Nature And Landscape

Saving the Spirit of Dartmoor – turbo-charging the drive to safeguard Dartmoor’s traditional pony herds

Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust’s (DPHT) primary purpose is to preserve this endangered rare breed in its context on Dartmoor. The Heritage Dartmoor Pony is an iconic species which has lived on Dartmoor for thousands of years and is descended from ancient herds. It has evolved to play a critical role in this protected landscape, where grazing by ponies helps control invasive plant species and improves biodiversity. Time critical strategic planning provides a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity for DPHT to secure the future of the Heritage Dartmoor Pony, boosting organisational resilience to ensure inclusion in strategies being developed by the new Dartmoor-wide Land Use Management Group (LUMG), set up by DEFRA in 2024, which will produce a new framework for the management of Dartmoor; and 3 new farm clusters, covering 1/3 of Dartmoor, which are developing 25-year plans for land management and environment benefits under the ELMS programme