Listening to the Land: Celebrating European Day of Parks from Dartmoor
Today, 24 May, marks the European Day of Parks — a continent-wide celebration of our protected landscapes, led by the EUROPARC Federation. This year’s theme, “Voice of Nature”, couldn’t feel more relevant from where I sit, camera in hand, out on Dartmoor among the ponies.
As an equine photographer who’s spent more than two decades documenting the native Dartmoor pony in its natural environment, I’ve come to learn that nature rarely shouts. Instead, it speaks through quiet signs: a foal born to the sound of skylarks, gorse nibbled down into paths of regrowth, birds returning to habitats long forgotten. The land tells its stories softly — but they’re there, if we learn to listen.
Dartmoor: Where Conservation Is a Partnership
Much like Austria’s national parks — often cited as examples of state, science, and public working in harmony — Dartmoor’s own quiet success story continues to unfold at Bellever, in the heart of the moor. For over a decade, the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT), working with Plymouth University, has studied the impact of conservation grazing using only Dartmoor ponies.
Their findings? Remarkable. In areas where native ponies graze:
- Biodiversity has returned, with bilberry and heather pushing up through what was once over-dominant molinia grass.
- Just a 9% reduction in molinia by trampling and grazing has shown a 31-fold increase in native heather growth.
- The way ponies graze — moving constantly, selectively nibbling — leads to a 79% improvement in mature heather condition.
- Even the RSPB has noted the return of amber and red-listed bird species to these regenerating upland sites.
These are not managed landscapes in the traditional sense. There are no fences here, no machinery. Just ponies doing what they’ve done for centuries — moving, grazing, trampling, shaping.
The Role of the Native Pony
It’s easy to romanticise the Dartmoor pony — their windswept manes, foals nestled at their feet in the mist. But their role is far more profound than aesthetics. These ponies are ecosystem engineers, maintaining a balance many modern land-management schemes struggle to replicate. They reduce wildfire risk by controlling undergrowth, open up space for lichens and mosses, and gently churn the earth with their hooves, encouraging seed germination.
Through the lens, I often capture what I call “observation, not orchestration.” These are unposed scenes: ponies turning to the wind before a storm, grazing in newly burnt swales, seeking out the nutritious shoots of holly in the snow. These moments are a masterclass in what the Voice of Nature looks like in action.
Why This Matters
The European Day of Parks isn’t just about celebration. It’s a reminder. A call to pay attention. To recognise that our natural heritage is not guaranteed, and that preserving it doesn’t always require intervention — sometimes it requires trust.
Trust in the land.
Trust in the species that belong there.
Trust that if we observe, understand, and support — rather than control — then balance can be restored.
As we face ongoing challenges from biodiversity loss, climate change, and shifting land use, the work at Bellever stands as proof that conservation doesn’t always need to be complicated. Sometimes, the simplest approach is the most effective. And the most natural.
In Closing
So today, on European Day of Parks, I want to thank those who steward our landscapes — not just the scientists, charities, and policymakers — but also the native ponies themselves, who have long spoken the Voice of Nature through action, not words.
I’ll keep doing what I do best — documenting it.
So others can see it.
And maybe, start listening too.