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00:06Great Britain, an island of wonders and breathtaking landscapes.
00:19Protected and conserved by the people who live here.
00:25Established in 1949, Britain's national parks are a haven for nature.
00:31Home to an abundance of life.
00:47Dartmoor's inspirational upland landscape
00:50is characterised by vast moorland and granite tours.
00:58The national park encompasses 368 square miles of Devon
01:03and rises to 600 metres above sea level.
01:10Dartmoor's unique landscape is home to a variety of rare animal and plant species
01:16that have adapted to the challenging conditions.
01:26It is a wilderness steeped in myth and legend.
01:42In the middle of Dartmoor, the landscape is open and barren.
01:47For the few people who live here, sheep farming is an essential way of life.
02:02For centuries, the shepherds of Dartmoor have relied on the help of sheepdogs.
02:18It takes more than just, I'll buy a dog and do it.
02:22You know, it takes, you've got to blend with it, like, and get used to it.
02:26They know they're your dog, like, you know what I mean?
02:28They always want to be with me.
02:41Kenny Watson has been working with sheepdogs for 60 years.
02:48Sit down there. Sit down. Sit down. Good boy. Sit down.
02:52Their training never stops.
02:54They do an hour's work every day at least, like, you know?
02:57And it keeps them quieter and steadier.
03:01Kenny's family has been breeding border collies for generations.
03:06The breed is characterised by a strong protective instinct.
03:10The dogs are obedient and rarely bark.
03:19The dogs are trained to manage the stubborn Dartmoor sheep, which requires a range of skills.
03:27Wave it.
03:30Sit down, sit down.
03:32Good boy. Sit down.
03:35The command language has been passed down through generations of shepherds.
03:42Sit down.
03:43Sit down.
03:44Sit down.
03:44Sit down, boy.
03:45Sit down.
03:47Sit down.
03:48Come by his left, away his right, like, you know?
03:51And that was what I heard when I first went trialling with me dad, like, and that's,
03:56and that's what he used as well, so that's what I used, like, yeah?
04:00Come on.
04:02Come on.
04:03Come on.
04:05Come on.
04:06Come on.
04:17Kenny Watson also trains dogs for local farmers, but not every dog is cut out for herding.
04:24The moor is tough terrain, and they can easily lose their bearings.
04:35Go away.
04:36Stop.
04:38Go away.
04:39Stop.
04:40Ready.
04:41Ready.
04:42Come by.
04:45Come by.
04:47Would you go come by or away?
04:49You just go away.
04:50Go away.
04:52Go away.
04:53Come on.
04:54Today, Caroline Squire and her dog need to prove their skills.
04:58Kenny will then decide if her border collie is ready to become a certified sheepdog.
05:04Come by.
05:06Jake, come by.
05:07You won't be here, okay?
05:09I'll just be beside you.
05:11Bring him on a bit, okay then?
05:12Walk on, Jake.
05:13Because they've got to come this way a little bit.
05:15Walk on.
05:16That's it now.
05:16That's it, lovely.
05:18A bit more.
05:19Walk on.
05:28Stand.
05:30Stand.
05:31Stand.
05:32Look back.
05:34Stand.
05:36Owie.
05:37Owie.
05:38Owie.
05:38What, just stop a minute, will you?
05:41Get the other side of the gate.
05:43Oh, and push them around.
05:45Yeah.
05:45Oh, I see.
05:47You know what I mean?
05:48Like, wait.
05:50That's it.
05:51That's it.
05:52That's better.
05:52Now you're there.
05:56Despite some initial difficulties, Caroline manages to drive the sheep into the pen.
06:03Good boy.
06:04Good boy.
06:04Come by.
06:07My family farmed for about 120 years, and then we gave up our farm tenancy last spring,
06:12and Jake was our main working dog on the farm, and he's still quite young.
06:17He's only four.
06:18Um, so we've moved off farm now, and he's not a working dog anymore, but he loves his work
06:23so much.
06:24Um, I wanted to come out and give trialing a go, so it's been really good fun.
06:29Um, just having a go at trialing and seeing how he goes at it.
06:44He's a very good dog, really.
06:45It's just, and you get a bit confused sometimes when you're left and right, don't you?
