Wild New Forest - Outreach
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Media
Wild New Forest is not a campaigning organisation, but we are strongly committed to supporting public education through provision of data and evidence, and we regularly initiate and participate in dialogue around local conservation issues.
In recent years, Wild New Forest have raised public awareness of vulnerable ground-nesting birds and of water quality issues in the New Forest National Park, including combined sewer overflows in our rivers and chemicals associated with flea treatments for dogs in our ponds. We have also supported TV features for BBC Countryfile, BBC Inside Out, and BBC South Today, and regularly feature in online BBC News (links below) and local news outlets.
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Lyndhurst sewage discharge 'lasting impact' for New Forest. BBC News online (Aug 2020)
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New Forest: Concerns over photographer deer disturbance. BBC News online (Oct 2020)
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New Forest visitor 'frenzy' fear as lockdown eases. BBC News online (Mar 2021)
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Pleas to save New Forest ground-nesting birds. BBC News online (Mar 2022)
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Otter attacks koi carp in New Forest garden pond. BBC News online (Oct 2022)
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New Forest warning over dog-flea chemicals in ponds. BBC News online (Feb 2024)​​​
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Public events and talks
​We regularly support public events such as the annual Furzey Gardens bioblitz, and in 2024 provided illustrated talks to local interest groups including New Forest Dog Owners Group, New Forest Young Farmers, and local gardening clubs.
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Training and student supervision
We deliver ecological survey and general natural history training to staff, students, and volunteers at several partner organisations, with recent examples including Countryside Education Trust, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, New Forest National Park Authority, and University of Reading. In 2024, Russ was a guest tutor for the BTO Young Leaders Course held at RSPB Franchises Lodge (pic below). Russ initiated and is currently co-supervising a PhD project investigating the ecological impacts of pollutants in New Forest rivers, in partnership with Bournemouth University, Freshwater Habitats Trust, and Southern Water.
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Social media
Wild New Forest established a Facebook page in 2016, primarily to share updates about our projects and other activities. Today, the Wild New Forest Facebook page is one of the largest and most active social media communities in the New Forest, with nearly 15,000 members providing a wide variety of content relating to wildlife and conservation in and around the New Forest National Park, including photos and sightings, identification queries, news updates, and more. It is currently administered by our colleagues at Wild New Forest Guided Tours, and can be accessed here.
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