UK Nature and Environment

Dartmoor is one of England’s last and most valuable wildernesses. It is also one of the most vulnerable. There are an estimated 8-10 million visitors to the Dartmoor National Park each year, a massive increase over the past 40 years. Those visiting the open moor, the Dartmoor Commons, have a footfall that inevitably has an impact on wildlife. The obvious casualties are ground nesting birds — the decline in numbers of lapwing, curlew, golden plover, skylarks, and other ground nesting birds on Dartmoor is well known. Heavily compressed ground caused by footfall, exacerbated by camping, is ground lost to insects and plants. There are plenty of insects, like ground nesting bees, which depend on undisturbed ground. Even members of the public with the best intentions may not fully understand what impact they, and their dogs, can have on wildlife.