Dartmoor ‘Right to Roam’ reinstated in nature milestone for UK

The psychological benefits of spending time in nature are very well documented, but more than this, it has a direct correlation to a population’s care and, therefore, responsibility towards it. It has been proven that without fostering a genuine connection to the natural world, there is a far lower likelihood of people taking active steps to protect it.

As the effects of climate change continue to threaten landscapes and ecosystems around the world, it has become evident that a reconnection to these spaces is one of the best ways to protect them. This connection is what campaigners, MP’s, and lawyers for the DNPA were fighting for.

The Right to Roam organisation, an organisation whose chief mission is to protect and reinstall this ‘connectedness’ to nature within the UK, quite plainly says: ‘The greatest physical and mental health resource yet created is everywhere about us: nature. Yet England’s still feudal structures of land ownership and access mean that little of it is available to the public to enjoy.’

Speaking in response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Dartmoor National Park CEO, Kevin Bishop, said, ‘The judgment goes back to the people who fought for our national parks in the first place and what they intended for our parks – they are for the many, not for the few.’

This ruling is being celebrated as a huge win for access and rights organisations throughout the UK, but many say it is still only the beginning. Dartmoor is the only place throughout England and Wales that has this access.

It remains to be seen if this ruling will spark further pressure to increase public access to natural spaces – something the Labour government promised – or if Dartmoor will continue to be the very last shred of truly accessible nature in the whole country.