Dartmoor’s 75th anniversary: Tom Surrey shares his hopes for its next chapter

I have been chief executive of the Dartmoor National Park Authority for just over six months of our 75-year history.

In that time, I’ve had opportunities to speak to many people in all corners of this wonderful place. I have been welcomed at kitchen tables, pubs, meeting rooms, village halls and, of course, outside on the moors and tors and in the valleys and villages that make up our national park.

I’m incredibly grateful for that welcome. I’ve listened closely and have heard many different views about Dartmoor, but I am clear that we all share a vision for a national park where nature, farming, communities and heritage flourish. A cherished landscape where everyone feels welcome – to live, work or visit.

As we mark 75 years of national park status, it’s only right that we look back and reflect on the challenges overcome and the changes we have seen.

We should, of course, celebrate these amazing achievements and the brilliant people across Dartmoor and beyond that have helped achieve those, but it’s also vitally important that we look forward.

Just as when national parks were founded, we find ourselves at a time of great change. Anyone who has spent time on Dartmoor this year will have seen first-hand the impacts of climate change. We have been incredibly lucky not to have experienced severe wildfire, as sadly several of our sister national parks in the UK and abroad have this year. But river and reservoir levels remain low, and hotter, drier summers reinforce the top ecological priority: restoring and sustaining our precious peatlands.

From carbon storage and reduced flood risk to the preservation of archaeology and supporting nature, healthy peatlands have enormous benefits. If done well, these schemes can also support communities across and beyond the boundaries of the national park.

Slowing the flow of water by holding more in the landscape for longer can help reduce the impact of the increasingly extreme weather events. That means reducing damage to our homes, roads and footpaths. With many of Devon’s rivers rising on Dartmoor, it is a vital source of drinking water, providing for all aspects of society, wildlife and farming.

We are also about to see very significant changes to the way government supports farmers and land managers on Dartmoor and across the country. These changes, be they through the development and delivery of three Landscape Recovery schemes across the national park or the rollout of new environmental land management schemes, are right.

As our understanding of the pressures on nature, the environment and communities change – the way we collectively use and manage Dartmoor must also change, and change is difficult. Nature loss and climate change mean that Dartmoor will need to be managed differently. Supporting and championing our farming and commoning community through that transition is essential. Dartmoor is, has been and will always be a working landscape.

Communities and connection matter. I am delighted that well over three million people a year visit Dartmoor, with the vast majority coming from surrounding towns and villages, towns and villages that are growing. Dartmoor is a huge attraction for people to come to Devon to live and to work, and Dartmoor is your national park.

How we work with these communities so everyone understands and respects the national park will be a critical part of our work going forward.

Since our foundation, we have made great strides (pun intended!) in securing access to common land, ensuring the right to backpack camp is protected and opening more accessible routes through our award-winning Miles without Stiles programme. Initiatives such as Girls do Dartmoor, Ranger Ralph and Youth Rangers are making Dartmoor the inclusive and welcoming place it should be, though there is always more to do!

I have great hope for the future. I’m committed to working in true partnership with communities, organisations and individuals across and beyond geographical boundaries to make sure this vital national asset is maintained and enhanced for the next 75 years.

You can share your views about how we do that through our live consultation on our new five-year partnership plan.

So do please have your say. It is, after all, your national park.

Find out more about the new five-year partnership plan consultation here: https://www.yourdartmoor.org/partnership-plan-review/partnership-plan-consultation.