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Golygydd Cynorthwyol/Assistant Editor:Mandy Marsh

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Cwmni Cyfyngedig trwy Warant ywNatur Cymru Cyfyngedig, ac nidyw'n gwmni sy'n gwneud elw. Maewedi ei gofrestru yng Nghymru aLloegr, rhif 5636217. Nid barnNatur Cymru Cyfyngedig neu'rGolygyddion a leisir yn y cylchgrawnhwn o angenrheidrwydd.

Natur Cymru Limited is a non-profit making Company Limited byGuarantee, registered in Englandand Wales, no. 5636217. Theviews expressed in this magazineare not necessarily those of NaturCymru Limited or of the Editors.

Cyhoeddir Natur Cymru bedair gwaith y flwyddyn, mis Mawrth, misMehefin, mis Medi a mis Rhagfyr. Cyhoeddir erthyglau yn yr iaith wreiddi-ol. Mae crynodeb yn yr iaith arall yn dilyn pob erthygl. Ceir rhai colofnauarferol yn y ddwy iaith. Os dymunwch gael cyfieithiad o unrhyw erthygl,cysylltwch a'r golygydd.

Bwriedir i Natur Cymru hyrwyddo a chyfnewid gwybodaeth am fioamry-wiaeth a hyrwyddo dadl. Os oes gennych wybodaeth, erthyglau neu waithcelf y credwch a allai fod o ddiddordeb i'r darllenwyr, cysylltwch â'rGolygydd os gwelwch yn dda.

Natur Cymru is published four times per year, in March, June, Septemberand December. Articles are published in the language in which they aresubmitted. They are followed by summaries in the other language, andsome regular columns appear in both languages. If you would like toreceive a translation of any article, please contact the editor.

Natur Cymru is intended to promote the exchange of information aboutbiodiversity and encourage debate. If you have information, ideas forarticles or artwork which you think might be of interest to readers,please contact the Editor.

Mae Natur Cymru wedi'i argraffu ar bapur di-glorin addaw o goedwigoedd cynaliadwy sy’n cael eu rheoli.

Natur Cymru is printed on chlorine-free paper sourcedfrom managed and sustainable forests..

Llun y clawr / Front cover:Peter WinstanleyThe Botanist at Caeau Tan y BwlchThe full painting will appear on the coverof the forthcoming book Grasslands ofWales. Its main author, the late Dr DavidStevens, is the botanist in the picture.

ISSN 1742-3740

Argraffwyd gan/Printed by: LS Printworks, Amlwch • Dylunio gan/Design by: Mel Parry Design, melparry1@tiscali.co.uk

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Golygyddol / Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

James Robertson

Mammal detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Huw Jenkins

A once and future common . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Julian Branscombe

Conserving Wales’ last semi-wild ponies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

David Anthony Murray

Valleys Regional Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Berry Coffman

Life in the leaf litter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shane Farrell

Managing meadows for nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tim Bevan and Bruce Langridge

Y beili brwydfrydig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sarah Jones

In at the deep end - restoring open water at Bosherston Lakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bob Haycock and Ian Bennett

NODWEDDION ARFEROL / REGULAR FEATURES

Cymru a’r byd / Wales and the world Gwenno Griffith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Silff lyfrau amgylcheddol / Green bookshelf James Robertson, Ivy Berkshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Island round-up Geoff Gibbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mammals round-up Frances Cattanach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hysbysfwrdd / Noticeboard Mandy Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rydw i am ddechrau trwygrybwyll penbleth ddyrys.

Rydw i’n eistedd wrth fy nesg oflaen y cyfrifiadur ar ddiwrnodbendigedig o haf. Fe ddylwn i fodallan yn yr awyr agored yn

mwynhau byd natur ac yn chwilio am ysbrydoliaethar gyfer y golofn hon. Ond os gwna’ i droi cefn ar fynesg, wnaiff yr erthygl olygyddol hon byth bythoeddweld golau dydd.

