Best Of Natural History Radio

Paul Evans narrates a ghostly tale inspired by the true story of Alice Glaston who was the youngest person to be hung in Tudor England. Starring Bettrys Jones. Produced by Sarah Blunt

Chris Sperring is in Somerset during the last days of summer to find a bird that is one of the first to leave before the autumn. As the light fades a strange whirring sound fills the air and silent masters of flight hawk for moths and other airborne insects. Produced by Ellie Sans

Hen harriers are persecuted in the British Isles because they eat grouse. Seals cause problems for salmon fishermen; lions eat the livestock of pastoralists in Africa and so on. All over the world there are conflicts between people and wildlife, often with devastating consequences. In Shared Planet this week Monty Don looks at how we are approaching solving these issues, who is taking the bull by the horns and getting people around a table to come up with a shared solution? Conflict resolution is growing area that brings together scientists, local people, businesses, NGOs and many others who are affected by wildlife conflict. It is a demanding task finding a solution that all parties feel they can accept, on a par with the negotiations undertaken with trade unions by ACAS. This new area for conservation brings political and social science to sit alongside traditional conservation ideas. Monty Don investigates.

Artificial lighting is ubiquitous in the developed world - but the effects of night time illumination on wildlife are not yet fully understood. While we know that artificial light changes the behaviour of some animals we're still a long way from knowing whether those changes can damage wildlife populations. Monty Don finds out what we do know with particular regard to an important but often overlooked group of animals - insects.

Beautiful and durable, mahogany has been highly prized and traded internationally for centuries. Reaching the impressive height of 60 metres or more they are true giants of the forest. Selective logging of mahogany was unchecked across much of its range until international agreements restricted its trade. But has this been enough? Monty Don finds out more about the big-leaf mahogany and whether we can continue to use its beautiful wood without forfeiting its future.

Plastic litter has the knack of finding its way into the ocean. Unfortunately this means that seabirds that have, until relatively recently, been safe to assume that the objects floating on the surface are food are getting a stomach full of trash. Shared Planet finds out how bad the situation is for seabirds like the fulmar and the simple things we can do to reduce the problem.

The diversity and abundance of wildlife is declining across the world. As people grow older they notice the changes but for each new generation the baseline is reset. Is each generation getting used to living with less and less wildlife?

Ep: 3 of 3 In the last of three tales written by Lynne Truss, the Garden Spider (Amanda Root) and the Great Pond Snail (James Fleet) reveal the funny side of life in a garden pond. Producer: Sarah Blunt

Shared Planet - Ground Nesting Birds Ground nesting birds such as terns are particularly vulnerable to being disturbed. People are increasingly accessing the countryside for all sorts of recreation from walking and mountain biking to bird watching and photography. Is disturbance really a problem for wildlife? And how can we limit the effect while still encouraging fun and healthy ways to spend our time. Monty Don asks whether dog walkers and ground nesting seabirds can share the same space and it seems yes, if the birds can make a choice.

Ep 2 of 3: In the second of three tales written by Lynne Truss, the Water Boatman (Sandi Toksvig) and the Great Diving Beetle (David Ryall) reveal the funny side of life in a garden pond. Producer: Sarah Blunt

The fate of the Pantanal rests largely in the hands of Brazil's emerging economy. Monty Don explores the future of the Pantanal and its resident the giant otter. Producer: Mary Colwell

Ep: 1 of 3 In the first of three tales written by Lynne Truss, the Tadpole (Julian Rhind-Tutt) and the Dragonfly (Alison Steadman) reveal the funny side of life in a garden pond. Producer: Sarah Blunt

In the final programme in the series, wildlife cameraman and narrator Doug Allan joins a film crew on Goudier island to film leopard seals hunting Gentoo penguins, but in Antarctica nothing is ever guaranteed! Producer: Sarah Blunt

Life is tough not only for a colony of Gentoo penguins on a tiny island in Antarctica, but also for the team who are filming their lives. Narrator Doug Allan. Producer: Sarah Blunt

With their ship locked in ice a film crew attempt to walk across the frozen Antarctic waters to film a colony of Gentoo penguins on a tiny island. Narrator cameraman Doug Allan. Producer: Sarah Blunt

Fierce storms and dense sea ice provide more challenges to a film crew trying to reach a tiny Antarctic island to film a colony of Gentoo penguins. Narrator cameraman Doug Allan. Producer: Sarah Blunt

As demand for oil continues to increase conflict with wildlife is inevitable. Monty Don explores this in the context of a population of beluga whales in Canada's St Lawrence River. Producer: Mary Colwell

Wildlife cameraman Doug Allan narrates the first of five programmes following the adventures of a film crew who travel to Antarctica to film a colony of Gentoo penguins. Producer: Sarah Blunt

Ep 3 of 3: Listening is about more than hearing as we discover with four individuals for whom listening is very much the focus of their lives. Presented by Matthew Watson. Produced by Sarah Blunt.

Skomer Island lies off the south east coast of Wales and is home to thousands of seabird. In the early decades of the 20th Century there were 100,000 guillemots on Skomer, but numbers plummeted to just 2000 after the second world war, probably due to oil pollution in the sea. Now numbers are slowly recovering with the current estimated to be around 25,000; but the increase in storms may be a problem for them in the future. Professor Tim Birkhead from Sheffield University has led a 42 year study of the birds and reveals some of their secrets. Produced and presented by Mary Colwell.