The first New Forest LIFE Project
'Securing Natura 2000 Objectives
in the New Forest (LIFE97NAT/UK/4242)' was developed
to address these issues.
LIFE
II Project 'Securing Natura 2000
Objectives in the New Forest (LIFE97NAT/UK/4242)'
The LIFE
II project was funded by the European Commission LIFE-Natureprogramme. and ran from February 1997
to September 2001. It successfully delivered over 4,000
hectares of habitat restoration work on the cSAC, a cSAC-wide
Management Plan, and the purchase of 550 hectares of land. It
mainly addressed issues associated with the lack of cohesive
management programmes and the spread of non-native species on
key SAC habitats.
Whilst the first
LIFE project successfully developed a technique for mire restoration,
it also highlighted the urgent need to review the hydrology
of the New Forest cSAC as a whole rather than piecemeal mire
by mire. A better understanding of how to manage the overall
cSAC hydrology and how to achieve long term effective restoration
of these habitats is essential.
A new project and a new partnership was needed
if these issues were to be successfully addressed and to underpin
the gains achieved under the first LIFE-Nature project. Thus
the second New Forest LIFE Project 'Sustainable
Wetland Restoration in the New Forest (LIFE02NAT/UK/8544)'
was created.
LIFE
III Project 'Sustainable
Wetland Restoration in the New Forest (LIFE02NAT/UK/8544)'
The LIFE III project is funded
by the European Commission LIFE-Natureprogramme. The project started
in July 2002 and finished June 2006. It has restored over 600
hectares of threatened habitats of national and international
importance within the New Forest cSAC.
Conservation Designations
The New Forest National Park extends to approximately 58,000
hectares, 29,000 of which comprise the New Forest candidate
Special Area of Conservation (cSAC).
Other protection status
afforded to the Forest includes Ramsar, SPA, SSSI, NNR, and
is treated as a National Park. SAC's together with SPA's combine
to form the NATURA 2000 network.
To find out more about Natura 2000, SPA's and SAC's click on
the NATURA 2000 link or click here>>
