March for a Wild Dartmoor!

Start: Saturday, September 30, 2023•10:00 AM

End: Saturday, September 30, 2023• 3:00 PM

Location:Princetown, Dartmoor•Tavistock Road, Princetown, PL20 6QF GB

Host Contact Info: info@wildcard.land

Dartmoor is dying, its wildlife is declining and disappearing, and the time to do something is now.
Will you be a voice for nature?
Let's march for a wild Dartmoor on Saturday 30th September!
Most of the land on Dartmoor is owned by Prince William. We need the Prince to publicly commit to restore nature on ALL his land.
So, on Saturday 30th September you are invited to gather together with thousands of local people to lay down the gauntlet to Prince William: MAKE IT WILD, OR MAKE IT OURS! - Restore nature on your land, or release it to public ownership.

And guess what... our efforts are starting to make a difference already!

This July, a petition with over 71,000 signatures (and counting), triggered a response. The Prince agreed to double the size of Wistman’s Wood! But... Wistman’s Wood accounts for just 0.01% of the Dartmoor land under Prince William’s control. In a climate and nature emergency, 0.01% isn't leadership, it's just small potatoes.
With your help, we can encourage the Prince to show true leadership and commit to restoring nature on all his land.


TRANSPORT

A rail strike is planned for the 30th September, we stand in solidarity with national rail strikes and understand that this may make it difficult for people to get to the event.

We now have 2 buses booked to take people to and from the event, leaving from Plymouth and Exeter. Places are limited so please use the booking form below to reserve a space.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfh3tGOGD1taORSoXV1wcq7t88XuvpRP8B5WEA1V0GGg2KZNw/viewform

If you can't take the provided buses we encourage people to use public transport or carshare.

LET'S CELEBRATE NATURE WITH A DAY OF...

~Music & dance
~Storytelling & performances
~Face painting & family fun
~Local mythology & folklore
~Talks from the scientists & local experts
~And much more!
We want the day to be inclusive, rewarding and enjoyable for everyone. We’ll add more information here and on our website for where and when to meet, what to bring and crucially… what costume to plan!


WHERE, WHEN and WHAT?

1000 - 1030: Meet at Dartmoor Visitors Centre, Princetown.

1030 - 1130: Walk to South Hessary Tor (connect with Dartmoor / speeches).

1200 - 1230: March / procession to the Duchy of Cornwall offices.

1300 - 1400: Gather at the Duchy of Cornwall offices for speeches.

1400 - 1500: Come together in a People’s Parliament for Dartmoor.

WHAT DO WE WANT?
We're calling on the Prince to publicly commit to:
1. Restore the Rainforest
Regenerate Dartmoor’s temperate rainforests and other broadleaved woodland
2. Restore the Bogs & Heaths
Restore and maintain Dartmoor’s internationally important blanket bogs, valley mires and heaths
3. Put Life & Colour Back in the Fields
Restore Dartmoor’s meadows
4. Bring Back Wild Animals
Reintroduce keystone species wherever possible (such as beavers, wildcats, and pine martens) and restore and increase the populations of key species (such as curlews and high brown fritillaries)
5. Pay Farmers to Produce Nature as well as Food
Support farmers and other land managers on Dartmoor to produce nature as well as food, and leave the National Park better off than before
Without a public commitment to take these steps to restore nature on his land, we ask that it be released into public ownership.

EXPLAINER: WHY DO WE NEED TO RESTORE NATURE ON DARTMOOR?
Dartmoor’s nature has been dying for decades:
~ Almost all of its protected nature sites are in poor condition.
~ Dartmoor’s blanket bogs are drying out and the peat is eroding. They are losing their precious flowers and mosses.
~ The heathers and bilberry once so characteristic of Dartmoor are largely gone.
~ It’s precious temperate rainforests are not regenerating.
~ We are losing species. Ring ouzel, curlew, lapwing have now largely disappeared as breeding birds on Dartmoor.
~ And despite millions of pounds of funding for restoration over three decades, nature continues to struggle and local farmers, who will be central to restoring nature, face an uncertain future.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Nature deserves better, and so do we.
Whilst some good work is being done, it’s vital that we redouble our efforts, and seriously level up our ambition.

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