Yn aml, yr hyn sy’n hanfodol i’r gwaith owarchod bioamrywiaeth yw nodi’rnodweddion arbennig a cheisio eu cadwyn y lle y dylent fod. Y broblem efo hynyw’r ffaith nad yw natur byth yn aros ynei hunfan. Rydw i wedi gwylio cynefi-noedd y bûm yn eu rheoli yn newid yngyflymach o lawer na’r disgwyl, a bellachrydw i wedi sylweddoli bod dod o hyd igyfleoedd newydd yr un mor bwysig i fywyd gwylltag ydyw i bobl. Fel yn ein bywydau ni, gall newidarwain at adfywio ac adnewyddu. Y ffordd orau owarchod planhigyn prin yw ei roi mewn lle sy’n myndi gynnig cyfleoedd lu iddo ffynnu. Rhywbeth i’wwneud pan fetho popeth arall yw ‘garddio’ – sef caelgwared â’r elfen ‘wyllt’ o fywyd gwyllt.

Ceir tair erthygl sy’n trafod ffyrdd gwahanol o roirhyddid i natur wneud y gwaith drosti ei hun. YnBosherton, mae’r Cyngor Cefn Gwlad a’rYmddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol wedi cymryd yrawenau, wedi wynebu sialensiau ymarferol, wedidelio efo gwahanol ofynion statudol, wedi cynnwys ygymuned, ac wedi creu ardal ddyfrol fawr ar gyferplanhigion ac anifeiliaid. I Ymddiriedolaeth NaturGwent, y cam cyntaf yn unig mewn taith a fydd ynmynd â ni ‘yn ôl i’r dyfodol’ oedd prynu hen ffermlaeth 104 acer. Yn awr, gall natur adennill y tir aoedd gynt yn rhan o dirwedd ganoloesol Tir CominWyeswood, gan ei droi’n goetir efo llennyrchblodeuog. Fe fydd hyn oll yn cynnig lle i fywyd gwylltac yn rhoi pleser mawr i bobl, a bydd yn dangos

hefyd sut mae rheoli tir yn gynaliadwy mewn dyfodollle bydd olew yn brin.

Mae’r dolydd o amgylch yr Ardd FotanegGenedlaethol yn prysur ddatblygu’n enghraifft o suty dylid meithrin dolydd blodau gwyllt. Dydy honddim yn dasg hawdd, ond yn sicr mae’n un werthchweil. Os ydym am weld dolydd blodeuog yngnghefn gwlad Cymru unwaith eto, rhaid ailadrodd

gwaith gwych yr Ardd Fotaneg drwy’r hollwlad. Dyma yw uchelgais A Manifestofor the Wild Meadows of Wales, agyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar –cyhoeddiad a gafodd anogaetha chefnogaeth ar hyd ac ar led(darllenwch dudalen 44).

Wrth gwrs, mae yna lawer mwyi’w ddarllen yn y rhifyn hwn. Mae’r

cyfranwyr wedi bod hwnt ac yma ynchwilio am famaliaid ac yn archwilio gweddil-

lion dail, ac maen nhw’n rhannu efo ni eu brwydr iwarchod genynnau a phoblogaethau merlod, euprofiadau fel naturiaethwyr ar flaen y gad, a’u hymdre-chion i elwa i’r eithaf ar amgylchedd y Cymoedd.

A ddylech chi dreulio amser yn darllen yr erthyglauhyn, pan allech chi fod allan yn archwilio byd naturdrosoch eich hun? Fy ateb i’r benbleth hon oeddcymryd hoe fach, cerdded trwy ddôl laith a oedd ynbinc gan flodau melog y cŵn, a gwylio gwesyncynta’r flwyddyn – gwesyn benywaidd neu anaeddfeda oedd wedi clwydo fel gwenynen feirch enfawr arddraenen wen. Roedd hynny’n ddigon i’m sbarduno iailafael yn fy ngwaith o flaen y cyfrifiadur. Fel arfer,dod o hyd i gydbwysedd yw’r ateb – rhwng darllenneu ysgrifennu am fyd natur, a’i weld a’i glywed eichhun; rhwng gweithredu ar y naill law, a myfyrio ar yllall; ac, i’n rhywogaethau, rhwng addasu’ramgylchedd fel ei fod yn gweddu i ni, a sicrhau lle i’rcreaduriaid sydd wedi esblygu ar y cyd â ni.

James Robertson

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WI’ll start with a conundrum or two. I’m sitting atmy desk in front of the screen on a lovely

summer’s day. I should be outside, enjoying nature andgaining inspiration for this column. But if I abandon mydesk, this editorial will not be written in time.

