The DPHT collaborates with various organisations, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), to utilise Dartmoor ponies for conservation grazing. Since winter 2009/10, the RSPB has used Dartmoor ponies to graze the steep, flower-rich fields of its South Devon coastal reserve at Labrador Bay. This partnership has significantly benefited the rare Cirl Bunting, a bird that faced catastrophic decline and was found nowhere else in the UK by the early 1990s.

Thanks to the pony grazing, Cirl Bunting numbers at Labrador Bay have increased from 3 pairs in 2008 to 30 pairs in 2019. The ponies help maintain the habitat by grazing on invasive plants like bracken and scrub, which would otherwise overrun the area. Their robust nature and diverse diet make them ideal for this challenging terrain, creating a varied structure favoured by Cirl Buntings and providing rich grassland for birds to find prey for their chicks.