Phil Stocker, who leads the National Sheep Association (NSA), has been announced as the first independent chair of the new Dartmoor Land Use Management Group.
Mr Stocker, responsible in this role to the Defra Secretary, will lead the group, created as a result of the independent inquiry into land management on Dartmoor last year.
This review called for a complete overhaul of policy and practice while painting a damning picture of the impact of past policy and practice on the moor.
It determined that Natural England had 'not responded successfully' to the challenges of working within Dartmoor.
The new group is charged with developing and delivering a land use framework and plan for Dartmoor, which is recognised as an internationally significant site.
It will also provide oversight of the delivery of 25 recommendations also put forward in last year's independent inquiry.
Phil Stocker, who is the chief executive of the NSA and will remain in the role, said that farmers 'have been, and must continue to be, central to Dartmoor’s future'.
"These are difficult times with serious challenges ahead but I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to bring people and views together in a much loved area of South West England," he said.
"We can build on the work of generations of farmers that have helped to maintain this special landscape but this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t expect change.
“I am confident the formation of this group will be a positive step forward for the interest groups on Dartmoor."
Mr Stocker has previously held posts at both the Soil Association and RSPB prior to his current role as chief executive at the NSA.
He is also the chairman of the Black Mountains Land Use Partnership, which has given him experience of managing different interests in delivering cooperative and sustainable land management in an upland setting.
Speaking about the appointment, Defra Food Security Minister Daniel Zeichner said Mr Stocker was 'uniquely placed' to consider the needs of Dartmoor.
“With more than 40 years' experience working in farming and the environment, I am delighted that Phil Stocker has been appointed.
"The area has one of the largest semi-natural moorland habitats in the country and over recent years the relationship between farming, nature and other impacts, such as climate change have lacked balance."
