NEW FOREST TODAY NEWS

Minister travels thousands of miles to visit New Forest

Ukraine study goup

A group from the Ukraine - including the deputy minister of environmental protection, Mr Mykhailo Tomakhin, recently visited the New Forest for a day on a study tour of protected areas.

The high-level group of officials is linked to a project that aims at restoring 20,000ha of degraded peatland in Ukraine, 50% of which will be located in protected sites. This will be completed by the end of 2012, using funding made available through the German development bank KfW. During the visit, facilitated by the RSPB, they looked to the Forestry Commission as experts in integrating land management in a protected area with income generation. They were particularly interested to hear how forest products can be used and how local communities are involved in decision-making.

Kevin Penfold, acting deputy surveyor for the New Forest welcomed the visitors to the historic Verderers’ Court in Lyndhurst. The group were given an overview of the New Forest’s history and special designations by Simon Weymouth, head of forest planning and environment, before Anthony Climpson, tourism manager for New Forest District Council outlined how tourism can help contribute to the local economy, particularly in protected areas.

The group then embarked on a day of site visits out in the forest.

Keeper Jonathan Cook explained the rationale and practices surrounding deer management, including a trip to the deer larder facility near Burley.

Dave Morris, open forest manager outlined the various open forest products and explained how the Forestry Commission manages heathland habitats. The group were particularly interested in new forage harvesting machinery (used to gather bracken and produce mulch used in gardening) with a view to employing similar techniques to harvest reed bed crops in their area back in the Ukraine.

Dr Zbig Karpowicz, Programme Coordinator (climate and biodiversity), for the RSPB, said: “The day spent in the New Forest National Park – one of England and Europe’s best natural areas but with over 4 million day-tourists - provided our visitors with valuable insights into how to successfully manage diverse and nature-rich sites for the benefit of both wildlife and people and, most impressively, how to combine business with biodiversity.”