06:49Yeah, I do.
06:50I just don't do it in nothing.
06:53When they come with young dogs, like, and they're not used to it, like, you know,
06:56they ask too much of them.
06:58You know, when you've got your dog, what I call, fully trained, you can ask him to do anything.
07:02But what, these people come with young ones, and they expect them to be just, you know,
07:07perfect, but it takes a little time to get to them, like, you know?
07:15Well, I can go a bit.
07:17Well, I can go a bit.
07:29In the north of the National Park, nature is untamed.
07:33A vast moor and heathland cover the granite massif.
07:41The landscape is scattered with tours and rocky outcrops.
07:50The high moor, the remote, wild and inhospitable heart of the National Park,
07:56is home to a variety of specialised plant and animal species.
08:05The curlew is one of the rarest birds in Britain.
08:11It uses its long, curved beak to search for insects and invertebrates.
08:19Curlews nest on the ground, preferring open, damp habitats.
08:24The species is in decline, and on the birds of conservation concern, red list.
08:37This natural-looking idyll can be deceptive.
08:41An estimated 99% of Dartmoor's deep peat area has been damaged by human activity.
08:48The moors are drying out and releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the air.
08:57To stop CO2 emissions, the moors must be re-wetted to prevent erosion.
09:04This work is a priority for the National Park managers.
09:09The work that's taking place here is really important,
09:12and it's really important for it to happen today.
09:17Without action now, the impacts of climate change will be felt really quickly here.
09:25In recent years, pools have been dug across the moor to trap rainwater.
09:31This helps vegetation develop into rich moorland soil.
09:38Project manager Justine Reid and biologist George Kohler inspect progress.
09:50Peatlands are really, really important for lots of reasons.
09:53They store huge amounts of carbon, much more than our woodlands in the UK.
09:57They hold back water in the landscape.
09:59They sort of filter out water as it flows.
10:02They reduce flooding.
10:03They also store a lot of archaeology in the landscape,
10:07and sort of give us clues about our past.
10:09And they're obviously amazing wildlife havens as well,
10:11when they're healthy and functioning.
10:15The project is showing signs of success.
10:19The new, submerged plant matter will form the basis for new peat.
10:28New life is also emerging around the pools.
10:35And an important indicator of healthy peat soil is sphagnum moss.
10:40It's a good thing because it basically starts to turn into peat.
10:44And it's also really good because it holds 20 times its weight in water.
10:48So it's basically 90% water.
10:52And it's really good because it means the pools start kind of colonising,
10:56growing and turning into peat.
10:57And when you squeeze it, as you can see...
11:01What is it?
11:02Nice.
11:03It holds loads of water.
11:05Yeah.
11:13What's this?
11:14So these are sun-dews, which show part of a healthy peatland ecosystem.
11:21The sun-dew survives in nutrient-poor soils by catching live insects
11:26with its sticky, dew-covered leaves.
11:32The plant's tendrils slowly wrap around its prey,
11:38suffocating and digesting it to absorb the nutrients it needs.
11:46Historically, a lot of human activities have affected the peatlands.
11:50It's all changed the peatlands of the south-west.
11:52And it's left a lot of them quite dry and eroding and degraded.
11:56So now, climate change will be felt really quickly here.
11:58So we're already seeing really extreme weather,
12:01like really heavy rainfall, much more than we would normally.
12:03And if we don't kind of make those interventions,
12:07that heavy rainfall that we're seeing from climate change
12:09will only continue to erode away the really carbon-rich peat.
12:17New pools are being created, requiring the use of heavy machinery.
12:25The excavators have to travel miles.
12:27And there are more in Europe of the rainforests.
