Blog - Conservation

STOP! Care for the New Forest

At Camping in the Forest, we have an abundance of incredible wildlife around our 10 New Forest campsites, including wild ponies, donkeys and cattle, which is just one of the many reasons why we want to help preserve the area and protect them.

View our campaign video below:

Did you know that over half of the unique landscapes in the New Forest are internationally important for wildlife? That’s a higher proportion than in any other National Park in England! With a wonderful variety of animals, insects, plants, trees and flowers in the area, it’s really important that anyone who lives in, or visits the region, helps to look after it. STOPcampaign064

Litter can be a real threat to these animals and wildlife, which can choke on wrappers, whilst birds and small mammals can become trapped or injured by bottles. There’s also around 5,000 beautiful ponies who roam the New Forest and are sometimes put at risk due to dangerous driving in the area.

Cue our STOP! campaign, which supports the ongoing preservation work in the region by helping people understand what they can do when they’re in the New Forest to keep the land, and all its inhabitants, safe.

So, what does STOP! mean?

We’ve created the STOP! acronym as an easy way of remembering how to care for the New Forest: STOP!-acronym-(2)

As part of the STOP! campaign, we’ve also joined forces with nature enthusiast, Chris Packham, by running a competition that invited school children in and around the New Forest to design their own creative and informative STOP! sign based on the acronym.

Chris Packham, wildlife expert and resident of the New Forest, Hampshire, commented: “The New Forest is one of my favourite places in the UK, with an abundance of wildlife and fascinating plants, it really is a place of beauty and a place that needs to be treasured and respected. This campaign will not only help encourage people to get outside and explore the countryside, but also help them to understand how they can look after the surrounding area, ensuring the New Forest and its inhabitants are preserved for future generations.”

With so many amazing entries it was tough for Chris to pick a winner but one clever student, Lettie Cottrill age 10 from Hyde Church of England Primary School in the New Forest, impressed Chris with her colourful and clever design.

To help remind visitors how to care for the area, Camping in the Forest has turned Lettie’s special design into real STOP signs that can be seen around our campsites in the New Forest.

To learn more about protecting the New Forest environment, watch our video with Chris Packham, and winning year 5 student Lettie, telling you all you need to know.

For further information on how to preserve the New Forest and its inhabitants, please visit some of the organisations which play an important role in conserving the area:

For camping holidays in the New Forest please click here.