Biodiversity conservation often boils down to identi-fying what is special and trying to maintain it in situ.The dilemma here is that nature never stays still. Ihave watched habitats which I manage change at aspeed I would never have dreamed possible, andhave come to realise that finding new opportunitiesis as fundamental to wildlife as it is to humans. As inour own lives, change is renewal. The best way ofconserving a rare plant is to provide it with anenvironment rich in opportunities. ‘Gardening’ it is alast resort, which inadvertently takes the wild out ofwildlife.

Three articles explore different ways of freeing upnature to do the work itself. At Bosherston, CCWand the National Trust have bitten the bullet, facedpractical challenges, met assorted statutoryrequirements, brought the community along withthem, and opened up a large watery environment forplants and animals to rediscover. For Gwent WildlifeTrust, the purchase of 104 acres of former dairy farmis just the first step in a journey ‘back to the future’,when wildlife will reclaim land which was once part ofthe medieval landscape of Wyeswood Common, andturn it into woodland edge and flowery glades. Notonly will this give room for wildlife and pleasure for

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people; it will also demonstrate sustainable landmanagement in an oil-scarce future.

The meadows around the National Botanic Gardenare on their way to becoming an object lesson inhow to provide wildflower meadows with theopportunities they need. The task is not easy, but itis hugely worthwhile. If flower-rich meadows are tobecome once again part of our shared experience ofthe Welsh environment, this needs to be replicatedacross the country. This is the ambition of AManifesto for the Wild Meadows of Wales, publishedrecently with widespread support and encourage-ment (see page 44).

There is much more to read in this issue.Contributors have been out there, detectingmammals and investigating the inhabitants of leaflitter; they share the struggle to conserve the genesand populations of ponies, their experiences aswildlife enthusiasts at the front line, and efforts toget more out of the Valleys environment for people,and vice versa.

Should you spend time reading these articles, whenyou could be out exploring the natural worldyourself? My answer to this dilemma was to take abreak, walk through a damp meadow pink withlousewort, and watch my first dragonfly of the year, afemale (or immature) broad-bodied chaser, perch likea giant wasp in a hawthorn bush. That was enoughto get me to resume my position like a supplicant

before my computer screen. Strikinga balance is generally the answer;between reading or writing aboutnature, and experiencing it;between action and reflection; and,for our species, between modifyingthe environment to suit ourselvesand providing space for what I thinkof as our co-evolutionaries.

James Robertson

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Watch a David Attenborough or a Iolo Williams programme andwildlife is standing up to be counted. Walk the woods and

mountains of north Wales and it looks thin on the ground. Birds mightshow off in front of you but mammals are altogether more secretive.Many are nocturnal and the chances of seeing them are remote.However, their signs are there if you know how to read them.

Driving home alongside the river one night I came across my first everotter, playing in an impromptu stream brought on by heavy rains. Itsplashed around for half a minute just a few feet in front of myheadlights (dipped, of course, out of courtesy) until it disappeared intothe dark. I told a friend, who said I should report it to my localbiodiversity officer, so I did. This obviously showed a latent wildlifeinterest to be encouraged and, not long after, I received an invite to amammal detective workshop organised by Mamaliaid Eryri, theSnowdonia Mammal Group.

Mammaldetective

An otter’s lying up area

Not all wildlife isapproachable, sitting still(plants) or giving awayits presence by singing(birds). Mammals areparticularly difficult, andyou have to learn alanguage of signs andsmells and… scats.HUW JENKINS, havingvolunteered to learn theart of mammal-detecting,passes on some tips tothose who might like totread the same path.

CCW

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The Group has embarked on an ambitious project torecord the distribution of mammals in over 2,000one kilometre squares within the National Park.That’s a lot of ground to cover so volunteers arebeing recruited and trained to assist. To date, morethan 3,600 mammal sightings have been recorded,with a sheep in every square apart from the middleof Llyn Trawsfynydd. The results are due to bepublished as the ‘Mammal Atlas’ in 2010.

How did you know it was an otter and not a mink?We met in a warden’s hut and began with a pointedquestion “How did you know it was an otter and nota mink?” I muttered something about ‘Ring of BrightWater’ but these days I can be much more specific.Weighing up to ten kilos and five times heavier thanthe dark-skinned mink, otters are staging acomeback on every river in Wales on the back ofsignificantly improved water quality.