12:33Although peatlands only cover 3% of the Earth's land surface,
12:38they store about twice as much carbon as all the world's forests combined,
12:42but only if they are healthy the restoration of degraded moorland is now
12:54a top priority in many British national parks the work on darkmoor is considered
13:00exemplary well here where we are at the southwest of the UK is kind of at the
13:05edge of where peatlands can form and thrive so it's really urgent work that's
13:10taking place here to restore the degraded and drying out and eroding peatlands
13:37the park's uplands are the source of many of Devon's rivers
13:51they provide habitats for rare animal and plant species such as the kingfisher which breeds on
13:57the river banks its diet is based almost exclusively on aquatic animals which is why it depends on
14:05species-rich clean waters wild Atlantic salmon have spawned in these waters since the ice age but in
14:16the last 10 years it's estimated that their numbers have declined by up to 80 percent rainwater runoff
14:25moves pesticides and fertilizers from the surrounding fields into the rivers contaminating the water and
14:32posing a deadly threat to fish very few people are really aware of what's in a river they live a
14:41busy
14:41life they look over a river they instead of being aware what's in it and without these rivers
14:48everybody would be in a bad situation Jeff Stevens and his team from the river teen restoration project
15:03are committed to protecting darkness wild Atlantic salmon it is the largest wild salmon project in the region
15:15once a year the team wades into the river to check on the health of the young wild salmon they
15:22use a new
15:23technique electro fishing the electric current just momentarily stands the fish it stops their swimming
15:31action so they become immobile and then they're drawn to the anode here like a magnet and then we net
15:38them
15:41if electro fishing is done correctly the fish suffer no harm and fully recover in two minutes
15:50well at one time salmon used to feed everything and everybody from the top of the river to the bottom
15:56of the river many years ago and without the juvenile salmon there won't be food for the little birds the
16:02kingfisher the dippers and other other species and indeed other fish
16:19fish
16:26the team gets down to the real world evaluating the catch
16:34based on the collected data Jeff and his team recommend protection measures for the river teen okay so the first
16:42one
16:42that's a brown trout salmon
16:4857
16:53salmon
16:56salmon
16:56salmon
16:5766
17:0255
17:02salmon
17:04I personally feel that I somewhat have a duty to protect salmon because when I was young I grew up
17:10fishing for them
17:10with my family but it's clear that that's no longer sustainable so I'm keen to give something back
17:16to protect the species that I've grown up with
17:30I just think they're magnificent creatures because of a huge oceanic journey and they come all the way back to
17:35this little river and end up here
17:38salmon are very very important what we call keystone species and it's vital that we do everything we can to
17:46keep them here for the sake of everything and us
18:11wild salmon are also an important food source for one aquatic mammal
18:17animal
18:18over the last 25 years otters have returned to the wild in Britain
18:22they almost became extinct in the 1960s due to pollution habitat loss and hunting
18:30today they are found in almost every river
18:36that's a good thing because a stable otter population indicates clean water
18:40these predators are an important part of the ecosystem because they regulate the fish population
18:59darkmore national park is sparsely populated with most of its residents living in small villages
19:05some of which are nearly a thousand years old
19:11in many villages you'll find the iconic medieval clapper bridges made from flat natural stone slabs
19:18they're a hallmark of the region's traditional architecture
19:27and often link trails that cross small streams and rivers
19:44darkmore is home to a special bird whose hunting grounds are the wide open fields
19:52it is a perfect habitat for the barn owl
19:59the British barn owl is easily recognized by its heart-shaped face and brilliant white plumage
20:21I've always loved working with animals and understanding them
20:28with the state of the world as it is and the ecological and climate crisis I wanted to feel like
20:33I'm doing my part
