The head of a new land use group on Dartmoor says that work to restore the balance of nature on the moor has to start with looking at the protected sites, which were designated in the 1980s.
Phil Stocker, the new chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group, said in a meeting with Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, that “we have to start with the SSIs, and work back from there,” when deciding on a strategy for land use, nature restoration and stocking levels.
The Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) on Dartmoor are notified by English Nature to legally safeguard internationally scarce wildlife habitat – blanket bogs, heaths (both wet and dry) and remnants of Western oakwood, often called temperate rainforests.
However, the vast majority of the sites on Dartmoor are now in poor condition.
This is intimately linked to the way Dartmoor’s commons are grazed – too much grazing, particularly by sheep in winter, damages or destroys the habitats. If there is too little summer grazing, especially by cattle, huge areas become swamped by moor grass resulting in a species poor monoculture. Molinia grass is taking over – and is not grazed by sheep.
“We do have a challenge with both overgrazing and undergrazing,” acknowledged Stocker, whose appointment raised eyebrows because he is also the Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association.
However he said this dual role did not mean he would use his role on Dartmoor to speak only for sheep farmers.
Phil highlighted his long-standing role as Chair of the Black Mountains Land Use Partnership since 2015, where he has navigated difficult discussions with grazers. “Our focus has to be on ensuring the right animals are in the right places”, he said and acknowledged that grazing by larger animals – cattle and horses – is needed in the mix.
Caroline Voaden MP said: “Farming on Dartmoor is a long tradition, and it’s always hard to change long-standing traditions. However upland Dartmoor is some of the most unproductive land in the UK for food production.
“A survey by Green Alliance reported that reducing stocking density on Dartmoor would only impact the national food supply by one calorie a day per person – and that farmers could see their own incomes improve by focusing on nature restoration, water quality and flood mitigation, which would in turn increase resilience to the effects of climate change. It’s time for a major rethink in what Dartmoor is, how it is used and how we as humans can work to restore the natural balance. It’s not an easy conversation, but it’s time everyone came to the table to take part and I look forward to working with all parties to do this.”
Stocker believes it’s important to go back to the reason for the designation of the SSIs on Dartmoor, look at the data for how they are performing, what their purpose is and work back from there. He also advocated for a comprehensive land use framework for Dartmoor to help resolve long-standing issues between environmentalists and farmers.
His appointment, being for an initial 18 months, means that time is of the essence now in getting people together to find a way forward that will enable nature on Dartmoor to begin to recover, and ensuring that farmers can play a crucial role in this.
You can join us on our social media pages, follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Threads where you can keep up to date with whats going on in South Devon.
Got a news story, blog or press release that you’d like to share or want to advertise with us? Get in touch via email admin@wearesouthdevon.com
