Praise for Exmoor from one of the world’s top botanists

People from all over Exmoor attended the E4Exmoor (Energy for Exmoor) event organised by the Exmoor Trust recently. The event was the brainchild of Edwin Beckett, the Trust’s chairman, who sought experts to provide the best possible advice on the importance of local contributions of micro-energy.

A major coup for the Exmoor Trust was the attendance of one of the world’s foremost botanists, Professor Sir Ghillean Prance FRS, VMH, former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Scientific Director of the Eden Project and Visiting Professor at the US National Tropical Botanic Garden Hawaii and the University of Reading, amongst other posts and honours. In his address on the conservation of biodiversity Sir Ghillean singled out for praise the work of Exmoor National Park Authority and quoted from the Exmoor National Park Management Plan and the Biodiversity Action Plan.

Sir Ghillean said: Early conservationists were often critical of mixing people and conservation and wanted people removed from conservation areas, but there has been a welcome and gradual acceptance that conservation without the involvement of local people won’t work. Exmoor is setting a good example with the many partnerships that are involved in its conservation, especially between the National Park Authority and landowners.

I was particularly happy to see the co-operation between Exmoor National Park Authority, Butterfly Conservation and landowners to conserve rare butterflies such as the high brown fritillary. I also came across an area where Rhododendron ponticum and laurel were being removed and replaced by native species. Invasive species such as these and Japanese knotweed are one of the biggest threats to Exmoor and I compliment the National Park Authority on their programme to remove such species. A lot has been done for the habitat since the Biodiversity Action Plan was drafted. It is good to see that it is indeed resulting in so much action to preserve the species and habitats of Exmoor. Congratulations to the managers of this important ecosystem. I will certainly continue to be a frequent visitor to the National Park.”