Many streams traverse the New Forest, and are home to some rare invertebrates. The New Forest ponies, which are owned by local villagers, graze throughout the forest. Photos copyright University of Southampton/Forestry Commission

Habitats and Species Directive in the European Union Among these are the New Forest, which encompasses 92,000 acres of ancient pasture woodland, heathland, and bog. This area was set aside by William the Conqueror in A.D. 1079 as a private hunting reserve and it has changed little in 900 years. The unenclosed forest (some woodlands are fenced and managed for logging) is the largest expanse of wild vegetation in lowland England and includes extensive tracts of these formerly common habitats, which are now fragmented and rare in lowland western Europe. Nowhere else do these habitats occur on such a large scale or in such an intimate mosaic. These habitats support many rare plants, internationally important breeding populations of birds, a diverse beetle fauna, and half of England's 2500 butterfly and moth species. Forest streams, bogs, and seeps harbor a dazzling array of ferns, mosses, and liverworts, and the older, rotting trees are habitat for the richest lichen flora in lowland Europe. 2 of 3