So far I’ve not seen another otter but I have seentheir ‘spraints’, piles of black tarry poo with fishbones and scales or bits of frog. They’re not toohard to find as they are unashamedly deposited inprominent positions, on boulders or roots of trees, inplaces defining territory. If nothing prominent isavailable, the ever resourceful otter will build asandcastle andspraint on that!

My induction took on a new dimension as thespeaker unzipped a spraint out of a plastic bag andpassed it round for us to comment on the bouquet.Quite pleasant really, a bit fishy perhaps, but theclassic description is like the smell of jasmine tea.The next bag contained a mink scat (another pooword) and this did the rounds much quicker - twistedand foul-smelling from a diet which is over ninety percent mammal.

The Lord Lucan of Welsh mammals?Moving swiftly on to the pine marten, which hasdeclined from being the second most commoncarnivore, and is now confined to strongholds inScotland and Ireland and isolated communitieselsewhere. We think we’ve got them in Snowdoniabut can’t prove it. There have been lots of ‘goodsightings’, as defined on a checklist prepared by theVincent Wildlife Trust, but so far no concrete proof.Some visitors recently described a skinny badgerracing up a tree like a squirrel - could that have beenthe Lord Lucan of Welsh mammals?

Our closest confirmed community of pine martens isnear Aberystwyth, recently proven through DNAanalysis of scats. The archetypal scat is a hair-pin orheart-shaped twisted coil about the thickness of afinger, but depending on diet and the amount ofweathering, they can come in many shapes and sizes.Analysis of the 36 scats collected on that field tripalso revealed the presence of a miniature schnauser

- amazing how specific science can be.

Otter spraintWhose nuts?

KateWilliamson

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The slide show and presentation continued, coveringmost of the mammals we would be searching for butthere’s only so much to be learnt in a classroom. Thebest education is to be had seeking evidence in thereal world.

Equipped with map and notepad, our leader led usinto the first survey square and asked us to find theaptly named short-tailed vole. There are masses ofthese, often referred to as ‘Mountain Mars Bars’,being the readily available snack for all sorts ofpredators. Crouching down and parting the longgrass, we uncovered a maze of runs or tunnels whicheventually led to a vole latrine with tiny pellets ofpoo, about the size and shape of a grain of rice. Abit further on we found a larder with freshlyharvested short stalks of reed.

Bank voles are much the same to look at, with aslightly longer tail, and the usual give-away sign oftheir presence is the nibbled nut. Not any old nibblebut a clean chiselled hole without the scratcheswhich a wood mouse leaves around the sides. Verydifferent to the can-opener gouging of a dormousenibbled nut and nothing like the macho, prisingapart by a squirrel.

Left-handed squirrelsSquirrels are found in manysquares. Apart from seeingthem or their dreys, a good clueis the discarded pine cone whichhas been gnawed away toextract the nutritious seeds. Thereal professionals can tell youwhether the squirrel was left- orright-handed - apparently 15%are left-handed, the sameproportion as humans.

Moles are easy enough to detect, throwing up moundsof topsoil as they endeavour to maintain their networkof worm trap tunnels. Every now and again there is anexceptionally large mound, called a fortress, which iswhere the nest will be and also the worm larder - whencatching a worm, the mole bites it in the neck with aparalysing poison, and takes it to the larder where itstays fresh and immobile until ready to be eaten. Somuch more sustainable than a deep freeze.

As for the badgers or ‘mochyn daear’ (earth pigs),they are recklessly indiscrete, bearing in mind theproposed culls. Massive spoil heaps indicate thedegree of excavation and the rotated D-shape of thehole reflects its powerful broad frame. As for beinghouse proud, the bedding is sometimes draggedoutside to air in the sun. The distinctive hairs, oncecommonly used for shaving brushes, can often befound stuck on the spikes of barbed wire, indicatingregular routes, leading amongst other things tolatrines with vast dollops of beetle-filled badger poo.

Wild goats are easy for newcomers to spot and, withabout 2000 in Snowdonia, there are plenty of them.The typical advice is that if you think you’ve seen

Water vole burrows

KateWilliamson

Studying scats

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half a sheep, then it’s probably the white half of a goat. Enthusiasts willgo on to sex them by the shape of the horn (cylindrical for female, tear-shaped cross-section for male) and age them according to the horngrowth rings – one for each year.

Our leader looks at his GPS and announces we are now in the next square.Counters to zero and once more the hunt is on for short tailed voles.

