A conservationist and adventurer dubbed the human swan for her adventures flying with the birds is planning to join vultures in mid air.

Australian biologist Sacha Dench, of Chagford, is campaigning to help the bearded vulture from extinction, having successfully raised awareness of the plight of Bewick’s swan and osprey. The bearded vulture has been seen over Dartmoor – the last time in 2016.

In 2016 Sacha provided a literal bird’s eye view on the challenges facing the endangered swan by flying 4,350 miles in a filmed expedition by lightweight paramotor (a powered hang glider) wing-to-wing with the swans. She followed them as they migrated from the Arctic to the UK. She was working for the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the expedition won an award.

In 2021 she was seriously injured in a crash between two paramotors while filming (a cameraman died in the crash) and Sacha was grounded after her legs were rebuilt by surgery.

Sacha, who founded Conservation without Borders, is a UN ambassador for migratory species in recognition of her conservation activity.

Her latest project to save the the vulture faces the barrier of its poor reputation: “Unlike the swan and osprey, which everyone loves, the bearded vulture is despised. But it’s critically at risk and although it is reviled for eating corpses, it is playing a vital part in ecology. It is a beautiful bird which is effectively nature’s dustman, by clearing up bodies.”

Sacha has regained her confidence in flying after her crash: “I went up in a paratrike as a passenger instead of flying on my own and it all went well. We flew in South Africa to see where the vultures fly.

“We flew along a ridge and followed them alongside to understand what was influencing them in terms of landscape and food sources and seeing them fly in context of the air and ground. They are the best users of thermals, so we followed them to help us fly higher.

“They are majestic fliers and I’d like everyone to see this side of them. If we can improve the reputation of the vulture and change people’s minds to stop their decline, then we can save any species.”

Sacha, who is a championship free diver, has used her skills and biology qualification to research turtle populations.

She is a highly energetic and positive person: “I hope that all my activity inspires people of all ages and background to face up to the crisis of climate change with ambition, energy and enthusiasm for solutions.”

In 2021 she took part in a 3,000 mile expedition round Britain in an electric paramotor where she met inspirational people to show everyone how climate change is changing the country and what they and we can do about it.

She completed the challenge for the Glasgow COP26, the UN conference bringing world nations together to discuss climate change.