Moorland and Farmland

Exmoor’s dramatic moors and heaths dominate the landscape, with big, expansive, dark skies, and far-reaching views across the National Park and to surrounding areas. Its wild, rugged remoteness offers escape and tranquillity but it’s also a living, working landscape. The open, exposed landscape of Exmoor’s upland heath, grass moors and bogs extend in an uninterrupted sweep from Dunkery Beacon in the east to Challacombe Common in the west. Other areas of more fragmented moorland provide the backdrop to the National Park to the south and west, with the high coastal heaths fringing the northern boundary.

The moors are framed by more productive farmland, with Exmoor’s climate, soils and elevation favouring extensive livestock farming. This is primarily sheep and cattle, mainly continental cross-breeds, with the majority of livestock sold to lowland areas for finishing, but also some rare traditional breeds such as the Exmoor horn sheep, Devon Closewool sheep, and Devon Red Ruby cattle. These hardy breeds are able to withstand the harsh conditions on the moors, and are also important for conservation grazing. On higher land, where farmland has been carved out of the surrounding moorland, the fields are  geometrically shaped, bounded by fences or the distinct beech hedge banks which are strongly associated with Exmoor.  These give way to more fertile, rolling hills which form a gentle, enclosed and settled landscape with a more irregular patchwork of hedged fields, woods and villages. To the east, in the Brendon hills and rich soils of Porlock Vale, farming is more intensive.

The moors form a mosaic of habitats including blanket bog, acid grasslands and heath, of which gorse, scrub, scattered trees and bracken are important components. Collectively these moorland habitats are internationally important and provide homes to many species including specialist moorland plants, invertebrates, birds and animals. Peatlands are important carbon stores and essential to meeting targets for responding to climate change, including helping to regulate water quality and flows. However, many designated wildlife sites are not in good condition and there has been significant vegetation change on the moors over the last forty years, with less heather and more gorse, bracken and purple moor grass resulting in complex mosaics of vegetation being replaced by fewer dominant species. The cause of these changes are multifaceted but are linked to: changes in management, particularly levels of grazing and swaling (controlled burning); heather beetle damage; climate change; and increased nitrogen deposition from air pollution.

Peatland habitats are particularly sensitive to climatic change and hydrological disturbance and have been damaged by centuries of moorland reclamation, agricultural drainage and domestic peat-cutting, historical overgrazing, swaling and nitrogen deposition. Future climate change is likely to increase the drying effect on damaged peatlands. Swaling was a common management tool but is now rare and difficult to carry out in wetter winters. Increasingly, it is seen as contrary to meeting carbon emission targets especially on deep peat where this is banned due to damage to biodiversity and long-term carbon storage. Peatland restoration over the last twenty years has aimed to reverse some of these negative impacts, with over 2,600ha of peatland undergoing restoration to date. Monitoring indicates that restoration on deep peat has been more successful than on shallow peat regarding increasing water levels, reducing runoff and greenhouse gas emissions, and returning the peatland to more natural functioning in the longer term.

In the surrounding farmland, traditional mixed farming provides a range of habitats, including unimproved grassland, hedgerows and areas of scrub, which are important for wildlife as they support a wide variety of species. Exmoor’s hedgebanks are one of the elements that make up the distinctive character of the landscape, and most are hundreds of years old, or even prehistoric. They are rich habitats for wildlife and act as corridors through the landscape. Traditional management by hedge-laying provides a wildlife-friendly and stock-proof barrier, but letting hedges grow out can also add to the value of the hedge as a habitat and expanded wildlife corridor. Unimproved grasslands are also important habitats, although they are less well-recognised, supporting for example, ant hills of the yellow meadow ant, butterflies and rare waxcap fungi. Many of these farmland habitats are undesignated, or have limited protection through local designations, and are consequently under greater threat of being lost or damaged.

The wild herds of red deer and free-roaming Exmoor ponies are a quintessential part of the Exmoor experience and are what many visitors come to see. Deer numbers have increased over the last 20 years, as has the density of deer, due to changes in land management in some areas, the erection of deer fences, and more active management, resulting in larger numbers of deer grazing in a herd. This increases the potential for conflict with farming and woodland management, and also nature recovery ambitions, due to increased browsing pressure. The health of deer, particularly levels of Bovine Tb are also a concern.  This requires ongoing monitoring and management to maintain good health in the herds and sustainable numbers. Exmoor ponies are a priority on the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s Watchlist, although numbers have increased from a historic low of just fifty after World War 2, due to the conservation efforts of many pony enthusiasts and organisations. There are now around 4,600 registered Exmoor ponies worldwide with 600 living freely on the moors. The ponies are important for conservation grazing, and many are now being used on sites outside the National Park, increasing their value and helping to maintain the breed.

Exmoor is considered to be a premium national and international venue for game shooting, primarily pheasant and partridge, and this is an important part of the local economy. They range from small local shoots to large commercial businesses offering a high-end experience. Around 30% of land on Exmoor is managed or used in some way for game shooting, including rearing and release pens, cover crops, feeding and shooting areas.  In some areas, more intensive, large-scale shoots are having impacts, with significant change to the character, condition and visual quality of the landscape from planting of cover crops, a reduction in ground cover vegetation, the introduction of infrastructure such as fencing, tracks, feeders and pens, impacts on tranquillity and other recreational users and potential impacts on water and air quality. The high numbers of gamebirds released can have impacts on invertebrate numbers[1] and ground flora[2] particularly in woodlands. They can also outcompete native species for food creating imbalances in ecosystems and leading to species declines locally. This can affect woodland function and condition. Without careful management, the feeding and release of high numbers of released game birds can also elevate numbers of opportunistic species such as rats, grey squirrels and crows, and feeders can cause disease cross-contamination concerns.  At the same time, there can be positive benefits from management for game shooting for habitats and wildlife through winter cover and food for birds, and active woodland management. It is important that the management of land for game shooting follows best practice, delivering positive outcomes for the local environment and communities and that the scale and intensity of game shoots is in keeping with the place.

The moorlands and farmland also hold a deep sense of history, with the landscapes, historic sites and features reflecting the long interaction with people from early prehistoric times to the present day. This is a rich historic landscape, with medieval farms, bridges, churches, lanes and paths still in use today. Moorlands contain some of the best-preserved prehistoric landscapes, often overlain with later influences and contain organic remains and evidence of our past environments preserved in the peat. The industrial heritage of Exmoor is also apparent, with surviving features such as old railway lines, mines, engine houses and the abandoned cottages of miners.

Despite its timeless quality, Exmoor’s moorland and farmland are places of change and their fragile habitats have suffered from past management practises, climate change pressures and the deposition of nitrogen-based pollutants. New approaches are needed to address these challenges, trialling different management, and learning from what has been done before. The new Environmental Land Management Schemes are a vital tool, particularly ensuring that higher level schemes such as Countryside Stewardship and Landscape Recovery, are available to land managers to enhance the moorland and farmland through targeted and effective management, and to fund nature recovery including making space for nature where appropriate. Green finance will also play an increasingly important role.

On the moorlands a priority is to improve the condition of designated sites, as well as extending, buffering and linking habitats.  This will require a co-ordinated approach working with many land managers and also outside the National Park, for example in relation to addressing the issues around air pollution. In some areas, such as the central grass moorlands, different approaches and trials are needed to support a more resilient mosaic of habitats and reduce dominance of single species like Molinia. This will include restoring or reinforcing heather and dwarf shrub heath, blanket bog and fen, as well as encouraging more scattered trees, gorse and scrub in the combes. Further work is needed to restore natural processes including hydrological function through peatland and river restoration to store more water, slow the flow and reduce flood risk. These changes all need to be carefully undertaken to retain the special qualities of the moorland, it’s openness, tranquillity and dark night skies.

