New Forest National Park

Since the New Forest National Park was established in 2005, we’ve recognised that the climate crisis is the most significant long-term threat to this extraordinary landscape

What are the impacts of the climate and nature emergency on the New Forest?

The New Forest is a world capital for wildlife with a unique mosaic of habitats and many rare species. It could suffer huge impacts of further climate change.

Our wildlife and nature are under threat from rising temperatures, wildfires, pests, diseases, drier soils and wetlands, and more powerful and frequent storms.

By 2080 it’s predicted that the south of England will experience warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers. These changes could affect water quality and storage, pollination, flooding , soil formation and carbon storage.

For wildlife it could affect the range and numbers of species and alter their seasonal activity.

What are we doing for the New Forest National Park?

As the New Forest National Park Authority, we’re working to both reduce the effects of climate change and help the Forest cope – so that the special qualities of the National Park are maintained for future generations.

We’re doing this in three ways:

• Helping the New Forest to adapt to the climate and nature emergency through restoring, creating and managing habitats and making wildlife areas more resilient (adaptation)
• Reducing our own carbon footprint (mitigation)
• Encouraging behaviour change among our communities and visitors (education).

The next page shows the area of the New Forest that we are targeting for this engagaement.