Country Focus

Connecting rural communities and cutting carbon emissions - a network of car clubs across rural Wales. Caroline Evans visits Llandrindod Wells to hear more.

We explore Gwydyr Forest in the Conwy Valley where long-gone lead mines mean the area is now home to around 90 per cent of the world's lead Moss.

And on International Dawn Chorus day, we hear about a new study of nest box-breeding birds by Aberystwyth University, to understand the impact of climate change on competition between birds.

Air Ambulance - campaigners threaten legal action over plans to close air ambulances bases in Wales

We visit a heronry in Carmarthenshire to hear how their fairing after the British Trust for Ornithology reveals the latest findings from its long-running Heronries Census.

Mystery beans - volunteers at the Seed Library in the Hive Community Space in Llandrindod investigate a donation of some seeds. “Glenys’ Runner Beans" have been passed down through a number of generations - but how old are they and how can they help local growers?

The Snowdon beetle is believed to be down to the last thousand on the slopes of the mountain where it lives. But we hear about plans to help save it from possible extinction.

River Restoration - why the Church in Wales is involving itself in tackling the crisis facing Wales’ rivers and waterways

To celebrate World Curlew Day (21st April) we meet a visual artist in Montgomeryshire who compares the plight of the Curlew to that of the now extinct Great Auk and fears for the eventual extinction of both the curlew and the village hall!

Cockles - how two boys are getting out in nature and keeping the tradition of cockle picking alive on the Burry inlet

and the Great Glamorgan Sock Project showcasing the different sheep breeds with woolly socks!

The right tree in the right place and how it could save lives in the city. We speak to an Urban Green Infrastructure Advisor for Natural Resources Wales on the need to plant more trees in in our towns and cities for people and the planet.

Tiny forests - the Welsh Government is offering grants of between ten and forty thousand pounds to plant trees in a small space under a concept of forest creation developed by a Japanese ecologist. We hear how it works at a tiny forest in Cardiff Bay.

We talk pond creation in LLanwrtyd Wells - the Freshwater Habitats Trust says ponds are a critically important but undervalued part of the freshwater network.

and our reporter Mariclare Carey-Jones takes her tortoise for a check up at the International Tortoise Association in the Vale of Glamorgan

From falcons and hawks to eagles and owls - Falconry Experience Wales is home to around 30 different birds of prey. It's a popular Powys wildlife tourist attraction but for owners Barry MacDonald and Luce Green their endeavours are with the conservation work and raising public awareness of the plight of raptors in the UK and abroad.

Spreading out through the heart of Wales, the Cambrian Mountains contain some of our darkest skies. It's a perfect location for stargazers but also for remote rural communities to embrace astro-tourism. Dark Sky Wales run regular astronomy weekends, a chance for guests to come and discover the glories of the night sky. Pauline Smith joins them for an evening of stargazing at the Meddins' family farm near Staylittle, in Montgomeryshire.

Scientists at Aberystwyth University have produced four new varieties of oats which have been approved for growing in the UK. We speak to the team leader about growing oats for the future.

Time for a spring clean - we talk to a wildlife officer with RSPCA Cymru about the dangers and distress caused by litter on wild animals like hedgehogs, deer and foxes

Our bird of conservation concern for this month is a bird of prey - the Kestrel

And Cow Companions - the cow-hugging therapy service at a cow sanctuary in Mydroilyn, near Lampeter, Ceredigion

A cross-party investigation into the Welsh rural economy calls for the re-establishment of a Rural Development Board and greater flexibility on the Sustainable Farming Scheme. Those were just two of a raft of recommendations made in the publication this week of a blueprint for rural growth in the Welsh countryside. We speak to the Director of the Country Land and Business Association about the findings.

We hear how an ambitious conservation project on the river Dee gives local children the chance to learn about the life cycle of the trout.

Shifting seasons - the Head gardener of the National Trust's Dyffryn Gardens plays "spring flower roulette" as climate changes alters growth patterns

...and Ortir Apothecary, near St Dogmaels in Pembrokeshire, takes inspiration from the natural world and uses local botanicals to create perfumes anchored in a sense of time and place

Farmers and suppliers gathered in Carmarthen Mart this week amid growing uncertainty and concerns over the future farming policy for Wales, cuts to rural budgets and what they see as an attack on their way of life. Country Focus presenter, Caroline Evans attends the meeting.

Upland hill farmers fear for the future existence of their farm businesses in light of Welsh government’s scheme proposals.

We visit Blas Farm - an organic vegetable farm on the Gwent Levels aiming to produce food in a sustainable way for the local community and to encourage young people into the industry.

We hear how one of the world’s rarest and most endangered species of fir tree ‘coned’ for the first time in decades at Hergest Croft Gardens on the Powys-Herefordshire border

and how about joining the goat club in the city of Swansea? It's for the benefit of conservation but warning - they could be too cute to resist!