Wanted: more people to graze animals in New Forest

For almost 1,000 years, the New Forest , one of England's most precious landscapes, has been shaped by the ponies and cattle that graze on its heathland and wood pasture. Now a £16m conservation agreement, announced by Natural England , is designed to safeguard these traditional grazing methods to preserve the rich beauty of these acres where kings once went to hunt. The money is intended to encourage the historic practice of "commoning", ancient rights that were granted to the people driven out of the forest by William the Conqueror and his son, Rufus. The environmental grants are intended to attract new, younger "commoners" to continue the traditions that have contributed to the rich biodiversity of the forest. Today, such methods are under threat. Commoning dates back to the creation of the forest, which was designated for deerhunting by William in 1079. The king's creation of the New Forest saw the depopulation of many villages and the demolition of churches. Rufus, his unpopular son, introduced harsh penalties for those living nearby who broke the forest law – with mutilation or even death as punishment for poaching or taking wood. Indeed, Rufus's death, in 1100 – he was hit by an arrow while hunting in the forest – is thought to have been murder, possibly a revenge killing. Out of this discontent, a system of commoners' rights was established – formalised in the 16th century – which still exists today. A commoner is a person occupying land to which common rights are attached; today, about 800 houses and small holdings in the forest have such rights, although only around 500 of their owners exercise them. And most of those are aged over 50. The rights include common of pasture, which permits ponies, horned cattle and donkeys to graze on the 45,000 acres of open forest. Goats are barred but, by historic practice, chicken and geese may wander freely. Around 5,000 such commonable animals are now turned out. Common of mast is the right to turn out pigs in the forest during the pannage (traditional fattening) season, a 60-day period specified by the Forestry Commission. The pigs eat the green acorns, poisonous to cattle and ponies, although only a few hundred do so today. The right of the common marl – the digging for clay in the forest – died out in the 19th century, and the right of turbary – to cut turf – is no longer practised. But about 100 properties still have the right of fuelwood (estovers) to collect timber. The common pasture of sheep is also practised by very few. The practice of commoning is, however, unsustainable: young would-be commoners cannot afford properties or land for back-up grazing of stock when it is not in the forest. The money from Natural England aims to help, although the agri-environment schemes will apply only to common of pasture for ponies and cattle. "This is a significant moment in the New Forest's long and illustrious history," said Poul Christensen, chair of Natural England. "By establishing a major source of funding for the forest's traditional agricultural practices, this agreement will help to preserve its distinctive environment for many years to come. It will also have a major impact on the restoration of special habitats, safeguarding the survival of popular wildlife and plants" "We appreciate the vital role that commoners have played in protecting the forest for a thousand years, and we are delighted to be able to work with them to ensure they have the support they need to continue looking after this beautiful landscape." Lyndsey Stride and her husband Robert, both 31, from Emery Down, are among the few young commoners who graze their cattle and ponies in the forest. They are lucky. Stride, a forest worker, comes from a family of commoners dating back to the Domesday Book. "But it is very difficult for young people," said his wife, an infant school teacher. She and her husband have set up a group to promote commoning among the young generation. "Commoning has shaped the New Forest over hundreds of years," she added. "It is because of it that we have this beautiful landscape, a mosaic of pasture, heath and lawn. And it needs to be encouraged". Once a source of timber for the navy's battleships, the New Forest is the largest lowland heath in Europe. It boasts some of the finest deciduous woodlands in southern England. Dartford warblers, nightjars, many species of bat and the rare smooth snake can all be found here. The forest's unique array of plants and wildlife is recognised by its status as a site of special scientific interest and a national park. Commoning is managed by the verderers of the New Forest. Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre, official verderer, said: "The thousands of ponies and cattle that roam free are essential for conserving the forest. In fact, it is their grazing that has created the landscape over hundreds of years. But all these animals have owners, and therefore the direct financial support that this scheme will give to them is invaluable."