Clive Turner is passionate about beetles. Here he talks about how vital these beetles are for life, and how their own wellbeing and the health of grazing animals are connected - and he shares results from the Dartmoor Dung Beetle survey.

A poem about dung beetles and their role beside sheep, cows and horses, in the cycling of soil: inspired by a meeting with Clive Turner, in Dartmoor National Park.

As part of the wider programme of natural flood management work on Harford and Ugborough Moors, research is being carried out to assess different techniques for increasing tree cover on the common. We meet Tom Murphy, a lecturer from the University of Plymouth, to find out more about the process, and how an increase in tree cover can benefit the common.

As the Central Dartmoor Landscape Recovery project gets underway, Harriet finds out more from Mark Owen and Naomi Oakley on their farm in the middle of the national park.

Molinia cover has been extending across Dartmoor national park over the last 30 years. An Our Upland Commons project has been trialling methods to reduce its dominance and bring back a mosaic of habitats. Adrian Colston talks to Harriet Fraser about this project and the challenges of making changes in a landscape where there are many different organisations and individuals involved.

Dartmoor drystone wall specialist Martin Stallard shares his passion for the art and craft of walling, and the pleasures of working out on the moors, continuing a tradition and a skill that goes back centuries.

During a Dartmoor pony drift commoners work together to round up the ponies from the moors, and urge them down to the farmyard to be sorted. It’s fast, and vast areas are covered. When we joined for the day, we also learnt about the heritage of ponies, and some of the farmers’ thoughts about the future for ponies on Dartmoor.

As part of a wider plan for natural flood management, the spring mires on Harford Common are being restored. It’s a process that helps the land hold water that flows from the springs, and encourages the recovery of a wetland habitat, with sphagnum mosses, and peat. Angelique McBride shares insights into the project, in conversation with Harriet Fraser.

Birch Tor, Dartmoor, deserted and quiet in the February wind. A short piece of reflection.

Graham Goddard is a Dartmoor Commoner, and grazes Dartmoor Ponies on Walkhampton Common. In this piece he shares his thoughts on commons, ponies, government policies around upland farming, and what it’s like to be chair of the commoners association.

Peat across Dartmoor’s upland commons is a precious habitat and a vital carbon store, but most of it is in poor condition. We head out with David Leach from the South West Peat Partnership to see restoration work in progress on The Forest of Dartmoor.

Commoner Richard Gray talks about his Galloway cows, which roam across vast expanses of the upland commons. He discusses their wellbeing, the benefits of extensive grazing for cows and for nature, and the high quality of the meat. One cow wears a collar which allows Richard to track the movements of the herd and monitor their wellbeing.

In this short film Richard Gray talks about farming and being a commoner in Dartmoor. He keeps cows and sheep, and wants to find the middle ground to keep the pressure off nature and maintain a viable farming business, a wish born from a strong sense of belonging and pride.

Why do commons matter? What do commoners do? A long read touching on habitats, heritage, governance and future thinking, with views from commoner Ann Willcocks in Dartmoor.

Surveying open trees on Dartmoor’s commons: Harriet Fraser chats with Jez Ralph, director of Evolving Forests

There’s an art and a kind of a dance when it comes to shearing sheep. A short film captures the process at East Okement Farm in Dartmoor.

Listen to Russell Hamby, Imogen Ogborne and Paul Bowden talk about what it takes to do the job well, in a break while they shear the sheep at East Okement Farm, Dartmoor.

Sometimes a ewe needs some help to give birth to her lamb. This short film follows the process - please note that it contains close-up footage of the process.