Urgent New Forest land appeal

Urgent New Forest land appeal

£118,078 of £40,000 goal

Imagine a joined-up network of protected sites where nature can be restored and wildlife is able to flourish. That vision is at the heart of our ambitious Forest to Foreshore plan – the bold strategy to create an unbroken chain of land from our magnificent nature reserve at Roydon Woods to the incredible wetlands of the Lymington and Keyhaven coast. With your help, it can be more than a vision. You can make it a reality.

APPEAL UPDATE - July 30th, 2024

WOW…you did it! Thanks to incredible support from our members and supporters, the £40,000 target has been reached.

A huge thank you to every donor who has given generously to this appeal. Connecting landscapes like this is a major step towards putting nature in recovery across our two counties.

If you haven’t yet donated but would still like to support this work, you can still give to this appeal. Funds raised above our target will go towards setting up our management at this new site and helping the Trust to increase its impact and invest more in the management of our sites across the New Forest.

If you would prefer to make a general donation to the Trust rather than to this appeal, you can do so here.

Thanks again to everybody who has supported this appeal.

A critical opportunity for conservation

You have the opportunity to support a land purchase in the Lymington Valley which forms a critical piece in the jigsaw of connected habitats across the New Forest. Currently in private ownership, this plot is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. A hotbed for wildlife, it comprises high-quality fen, wetland, and wet woodland habitat, with the Lymington River running through it. By bringing this land into the Trust’s hands, your support would help extend the existing Lymington Reedbeds Nature Reserve and take a significant step towards creating a contiguous corridor to protect Hampshire’s wildlife.

Donate today to help raise the remaining £40,000 needed to complete the purchase and begin land management. Together, we can ensure a future where nature and wildlife thrive.

The importance of this land for wildlife

Land in this area is in high demand and rarely becomes available. This plot, close to our Lymington Reedbeds reserve, covers approximately 11.1 hectares (28 acres). River valleys and the species that thrive within them are under particular pressure because of climate change, poor water quality, and long-term changes in weather patterns. Against this backdrop, it is increasingly important to protect wildlife corridors that will enable species to respond to these challenges.

You can help

Thanks to our generous supporters, particularly individuals who have remembered the Trust in their Will, the majority of the required funding is in place. However, we still need to raise the remaining £40,000 to complete the purchase and begin land management. Your donation will help ensure precious wildlife can survive and thrive at the site under the Trust’s long-term, expert conservation management.

Without your support, we may miss this golden opportunity. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to our goal.