Climate Prince William, Duke of Cornwall, withstood driving rain and gale-force winds to tour restored Dartmoor peatland. He led conversations about a new 20-year strategy to restore the region’s backcountry wildness. He made the trip to Royal Tor Bog close to the town of Yelverton in Devon. Shod in flat cap and wellies, he walked over the peat bog accompanied by a local council member.
During his visit, Prince William met some of the key players in the ongoing conservation movement. In particular, he introduced himself to Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, and Phil Stocker, chair of the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group. Once they had outlined their ambitious restoration plan, they zeroed in on their conversations to cultivate support to make it a reality. Yet many in the faith community continue to doubt it.
Since 2022, Prince William has succeeded to those responsibilities of the Duchy of Cornwall. This role is the perfect showcase for his deep commitment to environmental stewardship. To create a successful initiative, Stan emphasized the need for cooperation between all players involved, including the city, county, transit agency and MPO.
“To be able to bring everyone together, I think, is not only crucial to the whole thing but it sets a model for how it can be done elsewhere. And that’s what I love doing. Whatever we do here, other people can follow what we’re doing.” – Prince William
Through partnerships and a 20-year community vision, they want to remove barriers and re-establish natural habitats that coexist with agricultural use. During his visit, Prince William admitted that some people do not believe that such a massive plan could even happen. He stressed the importance of establishing a course in advance for future rounds.
“20 years, good luck, it’s going to take longer than that! These things take time, they really do. But at least if you set up a path and move in that direction, everyone will move in the same direction,” he stated.
In his remarks, Prince William emphasized the importance of local leadership and cross jurisdictional collaboration. His hope is that the restoration project will serve as a catalyst for more influence.
“So much of it is local leadership and collaboration. If you put those two together, things can be adapted,” he remarked.
Prince William said he understood that every little bit counts, even a small victory. He thinks it’s crucial for restoring Dartmoor’s moorland.
“Even though this is a small bit, we need to get more and more of this going on all around Dartmoor to bring it back to its former glory while still keeping the farming and everything else going,” he added.
The royal family member’s promise to follow in his father’s footsteps was in full display during the visit. He again confirmed his wish for a visible return on conservation investments.
“I’m keen to continue my father’s work as well. For me it’s about the impact; I want to see stuff actually happen. We’ve done the talking now, we’ve put the vision together, the design, now it’s about the activation,” Prince William concluded.
