Increasing biodiversity at St.Giles Farm at Godshill and enhancing the landscape by planting hedgerows and trees and building pasture fences.
• Installing a rainwater harvesting system at Brooklands Farm near Fordingbridge which will collect thousands of litres of rainwater to reduce run off and flood risk and improve rivers and streams.
• Creating wildlife corridors at a smallholding in Lymington, allowing wildlife to move across the landscape more easily.
• Buying an environmentally-friendly charcoal kiln for Pondhead Conservation Trust in Lyndhurst to continue its sustainable coppicing.
• Planting hedging and trees at a two-acre community space in Ringwood to help improve habitats around the town.  
• Trialling a new ‘strip till’ conservation farming technique with Simeon Morgan Farming near Keyhaven, helping improve soil conditions and better yields using less diesel.
• Supporting a group of landowners and managers in the north of the National Park manage deer effectively to reduce the impact of deer herds on agricultural production and woodland regeneration. 

David Bence, chair of the New Forest National Park Authority said the news of the rollover was welcome: ‘The Farming in Protected Landscapes grant programme will provide further funding for one-off projects which allow farmers, commoners and landowners to support nature recovery and mitigate the impacts of climate change – such as reducing flood risk or storing more carbon.’

‘Funding will also go towards opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand our protected landscape, and support nature-friendly and sustainable farming.’

For further information on the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, including case studies, visit www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/FIPL

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