Moorlands: the heart of Exmoor
Exmoor National Park was designated in recognition of the outstanding beauty, wildness and tranquillity of the moorlands which dominate its landscape. The moors and heaths are at the heart of the National Park; wide open areas, overlooking the whole of West Somerset, North Devon and the Bristol Channel coast. These Moorlands are valued because they appear to be wild uncultivated landscapes but they are in fact areas of great historic and ecological complexity with a long history of human management.
Understanding Exmoor’s moorlands
Human interaction with landscape and wildlife has created the moorland on Exmoor:
- Moorland or heath landscape accounts for a quarter of the area of Exmoor National Park, 18,300 hectares of land lying between 305 m (1000 ft) and 519 m (1700 ft) above sea level. The central moorland lies largely within the parish of Exmoor, the former Royal Hunting Forest area, protected from Norman times until the 19th century. This is surrounded by a fringe of commons and coastal heaths each linked historically to the villages surrounding the moor.
Find out more about the historic landscapes of Exmoor
- Ecologically moorland is a habitat of international importance and a significant proportion (10-15%) of the world moorland resource lies within the British Isles. Exmoor is regionally important for the extent of its upland and coastal heaths, upland grass moor and blanket bog. Exmoor has roughly 190 sq km of ecologically defined moor and heath. This includes some 70 sq km of upland heath; 46 sq km of upland grass moor; 39 sq km of bracken; 15 sq km of lowland heath (including coastal heath) and up to 30 sq km of mosaic of heath or grass and blanket bog.
Moorland Development on Exmoor
Moor and Heath Wildlife - From a historic perspective the relatively low levels of ploughing over the moorlands has resulted in the survival of archaeological monuments from the earliest prehistoric periods. These form a rare and nationally significant resource. They include; Neolithic/early Bronze Age standing stones and stone settings, Bronze Age settlements (hut circles and enclosures), field systems, barrow groups and Iron Age hillforts and enclosures. More recently medieval farming has shaped the moorlands and there are many sites which illuminate the farming practices and economies at that time. More recently still the Parliamentary Inclosures and the Reclamation of The Royal Forest of Exmoor from the mid 19th century led to landscape scale changes. The last 200 years have seen a major reduction of the moorland area, as the heaths and bogs were converted to more agriculturally productive grassland and forestry.
The role of peat in moorland ecology and history
Peat is an accumulation of dead plant material which forms because of cool and wet environmental conditions on moorland. It is the substrate for the different ecological habitats and it provides a protective blanket over the historic landscape record. Every layer of human and plant history is preserved within the peat. It is also a valuable environmental resource as it locks up huge quantities of carbon dioxide, the main 'greenhouse' gas. It also acts like a sponge, soaking up rainwater and preventing floods, yet slowly releasing the water for when we most need it. To find out moor about peat and what the ENPA and its Partners are doing to protect it go to the
Mire Project pages
Moorland Development on Exmoor
The Value of Moorlands today
In addition to their historic and ecological value Exmoor’s moors and heaths are a resource which can with careful management and consideration be shared by all:
- For the farmer and landowner they continue to provide a valuable income from grazing animals. Grazing remains an essential tool in moorland management.
Moorland farming and conservation - For all who live in and visit Exmoor the moorlands and heaths are a valuable recreational resource, providing much opportunity for walking and riding by horse or bike. It is not surprising that most National Parks in England and Wales contain moors and heaths as they were chosen as large areas of relatively wild and open scenery with potential for open air recreation. For many they provide fresh air and exercise for the health of the body and beauty, tranquility and closeness to nature to refresh the mind.
- Access and education page