Within a square there are obvious, likely spots to explore such asstreams for otters and paths for foxes - they’re not going to wasteenergy crashing through the undergrowth when a ready made routeexists. Stone walls can be fruitful too, with their multiple uses asmammal motorways, safe havens, hunting lookouts and territoryboundaries. Weasel (small) and stoat (large) scats are often foundamongst or on the walls. The base of a hazel tree is another great placeto investigate to see who’s been eating the nuts. Boggy parts withclumps of reeds can be likely water vole sites. These look a bit like ascaled-up version of the bank vole, similar in size to a rat but with arounded face and furry tail.

Look what the cat dragged inThe drugs squad use sniffer dogs but mammal detectives use cats. In aproject titled ‘Look what the cat dragged in’, cat owners are beingrecruited to report on the victims their vicious pets bring home. This willhelp to identify the presence of the smaller and more elusive mammals,such as shrews and dormice. The results will be compared with ananalysis of owl pellets from the same area.

With just two more years of recording to go,there are plenty of gaps in the atlas to befilled. If you would like to join in, you will bemost welcome. Field trips are organised everymonth and led by experienced guides who willprovide basic training in what to look for andhow to identify the various species. One ofthe guides is Rob Strachan, author ofMammal Detective - a superb book that is anenjoyable read from cover to cover and aninvaluable reference thereafter.

To join in the fun of finding mammals and contributing to theSnowdonia mammal atlas, send an email to:Kate.Williamson@eryrinpa.gov.uk

HUW JENKINS is a freelance writer and community reporter for BBC RadioWales as well as being a member of the Snowdonia Mammal Group.

Dysgu bod ynDditectif

Gweld dyfrgi am y tro cyntaf sbardun-odd Huw Jenkins i fod yn dditectifmamaliaid. Bellach mae’n helpu grwpMamaliaid Eryri i gasglu cofnodion argyfer Atlas Mamaliaid 2010 ac yn caelei hyfforddi i adnabod olion yn y maes.

Mae adnabod baw yn sgil allweddol -o’r gronynnau siâp reis sy’n cael eucynhyrchu gan lygod pengrwn ygwair i’r pentyrrau du ag oglaupysgod sy’n cael eu gadael ganddyfrgwn a’r uwd tywyll llawn chwiloda adewir gan foch daear mewnpantiau pridd. Mae olion bwydo hefydyn bwysig. Er enghraifft, bydd gwiweryn hollti cneuen yn llwyr tra byddllygoden bengron goch yn creu twllbach glân a llygoden y coed yn creutwll blêr â chrafiadau o’i gwmpas.

Gall cartrefi rhai mamaliaid fod ynddigon amlwg - fel nythod gwiwerod,twmpathau gwahaddod a thyllau mochdaear ond rhaid chwilio’n galetachweithiau am gartrefi mamaliaidbychain yng nghanol llystyfiant.

Rhaid gwybod lle i chwilio - maewaliau ac afonydd ymhlith y lleoeddgorau ond gall llwyni cyll a chorsyddfod yn fannau da hefyd. A gallperchnogion cathod gadw llygad arlawr y gegin i weld pa famaliaid bachgaiff eu cario 'nôl wedi noson o hela!Mae cyfle i bawb, yn wir, fod yn rhano’r gwaith cofnodi hwn!

FrankGreenaway

BelePine marten

For Gwent Wildlife Trust, 2008 will always be the year that westarted on the re-creation of Wyeswood Common. Intensive dairy

pasture, adjoining GWT’s Pentwyn Farm reserve at Penallt, just south ofMonmouth, is now safely on the way to become a dazzling wildlife site.It will let visitors enjoy a striking new wilderness, complemented by theregimented medieaval landscape of Pentwyn Farm next door. Not onlythat, we believe Wyeswood Common holds the keys to securing a futurefor lowland biodiversity, as we will use it to spearhead a landscape-scalehabitat creation campaign in south-east Wales.

When I joined GWT in 2001, I was taken to Pentwyn Farm by mypredecessor, Jon Winder. He pointed at a 20 acre field, glowing greenwith a uniform sweep of planted rye-grass, across the drystone wallfrom our cluster of pristine hay meadows. “Wouldn’t it be good totransform that,” he said. Of course I agreed, but with little hope orexpectation that this would ever come to pass.