20:42the barn owl trust in the east of dartmoor works to conserve this increasingly rare species
20:53at the rehabilitation center for wild owls
20:57biologist Pip Laker and her colleague Kate Jelliman care for wild barn owls that are often found and brought in
21:05by local residents
21:09so the young one we've named Herbert
21:13and that was because
21:16the person who rescued it named it Herbert
21:19okay
21:19this is a fallen owlet
21:22and it's been here for a week
21:24and it will be here until it's old enough to be released
21:29great so we just now need to do our health check
21:31yep
21:36a lot of the owls we get in are
21:39for a couple of reasons
21:40and sadly they're mainly man-made so human and sort of imposed
21:44so we have a lot of owls coming in underweight
21:48starving and that is because
21:50purely there's a lack of habitat out there for them
21:53sort of 50-100 years ago there used to be so much sort of rough farmland
21:58whereas as agriculture is sort of intensified
22:01there is just that lack of habitat
22:11the owls are examined regularly changes should be noticeable in the breast bone and stomach
22:21he was really really thin about a week ago wasn't he
22:26yeah
22:27it's better than it was
22:29yeah
22:31and he had a really empty cold stomach and now that's nice and warm
22:35okay
22:38this young owl almost starved to death
22:41if it gains enough weight it will survive
22:47so we want him to be more than 220 which on paper
22:52he shouldn't have been alive
22:53so it's pretty good that he's still alive
22:56less than the starvation weight of an owl so
22:59let's see how much weight he's put on
23:02he's going to slide down
23:05wow
23:06we are looking at
23:09330
23:10so 330 grams
23:12so he's put on
23:13amazing
23:13more than a third of his body weight in
23:16a week
23:17okay
23:20so now Kate if you just check over his wings
23:22yep
23:24so
23:25so
23:26as this young owl was found lying on the ground
23:30it may have a broken bone
23:35any lumps and bumps anything looking a bit strange or feeling a bit strange
23:43and happy with that
23:46so just checking that there's no creamy lesions the gape looks clear
23:50yep
23:52everything's fine with that
23:53so that is one healthy owl
23:57okay
23:59let's go back in your box for now
24:01the young owl will recover at the barn owl trust over the next three to four weeks
24:06it will then be returned to where it was found and released into the wild
24:12if I had to name three threats to our wild barn owl population
24:18it would be human imposed habitat loss through intensive agriculture
24:22it would be major roads such as dual carriageways motorways and even high speed railways
24:28and it would probably be
24:31rodenticide
24:32so in agriculture
24:34people use a lot of
24:36pest controls and really toxic chemicals
24:39and they can succumb to secondary poisoning from those toxins
24:57the dark more pony is native to the national park
25:02archaeological finds have shown that this breed of horse has lived here since the neolithic period
25:08so around three and a half thousand years
25:13to survive the harsh weather conditions on the moor the ponies are robust and resilient
25:19they live semi-wild in the national park as their owners are allowed to let them roam freely
25:25although pony numbers are difficult to determine
25:28numbers in the park have fallen from around 30,000 animals in the 1940s to around 1,000 today
25:36the dark more pony is now considered endangered
25:45Chalakam farm is located in the heart of dark more
25:50at first glance the landscape seems wild and untouched
25:55but in reality the land has been inhabited and farmed for thousands of years
26:02regenerative farming has been practiced here for over 20 years
26:06an approach that focuses on protecting the soil and biodiversity
26:14farmer Mark Owen breeds Icelandic and Shetland sheep
26:18the sheep are a central part of Mark's sustainability concept
26:22they keep the grass short which promotes the growth of other plants
26:26their droppings serve as a natural fertilizer that increases soil quality
26:31in this way the sheep contribute to the health and biodiversity of the meadows and pastures
26:40the herd moves freely around the farm
26:42which is why the sheep are regularly bitten by ticks that transmit pathogens
26:48Mark and his wife Naomi round up the animals to check them for ticks
26:55bring them in
26:55yeah
26:56yeah
26:59which one do you want?
27:00that one
27:01that one?
