Conservation Volunteering

Details

Written by James Paxman

Conservation Volunteering with the DPA                                                         

 

The DPA is one of the largest conservation groups on Dartmoor. Last year our volunteers put in an astonishing 800 man days of conservation work on the moor. We undertake a range of different conservation projects during the course of a year, depending on the season - mainly gorse and scrub clearance in the autumn and winter and bracken bashing in the summer.

There is a regular team of volunteers, mainly DPA members but not all, and they are always pleased to see a new face.

 

 

Current projects

Dartmoor contains 10% of Europe’s Bronze Age remains and many of these sites are becoming smothered in gorse and bracken because there are so few grazing animals out on the moor. As a result many of the projects we undertake are tied to this archaeology. Most of our long running projects, such as the clearance of Plymouth Leat,  bracken clearance at Grimspound and gorse and bracken clearance at Leeden and Raddick Hills are funded by conservation bodies, for example the Roborough Commoners Association, English Heritage and Natural England.

We also undertake one-off projects such as repairing footpaths at Hound Tor medieval village or removing beech saplings from the SSSI native oak woodlands at Holne Chase.

Projects on DPA land

We run a monthly programme of conservation work on our land at High House Waste, near Cornwood. There is a mixture of ancient oak woodland, open moor and ancient settlements on the site.. As well as the regular bracken and gorse control we have been conducting detailed flora and fauna surveys, leading to the discovery of several rare species of plants and insects on our land. The oak woodland is also being encouraged to regenerate to keep this important, species rich habitat for future generations.

Cairn surveying and repair

Did you know that the cairns you will find across Dartmoor are Scheduled Ancient Monuments? Our specialist Cairns project has been surveying and repairing them for several years now. All the surveys done by the team are the deposited in the Devon County Archive when they are finished and is some cases are the only accurate archaeological record of that cairn in existence.

 

We have a spell in the bird nesting season – the end of March to the end of July – when we can’t work out on the moor. Dartmoor is an important area for ground nesting birds and many other species use the gorse and other scrub to build their nest in.

How to find out more

Our programme of conservation workdays is published three times a year and is available on this website. Whilst most of our volunteers are members of the Association not all are and anyone is welcome. There is no need to make a regular commitment – just come along on the days you are free.

If you would like to know more about conservation volunteering with the DPA please do call us on 01822 890646 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more detail on what you need to bring with you for a day of conservation volunteering please click here.

• Next >