We are the New Forest’s leading independent membership body, working to conserve and restore our unique habitat and cultural heritage. We also engage with the many organisations who manage the Forest to protect it for current and future generations.
The New Forest is a delicate ecosystem, reliant on the unique management practices of Commoners and the collaborative efforts of those organisations given responsibility for its care.
Protecting The Forest from human pressures and ensuring its resilience against future challenges requires constant vigilance and strategic foresight. A place of tranquillity and sanctuary, The Forest cannot speak for itself - so the New Forest Association gives it a voice.
We hold the organisations responsible for managing the Forest to account, leveraging our members' expertise to advocate for responsible stewardship and ensuring that those entrusted with its care fulfil their duties.
But we go beyond oversight. We prioritise what’s best for the Forest, inspiring and supporting conservation and protection programmes. We assess how the Forest should be used and encourage residents, businesses, and visitors alike to engage with it in ways that promote its long-term health and sustainability.
We believe in a positive future for the New Forest. Protecting its habitats and rich biodiversity from inappropriate use and external threats like climate change, requires action, not inaction. By taking proactive steps today, we can secure the Forest for generations to come — so they too can benefit from and enjoy its beauty.
And we can’t wait. The Forest is under unremitting pressure, and its natural beauty will only survive and flourish if we all act now to conserve everything that makes it special.
Alarm bells are ringing. Please heed the call. Join us today and become part of the New Forest team.
Actively protecting the New Forest and ensuring that the organisations managing it fulfil their statutory duties.
Support programmes and initiatives that ensure the Forest is made resilient to future threats and dangers.
Guiding audiences around how to use the Forest appropriately & to understand its unique and precious nature and heritage.
Registered charity no. 260328
New Forest Association © 2026
All rights reserved
All photographs ©
Photographs courtesy: Clive Chatters, Gale Pettifer, Steve Laycock, Mike Read, Brian Tarnoff, Peter Roberts, John Ward.