As the Chair of Natural Devon

Data limitations: This area is lower than the area given for upland bog SSSI. This may be due to more accurate mapping undertaken by DBRC.

Five SSSIs (11,606 hectares) contain upland bog (North Dartmoor, South Dartmoor, Tor Royal Bog, Exmoor Coastal Heaths, North Exmoor). 100% is in favourable or unfavourable recovering condition. Key management issues are securing appropriate grazing and burning regimes. Stocking levels are being managed through ESA / HLS. The Forest Fire Project on Dartmoor has been effective in dealing with wild fires and uncontrolled burning. However, condition assessments state that large areas are still species poor and dominated by purple moor-grass and, even under suitable management, will take a long time to recover.

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  Grazing (under grazing or over grazing) is one of the key management issues for wetland sites. It is not currently economically viable to maintain farming systems in marginal land in the uplands without agri-environment support. This is due to a range of factors such as the single payment scheme, cost of rearing stock and the static sale price. The number of farmers with livestock on the moors is declining and there is little capacity for investment in the necessary farm infrastructure to support sustainable farming systems.
  

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  Reduced hydrological integrity due largely to historical drainage and also erosion of gullies on degraded peatland due to peat cutting / burning and also public / military access.
  

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  Designations. Only a very small proportion of the area (~1200 hectares) of Rhôs pasture on Dartmoor National Park is designated as SSSI despite meeting the selection criteria. Without SSSI designation it is often harder to obtain funding via agri-environment schemes.
  

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  Stocking levels have been reduced on the uplands and feeding and outwintering of stock has largely stopped. This is partly due to ESA / HLS payments as well as factors such as BSE, foot and mouth and changes to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments. Burning has largely been brought under control on Dartmoor through the Emergency Fire Plan and Forest Fire Project.
  

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  The Dartmoor Vision Group is an alliance of hill farmers and agencies. In 2003 ecologists, archaeologists and farmers developed a ‘vision map’ for Dartmoor in order to provide farmers with a clear statement of what they wanted the moorland to look like in 2030. The Dartmoor Hill Farm Project was set up by DNPA in 2003 to help ensure a viable future for Dartmoor farmers.
  

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  The Two Moors Butterfly Project has been running since 2005 and aims to increase the populations of marsh fritillary, high brown fritillary and heath fritillary. The project encourages Dartmoor and Exmoor farmers to enter into agri-environment schemes to improve the wildlife value of Rhôs pasture (see Section 4.5).
  

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  Mires on the Moors¹ was set up in 2010 in order to restore blanket bog communities on Dartmoor and Exmoor. The project is supported by South West Water. Benefits include habitat enhancement, improved water quality and carbon storage (through protection of peat). Water resource management enhancements (slowing the rate of run off) are also being investigated.
  

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  DWT’s Working Wetlands project² has been running since 2008 in the Culm area of Devon. Its main aim is to help farmers to manage and restore Culm grasslands, and associated habitats, in order to enhance the wildlife and water storage value of Culm wetlands.[²⁸]
  

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  The Taw River Improvement Project is working in targeted areas in the Taw catchment to secure WFD targets – this includes sensitive management of wet semi-natural grasslands
  

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  The Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area commenced in 2012. It aims to restore ecosystem resilience across the Torridge catchment.
  

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  Beef and Butterflies in the Blackdown Hills AONB helped farmers manage semi-natural grasslands (mires, wet meadows, hay meadows and heathland) for wildlife and profit. The Project ended in 2013.