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Prince William Makes Surprise Visit (in Rain Boots!) to Launch 'Bold and Ambitious' Project
Prince William made a surprise visit to Dartmoor, in southwest England, to highlight a new mission
He is using ownership of the vast Duchy of Cornwall to collaborate on a massive environmental restoration initiative
The Prince of Wales, 42, calls the vision "bold and ambitious"Prince William is on a new mission.
The Prince of Wales, 42, made a surprise visit to a remote part of southwest England on June 12, kicking off an ambitious restoration project.
William — dressed for the outdoors in rainboots and a cap — visited an area of restored peatland on Dartmoor. He was there in his capacity as head of the Duchy of Cornwall, which owns about 68,000 acres of the ancient moor, which is now a protected national park.
But peatland, which is a natural store of carbon, is being eroded, and climate change is causing other stresses to the landscape.
A collaboration between the Duchy and Central Dartmoor Landscape Recovery Project is uniting landowners and others to encourage new approaches to grazing, biodiversity, conservation and river restoration, as part of the largest project of its kind in the U.K.
The new landscape vision for Dartmoor which hopes to restore the wilderness while also strengthening its resilience to changes in the climate and also meeting the changing needs of local people and farmers. The plan hopes to recreate wooded areas to shelter rivers and re-establish more traditional cattle and sheep grazing practices -- and building more affordable housing.
Prince William, who was hosted on Dartmoor by Duchy tenant farmers David and Justine Colton as he was updated about the initiative, called it "bold and ambitious."
Writing in the foreword to the Landscape Vision for Dartmoor, the prince says, 'The balance between nature and people has evolved for thousands of years to shape the landscape we recognize 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 not just for the current generation but for generations to come."
William, who is a committed conservationist, last weekend spoke to world leaders at a global gathering in Monaco for World Ocean Day. He is gradually putting his stamp on the Duchy, which he inherited from his father King Charles when Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022. He is also introducing initiatives to combat homelessness, another key plank of his public work, by building some social housing on the estate in Cornwall.
Before he left the area on Thursday, William also met representatives from the local fire service.
National Park Authority Rangers and Commoners Council to hear about, and thank them for tackling, a recent wildfire on North Moor.
The Prince of Wales inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, an estate spanning over 20 counties in England and Wales worth over $1 billion that provides funds for the heir. He quietly visits parts of the region once every four to six weeks, and The Telegraph tagged along on one of his recent trips.
The duchy's secretary, Will Bax, told the outlet that Prince William is "pretty demanding" — in a "great" way.
"He's easy to follow because he's got great conviction and personality, and he really wears his heart on his sleeve in terms of social interest and his desire to have a positive impact in the world," Bax said.
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Estate director Ben Murphy added that the heir has a "healthy impatience, as his father did," which "puts the wind in our sails."
Read the original article on People
