Dartmoor Training Area

Military Use Overview

History of Military Use

Military Training

Land Used

Management

Integrated Land Management Plan (ILMP)

Environmental
Management
System (EMS)

Integrated Land Management Plan (ILMP)

Stakeholder Aims and Objectives

Dartmoor Commoners Council (and Dartmoor Commoners Association)

In the early 20th Century, farming on Dartmoor was based on sheltered homesteads, surrounded by small fields of improved grassland usually enclosed by stone walls with open access to the Moor for summer grazing. The majority of the occupants of these homesteads had Commoners Rights, which were registered under the Commons Registration Act 1965. The Dartmoor Commons Act 1985, set up the Commoners Council as the over-arching governing body for Dartmoor with Associations for each Common around the Moor. The Commoners Council looks after the interests of approximately 8,300 Commoners of which the large majority are inactive in that they no longer release stock on to the Moor or practice other rights of common. The Commoner’s rights over MOD’s freehold at Willsworthy, were bought out by MOD in 1908.

Stakeholder Objectives

Regulations drawn up under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 sets out how Commoners should conduct their practices on the moor with particular reference to:

• stock husbandry
• grazing management
• burning (swaling)

For further information see: http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/au-commonsregs.pdf