Latest news with #CentralDartmoor
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Prince of Wales: We can save Dartmoor from climate change
The Prince of Wales has launched a 'bold and ambitious' project to protect Dartmoor from the impact of climate change and return the land 'to its former glory'. He warned that Dartmoor's 'magnificent and complex ecosystem' was under threat, and that action was needed in order to allow it to thrive and keep it 'special' for future generations. The Prince's Duchy of Cornwall has joined forces with the Central Dartmoor Landscape Recovery project to propose a new approach to grazing, conservation and biodiversity. The Dartmoor Landscape Vision is designed as a 20-year road map and is the largest project of its kind in the UK. The Prince, who inherited the Duchy from his father on the death of Elizabeth II, braved heavy rain and wind to visit Tor Royal Bog, near Yelverton, Devon, on Thursday to speak to some of those working on the project. 'I'm keen to continue my father's work as well,' he said. 'For me it's about the impact, I want to see stuff actually happen. We've done the talking now, we've put the vision together, the design, now it's about the activation.' Pointing to an area of restored peatland, he added: 'Even though this is a small bit, we need to get more and more of this going on all around Dartmoor to bring it back to its former glory, while still keeping the farming and everything else going.' 'Magnificent and complex' The Prince wrote in the foreword to the Landscape Vision: 'Dartmoor is a magnificent and complex ecosystem – the balance between nature and people has evolved for thousands of years to shape the landscape we recognise today. 'To keep Dartmoor special, we must respond to the twin challenges of global warming and the requirement to restore nature, while ensuring the communities on Dartmoor can thrive. 'The Dartmoor Vision shows us what might be possible and how that might be achieved. It is bold and ambitious and something that I hope, by working together, can be delivered for not just the current generation but for generations to come.' During his visit to the area, the Prince met with Duchy tenant farmers David and Justine Colton at Tor Royal Bog, and spoke to members of the South West Peatland Partnership and Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England. As they chatted in the steady downpour, the Prince joked: 'I came to talk about the fires and a plan to re-wet peat!' Referring to the Landscape Vision, he said: 'To be able to bring everyone together, I think, is not only crucial to the whole thing but it sets a model for how it can be done elsewhere. And that's what I love doing. Whatever we do here, other people can follow what we're doing. 'So much of it is local leadership and collaboration. If you put those two together, things can be adapted.' Moving in the right direction He said not everyone believed the vision to restore the land within just two decades was possible. '(They said) '20 years, good luck, it's going to take longer than that!' These things take time, they really do. But at least if you set up a path and move in that direction, everyone will move in the same direction.' An eight-month study that covered 22,000 hectares of land found that average frost days are expected to halve over the next 40 years, while the chances of a dry summer will increase by 30 per cent. A 2C increase in temperatures could mean that Dartmoor would no longer be suitable for blanket peatland.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tackling global warming is key to keeping Dartmoor ‘special', says William
Restoring nature and tackling global warming are key to keeping Dartmoor 'special', the Prince of Wales has said ahead of his visit to the area. The Duchy of Cornwall and Central Dartmoor Landscape Recovery Project (CDLR) launched a new project to 'create a resilient environment' and meet the changing needs of Dartmoor's communities. William, the Duke of Cornwall, is visiting restored peatland there on Thursday as part of the 20-year plan for the duchy's Dartmoor estate. In a foreword to the Landscape Vision project, the Prince of Wales said: 'Dartmoor is a magnificent and complex ecosystem – the balance between nature and people has evolved for thousands of years to shape the landscape we recognise today. 'To keep Dartmoor special, we must respond to the twin challenges of global warming and the requirement to restore nature, while ensuring the communities on Dartmoor can thrive. 'The Dartmoor Vision shows us what might be possible and how that might be achieved. 'It is bold and ambitious and something that I hope, by working together, can be delivered for not just the current generation but for generations to come.' Researchers found the average number of frost days in Dartmoor is expected to halve over the next 40 years while the odds of a dry summer will rise by 30%, the Duchy of Cornwall said. It added that 2C of global warming could prevent Dartmoor being suitable for blanket peatland, which stores carbon and water and sustains biodiversity. The project will focus on 'coordinated public and private investment' to restore peatlands and upland mosaic habitats in the south Devon area. It is also seeking to create 'partnerships between landowners, farmers and wildlife teams' and foster 'collaboration and mutual respect in what has historically been a contested landscape'. The duchy said it will promote sustainable farming as well as initiatives to provide affordable housing for landscape managers and retiring workers. Around 35,000 people live in Dartmoor and more than two million people visit each year. Claire Hyne, project manager at CDLR, said: 'The Central Dartmoor Landscape Recovery Project plans to continue to work alongside the duchy, farmers and commoners to co-create integrated land management plans whilst identifying opportunities for green finance and funding to help sustain farm businesses, test new ideas and deliver positive environmental outcomes.' Matthew Morris, rural director at the Duchy of Cornwall, said they want to set up a 'shared and multifunctional approach to the way the land is farmed, managed, and used, and in doing so create a more resilient Dartmoor environment'. Mr Morris added: 'With the Dartmoor landscape increasingly vulnerable to climate change, the need to build resilience is clearer than ever.'
