Restoring nature and tackling global warming are key to keeping Dartmoor “special”, the Prince of Wales has said.
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.
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.”
The project was launched by William during a visit to an area of restored peatland on Dartmoor, near to Princetown.
He met with Duchy tenant farmers David and Justine Colton at Tor Royal Bog.
William also spoke with members of the South West Peatland Partnership and Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England.
Before his departure, the prince met representatives from the local fire service, Dartmoor National Park Authority rangers and Commoners Council to hear about their experiences of responding to a recent wildfire on North Moor.
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.”
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