Nature Recovery Plan

When gazing from Salcombe Hill, it is easy to see a "timeless" scene. However, the British countryside is not a wilderness; it is a meticulously authored manuscript rewritten by human hands for over 5,000 years.

The "Zero-Percent Natural" Rule

A startling truth for any ecology learner is that not one square inch of Britain is truly "natural".

• Human Fingerprints: Every acre bears the mark of human intervention, from the underlying geology to surface plants.

• The Bedrock vs. The Manager: While geology (like the acidic heath of Muttersmoor) dictates potential, human management determines what actually survives.

• The Wild Wood: Without constant grazing and mowing, our picturesque parks would revert to an impenetrable "wild wood" of scrub and forest.

A Timeline of Human Re-Engineering

The Sid Valley and the wider Devon landscape are products of three major "tectonic shifts" in history:

Era Action Ecological Impact

Neolithic (3000 BC) Systematic felling of the "Wild Wood". Created the first open pastures and fuel sources.

Enclosure Acts (1605–1914) 5,200 Parliamentary Acts divided open fields into private plots. Created the "patchwork quilt" of hawthorn hedges we see today.

Dig for Victory (1940s) Millions of acres of ancient heath and pasture ploughed for crops. Sacrificed unploughed "precious countryside" to wartime survival.

The Secret History of "Native" Wildlife

We have re-engineered the inhabitants just as much as the land. Scientists categorise species by their arrival:

• Archaeophytes (Pre-1492): Humans introduced "classics" like Rabbits, Fallow Deer, and Pheasants for food and sport.

• Neophytes (Modern): Victorian "exotic garden" escapes like Sika Deer, Canada Geese, and Grey Squirrels now compete with indigenous species.

Nature Reserves: The Emergency Ward

It is a common misconception that nature reserves are ancient sanctuaries.

• A Modern Invention: The rise of Wildlife Trusts and reserves only began after 1959.

• The Mission: They were created as a "frantic emergency ward" to save the tiny fragments of habitat that survived 20th-century industrialization.

• The Paradox: These sites only survive through active intervention—without humans, we would lose the rare orchids and butterflies that rely on these artificial environments.

"Management is not a violation of nature; it is a modern necessity to prevent total loss."