Dartmoor tors Festival: Nature Recovery On Dartmoor: Is It Too Late?

Event information

Dartmoor’s precious natural environment is under threat: the bogs are drying out, purple moor grass is running riot, and gorse and bracken are encroaching. So how do we ensure that Nature has a future on Dartmoor? Farmers, conservationists, Government agencies and the public all have a role to play; come and hear some key figures discuss how we can work together going forward.


Richard Drysdale is Director of Conservation and Communities for Dartmoor National Park Authority.  Whilst not a local to Dartmoor, Richard has lived and worked on Dartmoor for nearly 20 years and has a deep passion for all things Dartmoor. In his role Richard chairs or sits on a number of groups and more recently been actively engaged in the backpack camping court challenge and the byelaw review.

Tracy May is the chair of the < href="https://www.dartmoorcommonerscouncil.org.uk/">Dartmoor Commoners' Council. She has been farming near Lydford for 44 years keeping both cattle and sheep. She has Common Rights and grazes sheep on Lydford Common. She is the administrator for the Higher Level Stewardship agreement on both Lydford Common and the Forest of Dartmoor, is part of the team developing the Central Dartmoor Landscape Recovery Project and also sits on the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group. She has 25 years experience working with Commoners, Common Owners, Natural England and other stakeholders on Dartmoor.

Lisa Schneidau is a storyteller, author and environmentalist based in Devon. She works with creative storytelling to enable better connection with nature and landscape, and is the author of four acclaimed books of folk tales. Lisa trained as an ecologist and has worked in the nature conservation sector for 25 years across the UK, in roles including farm advisor, river surveyor, political lobbyist and conservation director. . Lisa is a founder member of the Dartmoor Nature Alliance.

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This is part of the second Dartmoor Tors Festival, happening at various places around Dartmoor from 30 April – 3 May 2026. Tickets for festival events at Ashburton Arts Centre are all available at wegottickets.com/dartmoortorsfestival2026. All of the festival goings on are listed at dartmoortorsfestival.co.uk.



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