Prince William has called for action to restore an area of peatland as he launched a new Landscape Vision for Dartmoor on Thursday.
The Duke of Cornwall braved heavy rain and wind to visit Royal Tor Bog, near Yelverton, Devon, and speak to some of the people working in collaboration to help make the vision a reality.
“I’m keen to continue my father’s work as well,” said William, who inherited responsibility for the land with the Duchy of Cornwall in 2022.
“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 bog which has been restored, 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.”
The Prince spoke out after discussing a new 20-year plan to give fresh life to Dartmoor’s wilderness while helping to protect it from climate change with a group including Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England and Phil Stocker, Chair of Dartmoor Land Use Management Group.
As they chatted in the steady downpour, the Prince joked: “I came to talk about the fires and a plan to re-wet peat!”
© Getty ImagesReferring 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.”
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.”
© Getty ImagesThe Prince heard from Phil how they had been “making progress” in bringing different people on board with the plan.
“The one thing that has come through is the enthusiasm,” said Phil.
Morag Angus, of the South West Peatland Partnership, told William how the land they were looking at had become more barren and dry and was benefitting from a “re-wetting” process.
She said afterwards: “If someone like the Prince is coming down here, it just shows that he’s thinking about it and how important is. And I think it just galvanizes everyone and gets everyone on board and gets them coming here to talk about it, but also to make sure we action things and we make meaningful restoration happen. See it happening, rather than just talking about it.”
The Prince also stopped to speak to people who helped to tackle a recent fire on the peatland and was told how Commoners – landowners and farmers living on Dartmoor – work alongside the fire service to put out blazes as quickly and safely as possible.
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