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BOOSTING local BIODIVERSITY
On February 7th, we did something different, and really, quite nail-biting!
HNS hosted a meeting entitled ‘Boosting Local Biodiversity’ with Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organics, as our keynote speaker. It was the same week that Riverford was celebrating 40 years of business and was in the newspapers, broadcast and digital media, so we kind-of felt we were part of it all!
Tiffany Tsui from Exeter talked about pesticides, their impact, and her project with parasitoid wasps, showing how the future of pesticide development might be better tailored to protect wildlife and non-target species. Justin Seedhouse from the National Trust and Cathy Horsley from Devon Wildlife Trust spoke about their projects and local initiatives that support biodiversity. Joe Newberry from the North Devon Coast National Landscapes showcased their work, the areas they cover and their Farming in Protected Landscapes project which aims to support local landowners with nature friendly farming advice. And Steve Heard from Deptford farm, talked about his family’s long history of organic farming on the culm and how it makes sense to him to farm in this way. Letty Glaister, Steve’s neighbour at West Bursdon farm, outlined how she supports Steve and her land provides extra pasture for his livestock. They showed us how, together, they are ensuring the culm and all its associated wildlife is thriving.
It’s hard to know what to expect and what outcomes you might achieve with a meeting like this; we hoped for a good audience and to provide inspiration as well as education. I think we did – we were delighted that a total of 80 people attended and many made the effort to write personally with glowing feedback. This must mean it was a success!
- What a wonderful morning that was. Totally inspiring and informative and interesting and positive
- Really excellent organisation, the speakers were all great
- Seriously fantastic morning – thank you. Great to see so many people and loved the energy in the room
- What a fantastic event. Well done! Really interesting stuff
We will post a bigger report later, together with our short video, so watch this space. In the meantime, we are grateful to everyone who helped make this such a successful event.
Keep an eye out for details and the date of our upcoming AGM.
Saturday 7th February 2026 10am-1.30pm – Hartland Parish Hall
We hope this meeting will showcase ways of encouraging and increasing biodiversity by looking more closely at current uses of chemicals, what we can do to lessen their impact and what is being done already on a local scale.
Guy Singh-Watson (Riverford Organics), will be our keynote speaker. Other speakers include Tiffany Tsui from the Exeter University Department of Ecotoxicology, local landowners, Devon Wildlife Trust and other local organisations.
The meeting will include presentations and interactive discussion sessions and is open to everyone.
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 23-25 Jan 2026
For Details click on link –> Birds – Hartland Nature Society
Please send results to RSPB –> Big Garden Birdwatch
And to birds@hartlandnaturesociety.org.uk – We are compiling local results to guide local nature practices
Hartland Bird Diary 2025
Link -> Hartland Bird Diary
Please click on above link to see newly uploaded Hartland Bird Diary 2025 compiled by Richard Hannington. This is a record of sightings of interesting and unusual birds in and around the Hartland Peninsula during 2025. It also includes the first sightings of migrants during the year.
If you spot any interesting/unusual birds or to report 1st sightings of migrants throughout 2026 please email admin@hartlandnaturesociety.org.uk
HNS now has a trail camera available to borrow
This can be placed in your garden to capture videos and photos of anything that moves, day or night, so you can see what passes through – foxes, badgers, hedgehogs etc..
An instruction manual and additional notes on usage will be provided.
If you are interested in borrowing it please contact David Warnes at admin@hartlandnaturesociety.org.uk
The importance of hedgehog monitoring
Sadly, hedgehog numbers have declined drastically over the past 20 years, and we’ve lost a third of our hedgehogs in the UK. By monitoring hedgehogs, you can contribute to their conservation, gather data for scientific research, and gain a deeper appreciation for these remarkable creatures.
Our chairperson, Clare Gurton talks to Andrew Cotton about the Hartland Nature Society and how they work with the National Landscape Team.
“When I first decided to set up the Hartland Nature Society, I thought we might perhaps get about 20 people interested to join, but at the launch meeting in January 2023, over 50 people attended, and we now have a membership of around 80 people. Such is the interest in nature in this small Parish.
We were lucky to be able to dovetail with a North Devon Coast National Landscapes project, and they have supported us over the last years. We have grown in numbers and slowly we are having an impact. This video tells the story and shows that a small group of dedicated people can make important changes for nature. I am proud of our members and of our achievements.”
More Information here ->https://hartlandnaturesociety.org.uk
About Us
- The Hartland Nature Society is a small group of like-minded individuals living in the parish of Hartland in Devon
- We are interested in sharing and developing our knowledge of wildlife and the natural environment in the Hartland Peninsula
- We are keen to protect our wildlife and to develop methods to enhance and encourage more wildlife
- We have a full calendar of activities from talks to surveys and regular nature walks.
For more upcoming events click here ~Events
If you want to find out more, or join us, please email
