Managing wood pasture landscapes in England; the New Forest and other more recent examples

Abstract

The New Forest is one of the most important areas for nature conservation in western Europe. Its scale and richness are of equal importance to the lessons it affords us in understanding the relationship between history, soils, vegetation and the impact of grazing animals on forest ecosystems. The management of the Forest is described, along with short descriptions of some recent projects that have been inspired by the New Forest and have applied its lessons to other, smaller areas of woodland and heathland in lowland England.