“It gives me great satisfaction to dedicate this beautiful forest for the use and enjoyment of my people for all time”
When Queen Victoria came to the On the 6th of May 1882 Queen Victoria made this declaration. It was because of the well documented fight for Epping Forest which resulted in the Epping Forest act. She later wrote in her journals: “The enthusiasm was very great, and many quite poor people were out. The park has been given to the poor of the East End, as a sort of recreation ground. Nothing but loyal expressions and kind faces did I hear and see. It was most gratifying.”
This has been interpreted in slightly different ways over the years as its not quite as simple as made out and conceived by many. The City of London as the new conservators within the act had adopted the responsibility and ownership of the land and this dedication really enshrined our right of access. The term “use” is not without limits.
The conservators also adopted a responsibility to protect the wildlife, Deer specifically and all the Forest vegetation, the ancient earth works at Amesbury banks and Loughton Camps, all ponds and streams from enclosure, development and damage.
Here lies some of the conflicts and sometimes attrition between maintaining our rights and the ability to use the forest as well as the conservation and protection of all the the natural aspects of the forest. It isn’t always easy and at best its a juggling act. The demands have also changed dramatically over the years since the act came into being.
Regardless of ownership there has always been a strong relationship between people and the forest giving to us, the people of the surrounding towns and villages. For many centuries it was the forest giving to us by way of timber for fuel and building and for food. It has played a strong roll in shaping local social, culture and practices and supported the local economy within the market towns.
The tables have now turned and over the last century the reliance on the forest as a provider of timber or food has ceased but with the pressures of London rapidly expanding along with the high density developments in its neighboring towns and villages it falls on us to provide for and support the forest.
The balance has changed to such an extent that the need for green space is now critical for us both physically and mentally, let alone the flora and fauna all competing for survival within. We all realise the roll that forests play in the world, its been extensively documented for decades however we are struggling as “the people” to find the balance between modern living and conservation of these key critical places.
Our forests are the lungs of our land and we are quite simply close to needing to go on an environmental ventilator, except of course there isn’t one!
So how do we end up in a situation where the forest that was dedicated to “us” has become so threatened by “us”? Its simple insofar as we just do not respect its value and have forgotten some of the long established practices and reasons for them.
We have started to see a loss of local traditions and understanding of the environment around us a a more metropolitan mindset has been adopted which is the result of heavy development and rapid expansion without due respect to the surrounding environment. Not limited to just trees the forest needs its surrounding buffer lands to exist