Conservation at Dartington
Dartington has a small but wide-ranging conservation programme overseen by Estate Warden Mike Newby and carried out with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers.
Our activities are centered around protecting and fostering creatures and wildlife native to the estate, including dormice, bats, many bird species, ancient trees, and wildflowers, and encouraging new visitors where appropriate. Our interactive map of notable species on the estate, provided by the Devon Biodiversity Record Centre, documents some of these, and you can contribute yourself. Or take a look at our gallery and read the accompanying captions to find out more about the species and areas impacted by our work.
If you’re interested in being part of the amazing work being done by our conservation team, visit the Volunteer Hub for more details. And don’t forget to check out Mike’s excellent Conservation Diary.
Gallery: Our areas of work
Currently ungoing maintenance. Please check back soon.
Reports & surveys
Thanks to the passion if our incredible volunteers, we are able to collect data on some of the wildlife that lives on or visits the estate. You are welcome to read their reports below.
Butterflies
As part of our Broadlears agroforestry project, we’ve been trying to monitor the impact of the trees on the field. This is an area where our amazing team of Conservation volunteers have once again come to the rescue – with a particular focus on the impact on birds and butterflies. Below are reports from volunteer Steve Tuner on progress so far.
Beetles
Volunteer Dr Martin Luff says: “For the past five years I have been recording the beetles of the Dartington estate.
Why beetles? Well, they are the largest group of named organisms on the planet; there are more than 4,100 species in Britain alone.
“They are the ultimate convertible – they have juvenile stages (larvae) that do not resemble adults and can therefore inhabit different environments (unlike grasshoppers and true bugs), but they can also fold their wings away under wing cases when not flying (unlike butterflies, moths, flies, wasps etc). This prevents damage to the delicate wings and enables them to live in tiny spaces.”
Dogs at Dartington
Dartington welcomes dogs to the estate. Read our leaflet to find out about our dog-friendly areas and how to keep your dog safe at Dartington.