A lasting legacy for the New Forest - New Forest National Park Authority
A multimillion-pound scheme for the New Forest has drawn to a close, leaving a legacy of connected communities and thriving wildlife.
The Our Past, Our Future (OPOF) Landscape Partnership Scheme undertook 21 projects to restore lost habitats, develop skills and inspire a new generation to champion and care for the New Forest.
Led by the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) in partnership with 10 other organisations, the £4.4 million scheme was launched in 2015 and focused on the enclosed lands which surround the Open Forest.
With support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, OPOF achieved huge wins for nature:
- More than 210ha of habitat has been restored – equivalent to around 320 football pitches.
- Flora is thriving and attracting more wildlife at newly managed woodlands across the New Forest. Butterflies, bumblebees and birds have been boosted by the restoration of important areas for nature.
- Wild flowers are flourishing along more than 50km of riverbanks where 600 volunteers have helped remove huge swathes of invasive non-native plants.
- The National Trust’s Foxbury site has been transformed with 20,000 native trees planted and a huge increase in wildlife.
- 21,000 wildlife sightings were recorded at selected sites within the scheme, highlighting the huge success of habitat restoration efforts. Rare woodland bats have been seen, rare bird species spotted and almost half of the UK’s species of bumblebee recorded.
Posted On: 11/05/2021
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