About Wild New Forest
Our history
Wild New Forest was established in 2016 and incorporated as an independent, not-for-profit, community interest company (CIC) in Jan 2020. Over the last six years we have developed an extensive portfolio of ecological survey and research projects in and around the New Forest National Park, and in Jan 2024 Wild New Forest became hosting partner of the New Forest Biodiversity Forum. ​​
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Our team
We are a local company, living and working in the New Forest. We partner with an extensive network of organisations, people and individual specialists to deliver our project portfolio.
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Prof Russell Wynn is Founder and Director of Wild New Forest. He has a science background, and in his 20-year career at the National Oceanography Centre published over 100 peer-reviewed science papers and took on a variety of senior management roles, including Associate Director for Government, International, and Public Engagement. He switched track in Jan 2020 to fully focus on nature conservation, and established Wild New Forest CIC with the strapline "working for wildlife in the New Forest National Park". Russ is currently Chair of the New Forest Biodiversity Forum, a member of the Habitats and Landscape Committee of the New Forest Association, and an Honorary Professor at University of Southampton. He was formerly Manager of the England Curlew Recovery Partnership, a Trustee of Curlew Action, and a Secretary of State appointed member of the New Forest National Park Authority.​​
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Christine Sams is Associate Director of Wild New Forest. Following a 14-year career as a Chartered Engineer, Christine moved into environmental science at the National Oceanography Centre with a focus on research-driven innovation and satellite Earth Observation. She developed and led a portfolio of applied research projects with partners including the European Space Agency, UK Space Agency, UKRI NERC, and the Future Earth network. In 2024 Christine led an ocean-themed public engagement exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science exhibition "Deep Heat, How a warming Ocean is changing life on earth". She is currently leading Wild New Forest's work on climate change and studying part-time towards an MSc in Soil Science (Cranfield University).
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Our natural history experience​
Wild New Forest specialise in delivering integrated ecological surveys that cover the three kingdoms of animals, plants, and fungi.
Russ has over three decades of natural history field experience, and has recorded nearly 3500 species in the New Forest National Park, including 250 mammals and birds, 1000 moths and butterflies, and 1300 plants and fungi. He has also found several nationally rare birds, moths, and fungi that are first records for Hampshire and the New Forest, including species as diverse as Stilt Sandpiper, Rustic Bunting, Black V Moth, Samphire Straw, and Rothole Inkcap. Further afield, he has also found many nationally rare birds on remote UK islands and headlands, and in 2015 he secured the first ever photographs of Blue Whale in English waters (see here).
In addition to standard ecological walkover surveys, Wild New Forest routinely deploy a range of technologies and techniques including infrared trail cameras, acoustic bat detectors, nocturnal (non-destructive) moth traps, and sampling of rare/cryptic fungi for DNA analysis (in partnership with Hampshire Fungus Recording Group).
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Our environmental commitment
We are committed to minimising our environmental footprint during Wild New Forest activities. The vast majority of our travel to/from sites is via non-motorised transport, and we follow and promote the New Forest code (shown below). As a CIC we are also committed to supporting our local community, and we deliver this via various outreach activities as outlined here.​​
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