Campaigners urge Duchy to 'do more' with Dartmoor

Campaigners have asked Prince William to "do more" to rewild Royal land at Dartmoor

Campaigners have gathered in Princetown, Devon, calling on Prince Willian to return more of Dartmoor back to nature.

The Prince of Wales became the Duke of Cornwall when his father ascended the throne. The Duchy owns parts of the moor.

About 200 protestors said they wanted to see nature fully restored on the predominantly farmed land - or for the Royal land to be returned to public ownership.

A spokesperson for The Duchy of Cornwall said "sustainable stewardship" was "at the heart of everything the Duchy does".

They said: "We have championed the preservation of natural ecosystems for over 50 years and are constantly looking for new ways to continue improving biodiversity, conservation and public access to green spaces."

The Duchy of Cornwall is a major landowner in the south-west of England - the private estate funds both the charitable and private activities of the Duke of Cornwall.

Andy Smith said he wanted the Duchy to rewild

Andy Smith, from the campaign group Wild Card, said it wanted to "put pressure on the UK's largest landowners", and for them to support farmers and other land managers on Dartmoor to "produce nature as well as food".

He said: "They have a lot of authority and they have an opportunity to show leadership.

"Prince William recently inherited one third of Dartmoor, and we believe that he could be doing much, much more with the land.

"We need to remember that there are farmers who work on this land, we're asking that they also be rewarded for rewilding just as much as they are for producing food."

About 200 protestors said they wanted to see nature restored on the Moor

The duchy announced in July that it planned to double the size of Wistman's Wood by 2040 - an ancient Dartmoor woodland, with the spokesperson saying it would also restore "1,200 hectares of degraded peatland in the area to its natural state by 2025".

Mr Smith said the group hoped more would be done.

He said: "That's only 0.01% of the total land holdings here, it's a tiny, tiny amount so we believe he could be doing much more.

"We should be reintroducing species that have been lost over the years to help bring an equilibrium to the back to this land so the land can flourish and regenerate itself.

"I think that the severity of the situation that we're in with the ecological climate and climate crisis, we need to challenge these big people."