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UK046
New Forest
Location United Kingdom, South East
Central coordinates 1o 36.63' West  50o 51.17' North
IBA criteria B2, C6
Area 27,924 ha
Altitude 2 - 127m
Year of IBA assessment 2007

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds



Site description A large expanse of enclosed woodland, both ancient and more recent, with open areas of heathland, and broken by numerous valleys and mires. The forest supports a rich lichen, fern, moss and liverwort flora.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus breeding  1996  2 [units unknown]  good  C6  Least Concern 
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus winter  1992  15 individuals  good  C6  Least Concern 
Eurasian Nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus breeding  2004  542 males only  good  B2, C6  Least Concern 
Wood Lark Lullula arborea breeding  2006  159 males only  good  C6  Least Concern 
Dartford Warbler Sylvia undata resident  2006  422 males only  good  C6  Near Threatened 
Common Stonechat Saxicola torquatus resident  1992  430 breeding pairs  good  B2  Least Concern 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
New Forest Birds Directive 28,003 is identical to site 27,924  
New Forest National Park 57,100 protected area contains site 27,924  
New Forest Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) 28,003 is identical to site 27,924  
The New Forest Site of Special Scientific Interest 28,924 is identical to site 27,924  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Forest Broadleaved deciduous woodland; Mixed woodland  -
Shrubland Heathland; Scrub  -
Grassland Humid grasslands  -
Wetlands (inland) Fens, transition mires and springs; Rivers and streams  -
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial) Forestry plantations  -

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture -
forestry -
tourism/recreation -

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: New Forest. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife