It was a first for the Dartmoor Society on Saturday 29th October when a record 116 people attended a very special Dartmoor Society Debate entitled “Return to the Wildwood? Is Rewilding the future for Dartmoor?” at Meldon Village Hall.
Matthew Kelly, author of “Quartz and Feldspar”, was our Chairman for the day and did a fantastic job of introducing and summing up speakers as well as inviting people to either make comments or observations.
Our excellent speakers included Robert Cook; Lecturer in Education for Sustainability, Plymouth University “Just How Wild Should We Be?”; Ann Willcocks; Dartmoor Farmer and Commoner “Why Bother”; Peter Taylor who has written a book entitled “Beyond Conservation” where he used Dartmoor as an example for possible rewilding.
Finally our very own Chairman Dr Tom Greeves; Cultural Environmentalist presented on “8000 years of culture in an upland environment the elephant in the room?”.
A fabulous lunch was supplied by “The Original Pasty House” in Tavistock and tea was supplied by the Dartmoor Society Committee. There was a varying wide range of views on the day and the subject was analysed from a number of angles including “What might be the result if trees replaced open moorland or cultivated fields?”, “How would Dartmoor’s farming culture change, and how have recent conservation strategies already forced farmers to adapt to a form of rewilding?”.
The weather was a beautiful Autumnal day which meant that in the break times everyone was able to retreat outside and enjoy the stunning Dartmoor air and views. Everyone agreed that it had been a truly stimulating, educational and thoroughly enjoyable day.