The farmland provides great opportunities for nature recovery and climate resilience, whilst also enabling sustainable farm businesses to thrive. Farmers have always evolved their business with the times but they need support to do this, and adapt their businesses and farming systems to all these changes. Some are already leading the way with regenerative practices through restoring and enhancing soil health, which will also benefit biodiversity, restore well-functioning water cycles, adapt to and mitigate climate change, and increase economic profitability. Many farming systems are also already low input, high quality output, with hardy and traditional livestock breeding and selection, avoiding artificial inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers, and allowing areas to be ʻroughened upʼ for nature.

Hedgerows are an important landscape feature and wildlife habitat as well as a practical tool for stock management and shelter, a source of biomass, and a carbon store. Traditional management of hedgerows is a valued skill, and part of Exmoor’s cultural heritage. In addition, letting some hedgerows become naturally scrubbier and wider with hedgerow trees, provides additional benefits for wildlife and carbon storage. New hedge planting, in-field trees, and wood pasture all provide future fodder and shade for livestock in a warming world, as well as habitat and wildlife corridors.

As an upland livestock farming area, much of the farmland is permanent pasture, predominately improved grassland, but some small areas of unimproved meadows and pastures remain, which support a variety of wild plants including the scarce mountain pansy and adder's tongue and moonwort ferns. Unploughed grassland supports ant hills of the yellow meadow ant, butterflies, the scarce hornet robber fly and rare waxcap fungi, plus bats, which feed on the insects. The Plan seeks to improve the condition of species-poor grasslands, manage existing grasslands in good condition and expand the overall grassland resource. Hay meadows were a traditional feature of farmland on Exmoor, but have declined in favour of silage, partly as a result less predictable weather. Through collaboration and sharing of equipment and seed between landowners, and more favourable environmental land management payments, species-rich grasslands are now starting to be restored and created and will provide a habitat for many grassland species, as well as a fodder crop for livestock. Exmoor also has unimproved acid grassland which tends to be found on steeper slopes, this requires management to maintain it which can be difficult due to the topography, and may be threatened by inappropriate tree planting.

Together these landscapes are a core part of what visitors and locals alike come to enjoy on Exmoor, which they are able to explore using the extensive network of paths, bridleways and open access land. Maintaining a good quality public access network is key to enabling people to continue to connect with Exmoor’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. In addition, we need to continue to provide and improve more accessible options so that Exmoor can be enjoyed by all.

• G1.1 Restore heathland and upland moorland ecosystems to be more naturally functioning, with increased diversity of habitats and species
• G1.2 Maintain and improve the condition of Scheduled Monuments, Principal Archaeological Landscapes and locally listed sites
• G1.3 Manage populations of wild red deer to maintain deer health and enable nature recovery
• G1.4 Maintain herds of wild Exmoor ponies contributing to moorland and farmland management, and a nature-rich landscape
• G1.5 Continue the use of traditional upland breeds including Exmoor Horn and Devon Closewool sheep, and Red Ruby Devon cattle as part of Exmoor’s land management
• G1.6 Exmoor leads the way in best practice management of game shoots, delivering positive outcomes for the environment, nature recovery and local communities
• G1.7 Maintain a good quality public path network across the main moorland areas, including some promoted and highly accessible options
• G1.8 Increase the number and area of orchards with at least 10 new orchards created and area of existing orchards expanded by 25% (12 ha) by 2030
• G1.9 Create 100km of new hedgerow and 100km of wooded corridor greater than 20m wide by 2030, to support a wide range of species
• G1.10 Support a variety of hedgerow management, encouraging laying and coppicing of hedgebanks as important landscape features, and allowing other hedgerows to grow out to support a diversity of nature. Protect veteran hedges and ancient hedgerows and select a new generation of hedgerow trees to protect from hedge-cutting
• G1.11 Restore and create 1,500 ha of species-rich grassland by 2030 and increase connectivity between wildlife-rich grasslands and associated habitats. Extend and connect unimproved grasslands and support the effective management of grasslands to increase species diversity and for the benefit of rare and/or threatened species
• G1.12 Increase the planting of individual trees, wood pasture and agro-forestry as part of farming systems
• G1.13 Increase the retention of water in ponds and scrapes to slow the flow and create new habitats ,alongside land management that increases infiltration of water to soil