Ashdown Forest is a mosaic of biodiversity and beauty, but its survival is not entirely an accident of nature — it is the result of a long history of human impact and coexistence. This talk explores the different management used to protect this internationally important landscape, and some of the myths of conservation, showing how a combination of modern machinery, ancient grazing traditions, and dedicated human effort creates a mosaic of habitats where rare species like Nightjar and Dartford Warbler can thrive.