Hefted! Upland Farming Heritage in the Cheviots is a podcast series about hill farming heritage in the Cheviot Hills. In this final episode, we dive into a question that underpins much of the rest of the series: what have been the impacts of farming in the Cheviots on the environment? What effects has the environment of the Cheviots—and environmental and climate change—had on farming there? And, finally, what approaches to land management—whether drawing on inherited practices which could be revived, or looking to new tools and practices—are being developed to mitigate future ecological damage and adapt to environmental changes?

Environmental conditions will change. Our societies and economies will change. Farming practices will change, too. The question is, what changes do we want to see in our upland landscapes and beyond? And what role might our living heritage have to play in helping us to make sure those changes are positive ones?

This series was produced by Olivia Oldham-Dorrington, in partnership with Durham University and with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (grant AH/Z507520/1).

The music was composed and performed by ⁠Alistair Anderson⁠, and our series artwork is by ⁠Anthea Wood⁠. Thank you also to Caroline Smith for her help with research, and to Chris Dalglish and Chris Gerrard for their contributions.