Welcome

The New Forest is a very special place. This website is for anyone interested in discovering the real New Forest – a living, working landscape, shaped over centuries by the animals that graze it, and the people who own and care for them – the “commoners”: Ordinary people with an extraordinary commitment to the New Forest.

The New Forest Commoners Defence Association (CDA) was created in 1909 to defend commoning when it was, once again, under very serious threat from development of the land. It has been commoners’ bold determination to protect the traditional management of this landscape over centuries that has ensured its survival. Nowadays there is a strong partnership in defence of commoning, alongside the CDA. But very real threats remain.

The more people understand the role of commoning and the huge public and environmental benefits it brings, the better protected the New Forest will be for future generations to enjoy.

We hope that our website inspires you to support our efforts. We have created sections about the special qualities of the grazed Forest, about commoners’ year-round care of  the animals, about the commoners themselves, and about how we can all do our bit to keep it special as a Shared Forest. We also have pages for our Young Commoners Group and for the Shared Forest Business Group for Forest-friendly local businesses (which is free to join). We really hope you find it useful and enjoyable.

If you appreciate the value of commoning then please do support us by applying to join the CDA. You don’t need to be a commoner to join as an Associate Member.

Contact Us

For the Commoning Voices Exhibition audioguide