Foundation for Common Land submits evidence to the Dartmoor Review
Overall we consider that many of the challenges in Dartmoor are replicated elsewhere on common land across England and therefore this review is significant and will have wider ramifications.
Our submission focuses on the following points:
• Understanding the implications of existing legal rights and statutory duties
• Improving ways of working
• Developing adaptive management
Commons are complex and multi-faceted with different interests seeking different outcomes. These outcomes have a range of legal protections and the successful delivery of the outcomes is dependent on taking an intersectional and adaptive approach to the delivery of multiple outcomes.
Overarching all of this is that Dartmoor, as with all grazed commons, is managed by people who are passionate about their land and livestock, people who are running farming businesses with marginal viability, and people who are facing significant levels of uncertainty. Unless a more people centered approach is taken to working with commoners and common landowners the outlook for delivering public benefits from common land and favourable condition on the SSSIs is poor