DNP ENJOY DARTMOOR 2024 digital - Flipbook - Page 34
Agriculture and farming have shaped
the Dartmoor landscape for millennia.
Generations of farmers, landowners
and commoners have all played
an integral role in the land we see
around us, as well as providing food
and local products.
This work, over many years, has contributed to
Dartmoor’s designation as a National Park, a place
of exceptional value for its landscape, nature and
cultural heritage.
The support provided to farming, particularly hill
farming as practiced on Dartmoor, is undergoing
huge changes. Challenges such as keeping a business
economically viable, as well as climate change and
nature enhancement, need to be met and overcome.
The Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL)
programme supports farming and land management
projects that makes improvements for nature,
climate, people and place.
Wetland restoration at Pigwiggen Wood near Chagford
Preserving priority species
Grant value: £70,999
Langaford Farm is an unimproved traditional Dartmoor
farm, which aims to conserve and enhance its wildlife
and landscape in order to create a safe and engaging
place for groups of people in need of recovery.
Their project included meadow, wetland and
hedgerow habitat improvements, bracken
management, and the adoption of a low input grazing
regime by controlling sheep and pony grazing to
improve biodiversity in the farm’s different habitats.
Due to the high impact of this project, the applicant
has been granted an extension so that further
grassland, wetland, woodland and grazing support can
take place.
Farming in Protected Landscapes blends national
and local priorities. It is funded by Defra but
delivered locally through us here on Dartmoor.
Since it was set up in March 2021, £1.4million
has been given to commoners, farmers and land
managers who have put forward projects to support
nature recovery, combat climate change, protect
the quality or character of Dartmoor and offer
opportunities for people to discover, understand and
enjoy the National Park.
Here, we feature some of the farmers and land
managers who have secured funding and what they
have achieved.
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