27:05gotcha
27:09shhh shhh shhh shhh shhh shhh shhh shhh shhh shhh shhh
27:13if I look under here although it's dirty there's no ticks here at the moment
27:19and that's because the ticks come when it's warm and wet
27:22and so when maybe in a few weeks time we'll see more ticks but not at the moment
27:28so we don't have to worry about the sheep for now
27:31and if we had a lot of ticks then we would treat them with neem oil
27:36which is an organic tick repellant
27:41and it's pretty good for the it's good at reducing the tick burden it doesn't get rid of them completely
27:46and it has a lower environmental impact which is important for us within our organic and regenerative system
27:53and it's kinder for the animal
27:58and it's kinder for the animal
27:59according to UN Food and Agriculture Organization studies
28:04regenerative agriculture is a way of feeding people while preserving fertile soil for future generations
28:13this farm is about the people that lived here in the past and honouring what they did
28:19you know we can be very proud to be part of that long continuum of time from deep history into
28:25the future
28:26and we're just stewards in this time and then somebody else will look after it
28:40the fibre, the wool that we produce from our sheep is very good quality
28:45it's lovely colours and people make it into incredible things
28:49and that's good for my heart
28:53every part of the animal is respected and has dignity and is used
29:07Bracken is a big problem in many places on Dartmoor
29:11At Chalicum Farm, entire hillsides are overgrown with it
29:20Mark wants to curb the growth of the invasive plant
29:24the Bracken disrupts the ecological balance required for regenerative farming
29:36sheep won't eat it, ponies won't eat it
29:38it actually is slightly toxic
29:41so yeah, it's a bit of a bully of a plant
29:44and we just sort of take over because it hasn't got many natural predators
29:49In cattle and horses, Bracken can cause stomach cancer
29:55Mark wants to slow down its growth without damaging the soil
30:01The moment we're trying to bruise the Bracken
30:03it's basically reduce its vigour over time
30:05as it rolls, it creates little breaks
30:08over time, and it will take several years
30:11it will get weaker and weaker
30:13and every year the Bracken gets shorter
30:18The problem with Bracken on Dartmoor
30:20is it basically will take over our whole hillside
30:23so it presses all the other vegetation we would like to see
30:25things like heather and bilberry
30:27but also it harbours ticks
30:30and with ticks you've got diseases such as Lyme disease in humans
30:34and looping eel in sheep
30:46Chalakam farm also attracts insects
30:53Avoiding the use of pesticides has a positive effect on biodiversity
31:04The marsh fritillary is one of many rare butterfly species found on Dartmoor
31:11As a plant pollinator it promotes biodiversity
31:19Populations fluctuate from year to year influenced by weather, food supply and natural enemies
31:52including parasitic wasps
31:54Death is a taboo in our western society
31:56and it certainly was a taboo for me
32:02By engaging my creative side
32:06it's a very good way to feel that we're part of nature
32:09and not apart from nature
32:23For 20 years, Yuli Summer has been creating traditional shrouds made from pure Dartmoor wool
32:34So help me pull that out
32:39Right out to the back here
32:43Yuli's husband Nicky helps her make a shroud
32:47Maximum use of the felt
32:50Gotcha, put that back a bit
32:52I have found in my life wool
32:55is very very comforting
32:57It keeps you warm in winter
33:00and it's very very versatile
33:0370 inches
33:07to here
33:09Yuli is continuing a tradition from the 17th century
33:16The 1667 Burial in Wool Act
33:19The 1667 Burial in Wool Act
33:20required the deceased to be buried in woolen cloth
33:22to promote the wool industry
33:26Yuli took up this old craft again
33:29Until recently, she was the only maker of wool shrouds in Britain
33:41When I have been at funerals of my own family or friends that are close to me that I've been
33:47involved with
33:48I've always thought it's good to think outside the box literally
33:53I've always had a horror of myself personally being in a coffin
33:57I don't like linear things
34:00I don't like straight lines
34:02I like to be more natural
34:10The leaf cocoon that I make
34:12I designed to be a bridge between a thin cotton wrap that reveals the shape of the body
34:19which we find too difficult to deal with in our Western culture
34:24It's a bridge between that and a solid wood coffin
34:27that disconnects us from the person who's died
34:35To give the shroud strength and structure
34:38it is supported by a narrow frame made of locally produced untreated wood
34:48The cover is traditionally decorated with plant motifs from the moor
34:53Yuli uses locally sourced plant dyed wool
34:59The decoration is very much inspired by Dartmoor and the diversity that is on the moor
35:07For instance, heather and rowan, oak, sometimes beech
35:13You know, I represent the trees that grow on Dartmoor
35:26Sometimes families can work together on decorating a cover for a shroud
35:30When you're using your hands and doing something that is very creative
35:35It does open beautiful conversations and connections with each other
35:42The cocoon is a gentler approach
35:47The cocoon is a gentler approach
35:47So you don't see the shape of the body, there's just a gentle curve
35:52And it helps us to connect with our own mortality
35:56And the fact of the cycle of life in a gentle way
36:07Yuli visits Mark at nearby Chalicum Farm to inspect some freshly shorn fleeces
36:13The two have been friends for many years
36:19As a wool expert, Yuli helps Mark find new uses for his wool
36:24Results of the shearing, or at least a small sample of it
36:27Wonderful colours, aren't they? Fantastic
36:30Yeah, it's always a delight
36:31I mean, this is my favourite one
36:35Is this called Morit?
