ON the same day as the major Glover Review into the future of national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) was published, the Exmoor Society held its AGM.

Chairman Rachel Thomas made last-minute changes to her speech, recognising that it offered much to digest.

“This is a very exciting report with big ambitious recommendations for our protected landscapes,” she said. “Many of the points that the society had submitted to the review were fully developed.”

These included:

* A ‘national landscape service’ to be set up to promote national parks and AONBs as “a family” at the national level.

* Changes in governance, with Glover calling for smaller boards and a separate sub-committee to decide planning applications.

* more space for nature and greater access for all.

* A new agri-environmental scheme with greater local flexibility and enabling farmers to remain on the moor continuing traditional practices.

She said the review recognised the society’s work in relation to natural capital.

It stated that, in 2017 Professor Dieter Helm, chairman of the Natural Capital Committee, challenged the Exmoor Society to explore how they could use the natural capital concept.

“The Exmoor Society rose quickly to the challenge, starting with a project to trial a practical tool-kit that would help identify eco-system services provided by Exmoor. They have tested it in three pilot areas which between them cover all the landscape types in the national park.

“This work has moved forward the natural capital approach”.

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