Our Vision
Dartmoor Nature Alliance has drafted a vision for Dartmoor. It's a work in progress, but over the coming months we want to involve more people in refining our vision. Here's some highlights, and a link at the end to the full document ...
Our vision for Dartmoor is a place where nature is in the ascendancy, and from which wildlife spills over into the surrounding countryside, where the needs of the natural environment come first, not as an afterthought or as part of a mean compromise. Like our greatest buildings and works of art, Dartmoor will be valued first and foremost for the quality of its natural heritage and its life-enhancing qualities, not merely as a resource to be exploited or an amenity to be utilised.
Dartmoor will be a haven where people can be inspired by nature and all it has to offer, and they can experience what it means to immerse themselves in a landscape where wildlife is returning, spreading, and thriving.
Dartmoor was a land of mires, but decades of exploitation have destroyed much of this. We want Dartmoor’s peat bogs fully restored, with seas of cotton grass, asphodel, orchids and carpets of moss. These natural sponges will store water, reducing flooding and capturing carbon.
Amazing Blanket Bogs
Wild Heathlands
Dartmoor’s heaths are a shadow of their former glory after decades of overgrazing. We want the heather & bilberry back, dotted with scattered trees, rich in bird calls, buzzing with life. Modest numbers of grazing animals will help maintain this landscape for wildlife.
Atlantic rainforests will colonise valleys and reconnect isolated slivers like Wistman’s Wood. Conifer monoculture will be gone, replaced by deciduous woodland with open glades and wood pastures, home to a rich variety of life; from rare lichens, mosses to birds and mammals.
Stunning Rainforests
Healthy Rivers
All 13 rivers rising on Dartmoor will run free from agricultural and human pollutants. Obstructions to migrating fish will be removed, but natural deadwood will remain. Braiding freely within their valleys, rivers and streams will be teeming with life.
Dartmoor’s farmland will be managed regeneratively, reducing inputs & working with natural processes, farming will be more profitable & resilient. Hedges will be replanted and allowed to grow out, alive with birdsong and insects. Pesticides and fertilisers will no longer be used. Arable fields and meadows will be rich in wildflowers. No cultivated land will be left bare over winter. Trees along hedgerows will return in abundance.
Nature-Friendly Farming
A place where people thrive
Cleaner rivers will save us money and improve our health. Peat bogs will capture more carbon and reduce flooding. A more impressive and biodiverse landscape will bring in more visitors seeking a wildlife experience. New outdoor activities offering high-quality jobs, will spring up across the park. A healthier environment equals a healthier economy.
Dartmoor must be a place of cooperation, where communities listen, learn from each other & find the courage to face common challenges. It will be somewhere people go to witness bold initiatives being put into place; a land where people look to the future and where the desire for recovery can’t be held back by a small but powerful and highly vocal minority.
Dartmoor will be somewhere that welcomes people, wherever they live and whatever their background. Visitors will visit the National Park unimpeded, but always with respect. Dartmoor will not just be a place of enjoyment, but also a haven of inspiration, physical healing and spiritual renewal.
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Dartmoor has the potential to be one of the most outstanding places for wildlife in Europe.
Together, let's make it happen ...