36:37I think so, yeah
36:40Yuli has an idea for Mark
36:43So this is your wool after I'd washed it
36:47Yeah, that is super soft
36:49It's really lovely
36:50Lovely, yeah
36:51She has spun yarn from the wool
36:54And then
36:56I got my friend to knit this
36:58Yeah
36:59For my daughter Kezi
37:00Who you know
37:01And she wore it for her wedding
37:04So it's absolutely beautiful
37:07You can see
37:09Really, your wool should be used
37:12Not for shrouds
37:14But for something really gorgeous to wear
37:17That's what we love to see
37:18Yeah, it's being made into beautiful things
37:20Yeah, absolutely
37:22Absolutely
37:22The lovely sheep, the beautiful animals
37:24Yeah
37:25I'm just seeing, you know, the craft and the craft in the ship
37:34The Barn Owl Trust are visiting a nearby farm to see if a chick is in one of the nest
37:39boxes
37:41They plan to ring the chick today
37:45To prevent the chick from falling out of the nest box
37:48Barn Owl Trust founder David Ramsden blocks the entrance
37:53We're really excited to have found a new nest site
37:56This is the sort of thing that increases the density and ultimately the population size
38:01So really good news
38:17Biologist Matteo Ruiz attaches a numbered ring to the owl's leg
38:31That is in, two squeezes
38:32Yeah, brilliant, well done
38:36Yeah, it's going to be about 275 isn't it?
38:42Yeah it is, it's 274
38:48274, so not quite full length
38:49No, it might be quite a bit younger than the others, mightn't it?
38:53Okay, and back in the bag for weight and where she goes, no?
38:57Yeah, straight away
38:59Are you good on the scales?
39:01Weight is also crucial to the survival of this young bird
39:09387 minus 35
39:11352
39:13352, so that's a good weight
39:16The young owl's details will be entered into a database so that it can be identified in the future
39:24We saw what appeared to be a well-developed youngster
39:29Fitted it with its unique tag that will tell us about its survival, its dispersal
39:34Much of what we know about the Barn Owl's ecology is through the ringing system
39:55Dartmoor's granite tours have been shaped over 280 million years
40:03There are around 160 of these distinctive rocky outcrops
40:08They serve as both geological and cultural landmarks
40:24The tours are the setting for myths and legends
40:27Adding to the mystical atmosphere of the area
40:34There are also old stories set around the disused quarries and archeological sites
40:41Sherlock Holmes investigates Dartmoor in the Hound of the Baskervilles
40:45The park serves as a backdrop in Simon Beckett's The Calling of the Grave
40:50And appears in Enid Blyton's famous five stories
41:01Many of the old legends tell of a giant ghostly dog that prowls Dartmoor
41:14In my writing it's so very important to tie the folklore with the real-life location
41:24So when I write I really want to capture the essence of the place exactly as it is in real
41:29life
41:41Author Helen Bruce has come to the moor today with her friend to research her new book on the myths
41:47of Dartmoor
41:52Here in Dartmoor we have so much of that folklore we have multiple leaders of the wild hunt
41:58And we have of course the beast the black dog of Dartmoor that roams across the countryside
42:07This place is also said to have been haunted by the wild dog
42:13One of the tales of Dartmoor is that you have this spectral hunt led by the hunt master and his
42:19hounds
42:20So old crocken rides out from Wisman's Word with his hounds on a skeletal horse
42:26And he's a land spirit and he's roused to come and protect Dartmoor
42:31So if anyone's coming here to mess with the land or damage the land he's going to come and chase
42:37them off
42:44Grimm's Pound was built in the Bronze Age around 3,300 years ago
42:49And was probably a pastoral or farming settlement
42:53The site consists of a large stone rampart containing the remains of 24 stone huts that housed around 100 people
43:04The thick stone walls provided protection from wild animals and potential enemies
43:12Grimm's Pound is also the setting for Helen's new story
43:18In order to capture the spirit of the location, Helen and Andrew set up their own ritual site
43:25Decorated with objects found in nature
43:29So within a wild altar what's important I suppose is that they're just natural found objects
43:37So you don't want to be bringing anything into this beautiful space that doesn't belong
43:43So this amazing hag stone
43:46It's a holed stone and the hole's been made naturally by water most likely
43:52And if you look through the hole
43:56You can see through the glamour of fairies and you can see magical things
44:00So this is an amazing gift to leave on my altar
44:04Jackdaw feather
44:05It's a lovely reminder of you know the whole scope of the landscape
44:09The sky as well as the ground
44:13This one has to go in the middle
44:16Yeah
44:17That looks great
44:18Put some of the fleece above it
44:19Yeah
44:21And I want these almost like
44:24Like a sunburst
44:26Almost like speckles
44:30Looks lovely
44:38Finally they give thanks to this place of inspiration
44:46Stories are a way that we can gather meaning from the land
44:52So connecting with stories is one of the many steps in coming into a mindset where we honour nature as
45:03something really important
45:20That is to keep moving around
45:33Thei-
45:33Thei-
45:41The climate along Devon's south coast
45:43is very different to that in the north of the National Park.
