Exmoor National Park Authority has begun a campaign to help sustain the natural heritage of Exmoor's countryside as with global warming and changing environmental factors every national heritage site is under threat from losing things that make it unique especially where its wildlife and original inhabitants are concerned. They have set out a five year plan in which they want to enhance all of the unique qualities in Exmoor.
The Mire Project has been developing since 1998 and has reintroduced the moorlands wetland to their original habitat including bog vegetation and associated insects and wading bird the curlew. The Two Moors Threatened Butterfly Project has also started to work on recovering three of Britain's most threatened butterfly species by encouraging their natural habitat. By managing hedgerows and verges to develop their wildlife and encourage a natural shelter for wild birds and mammals by avoiding cutting a trimming in the seasons when they are rearing young and only careful paring and cutting is to be done. The woodland in Exmoor is some of the rarest and most ancient in Britain and provides a whole eco system of small and large mammals that inhabit including the rare wild Red Deer.
Another facility that supports the natural wildlife of Exmoor is Quince Honey Farm that is based on the edge of Exmoor National park near South Molton. The honey bee and indeed all bees are in decline and the extent of the problem this will create in terms of farming in one issue but these rare places of nature will be the ones no-one protects and some of the unique wildlife may suffer if we do not encourage the bee population in the special region. The Quince Honey Farm do more than just show you the inner workings of the hive and tell you the history of bee keeping which is indeed fascinating, They also show you how the bee supports the whole eco system around it through pollination and in a place as unique as Exmoor this can mean the difference between survival and extinction for some of the rare species of plant and animal life.
Protecting our natural beauty spots has become very important in the age of carbon footprints and dwindling bee populations visiting a site that shows a glimpse of how this country used to be when we lived in harmony with nature and took only what we needed can give some real perspective on life.
Debbie is a tour guide who operates in the UK. She is primarily based in Lynton and also reviews accommodation, such as guesthouses and hotels that she stays at. For Devon accommodation, Debbie recommends, highcliffehouse.co.uk, as it is set within Exmoor National Park.
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