Bouldnor Forest on the Isle of Wight, is an idyllic nature reserve and one of the Island’s most important pond sites.

Located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and with views over the Heritage Coast, The Solent and beyond to the New Forest. The reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) jointly managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Forestry Commission.

Bouldnor Forest is one of our most important Flagship Pond sites, because it is the only known site on the Isle of Wight for the delicate aquatic fern Pillwort Pilularia globulifera. This small endangered fern loves the muddy edges of grazed ponds which dry down over the summer and fill in the winter. Unfortunately, Pillwort has not been recorded on the site for some years and re-establishing and preserving what could potentially be the last stronghold for this plant on the island is of high importance.

The ponds at Bouldnor are also known to host other species of interest including protected Great Crested Newts Triturus cristatus, Common Toads Bufo bufo (numbers of which are thought to be declining across the UK) and several freshwater green algae known as stoneworts.

We’ve been working with the landowners to reinstate grazing management on the pond and working with local volunteers on the site and in the wider community to undertake surveys for these priority species.