45:51This is because of the Gulf Stream,
45:53which ensures a mild climate throughout the year.
46:02With its picturesque bays, Devon is a popular holiday destination,
46:07and thanks to the warm Gulf Stream,
46:10subtropical plants can thrive here.
46:20The region is home to many beautiful parks and gardens.
46:44The home of landowner and soil scientist, John Howell,
46:48is surrounded by a botanical garden.
46:52The property has been in his family for generations.
47:01The garden includes a collection of plants from around the world,
47:05dating back centuries.
47:11Collecting unusual plants was a popular hobby during the Victorian era.
47:16Thanks to Britain's extensive trade routes,
47:19new exotic plant seeds became available.
47:27The garden is on the edge of Dartmoor,
47:31which is a raised granite area,
47:33so it's a little bit cooler than the surrounding land,
47:36and it has acid soils and a lot of rainfall.
47:40So that makes it ideal for plants like magnolias, camellias,
47:45rhododendrons, azaleas, bamboos.
47:48This is an extremely special sort of environment
47:53for those kind of plants.
47:59In the middle of John's land lies a place he wants to focus his attention on.
48:06Piles' copse,
48:08one of Britain's rare temperate rainforests.
48:11These forests are defined by a year-round moist climate
48:15and are considered to be some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in Europe.
48:22The copse has stood here for thousands of years.
48:27Lichens, like witches' hair,
48:29cling to the trunks of the ancient oak trees.
48:34Bluebells bloom at their roots.
48:42In the treetops, bird species, like the green woodpecker, make their home.
48:48This is kind of my spiritual home, really, I suppose.
48:52When I was young, our family used to come camping here every year.
48:59Piles' copse is under increasing threat.
49:03Deer and farm animals eat the tender oak saplings or trample them.
49:08John has made it his life's work to conserve this ancient wood.
49:13John's friend Liz helps him protect the oak saplings.
49:19We're just looking for that distinctive shape of oak leaves.
49:28Sometimes you don't...
49:30Oh!
49:31There we are.
49:32Look at that.
49:33Oh, yes.
49:34That's ideal.
49:36That's like about a year old.
49:39That's just what we were looking for.
49:41Excellent!
49:42We just need to get a guard now.
49:46John puts up tree guards to protect the saplings from deer.
49:50Ten millimetres.
49:51There we go.
49:55It's botched a bit.
49:57If you can help it go over the rebars, please.
50:02Yep.
50:13Hopefully without your glove caught in it.
50:16But they're a little bit wobbly, so we wire it on and then that stops it wobbling.
50:26So this is the next generation, but it needs protecting because of the browsing animals.
50:34So in ten years or so, we can take the guard away, we can use it somewhere else, and there'll
50:42be a healthy young tree there.
50:45John is seeking official permission to put a fence around the entire wood.
50:51He hopes that this will allow it to recover and double in size over the next 20 years.
50:57It would be really nice if my grandchildren and great-grandchildren could come here and enjoy
51:04it as previous generations of our family have.
51:07And there's nothing more that our generation can do than preserve that for the future.
51:28Millions of years of geological history meet millennia of human settlement.
51:35Preserving the magic of Dartmoor is a task for the future.
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