A NEW report from Dartmoor National Park Authority has highlighted the importance of the moor as a habitat for birds.
The report, the first comprehensive study of the subject since 1979, shows that meadow pipits, skylarks, wheatears, stonechats and linnets are all continuing to thrive on the moor.
The bad news is that some other species, especially lapwings and curlews have declined alarmingly.
The environmental importance of Dartmoor is indicated by the contrast with other areas, where populations of species such as skylark have suffered greatly in recent years.
Peter Exley, public affairs manager for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said the survey provided useful information which would help to decide the best conservation policies.
Wading species such as lapwings and curlews needed undisturbed damp grasslands, he said. It was still unclear why they were in decline. It was possible that overgrazing and encroachment of scrub both played a part, but it was uncertain to what extent.
The recently started Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme, set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and covering the whole of Dartmoor, could enable the land to be managed in a way which was more beneficial to birds, he said.
Bob Jones, conservation officer of the Devon Birdwatching and Preservation Society, said the report pointed in the right direction. He thought the decline in lapwings and curlews could be partly due to predators such as crows, ravens and foxes, but it was hard to know how to combat this.
The DNPA's ecologist Norman Baldock said the survey was a first step and could be used to steer the Environmentally Sensitive Agencies scheme towards the right measures.