A once andfuture common

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GemmaBodé

Large expanses of ryegrass are functional butdull. The chance to takea dairy farm back to itsWyeswood Commonroots was so excitingthat one Wildlife Trusthad to pursue it. JULIANBRANSCOMBE tells thestory of a majoracquisition; imaginationshave been fired andenergies released.Wyeswood still has along way to go back tothe future, but it willbecome a grazed mosaicof woodland edge andflowery glade once more.

Wyeswood Common

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Suddenly, in summer 2007, the land was on the market.Not just that field, but a total of 104 acres of lush dairypasture. A wave of excitment rippled around our office,but we had no spare cash, and the scale of the task wasterrifying. Despite this, our staff, particularly LauriMacLean and Gemma Bodé, encouraged me, and thena local trustee, Dr Steph Tyler, took up thebrowbeating. We had a walk on the land, and took amoment to dream. From that came a burningdetermination which dominated our next six months.

Our vision crystallised when GWT’s Council met inSeptember. Trustees challenged me on the risks andopportunities in a very stimulating and charged meeting.The room lit up when our President, Dr GeorgePeterken, questioned whether this was an opportunity tocombine restoration ecology with Franz Vera’s theory ofan open wildwood with heavily-grazed glades. And thefull Wyeswood Common vision - the creation of a mosaicof species-rich grassland and woodland, to be managedin perpetuity by the naturalistic processes of grazing byfree-ranging stock - was born.

Now to raise fundsThe vendors accepted our offer for the land. Wegathered firm support from the Woodland Trust, andthe Wildlife Trusts across Wales and Gloucestershire.We got our first grant - an offer of £20,000 from theWye Valley AONB Sustainable Development Fund.

By this point, GWT staff and volunteers were redeployedinto developing our vision, costing it (coming out at thepricey and princely sum of £613,000 for acquisition,habitat creation andinitial management),and getting the

proposal hawked around funding bodies. A trustee,Mary Field, helped to hold the whole project together,writing over 40 grant applications.

Meanwhile, a team of us were beavering away at avery comprehensive proposal for the TubneyCharitable Trust. This funder – our biggest prospectfor cash – is renowned for its scrutiny. Our bid endedup with 33 plans and appendices

1including an

analysis of options for the vision, a sequential habitatcreation plan, detailed BAP species and habitatobjectives, archaeological assessment, climate changescenario analysis, a carbon budget and a synthesis ofrelevant habitat-restoration experience from the UK.We even produced a five year management plan, fourmonths before we bought the land - certainly anindication of intent for an organisation which mustadmit, albeit reluctantly, to be ‘a bit behind’ in ourmanagement planning for our existing estate.

We felt the ecological context for the aquisition wascompelling. The dairy farm was surrounded by agrassland SSSI, woodland and lesser horseshoe batroost SACs, and a vital scatter of local Wildlife Sites.More important still was the appendix outlining ourambitions as to how the acquisition could act as acatalyst for further habitat creation across lowlandMonmouthshire, a campaign which we are now takingforward with the Woodland Trust.

History on our sideBy this time the slogan ‘Back to the Future’ had beencoined. We had the historical precedent. And we weresure our vision was central to giving lowland wildlife thechance to survive in a countryside facing intensifyinguses and the spectre of climate change. The historical

Pentwyn flowers

GWT

Artist’s impressionof Wyeswood

ArtMatters

situation was fascinatingly expressed by GeorgePeterken, who produced a paper on Wyeswood inHistory. Our objective of an extensively grazedwoodland / grassland mosaic does not just date backto the prehistoric as postulated by Franz Vera. TheCommon or Chase of Wyeswood (under a variety ofspellings) had remained as an extensive ‘waste’ onthe Trellech plateau until it was finally finished off byconifer afforestation and the last enclosures tofarmland in the 19th Century.

In the run up to Christmas, Tubney Charitable Trustcommitted to covering 35% of the cost of the project.This, combined with wonderful support from theCountryside Council for Wales and the amazinggenerosity of hundreds of individuals, allowed us tocomplete the purchase in January. Since then, theremainder of our daunting budget has been found,with particularly large contributions from theAssembly via their Aggregates Levy Fund, and fromthe Waterloo Foundation which has welcomed themanner in which this project will demonstrate carbonsequestration through habitat creation.

Meeting expectationsWith over £600,000 raised, the fundraising suddenlyseems to have been the easy bit! It certainlydidn’t seem that way in the dark days

of autumn 2007, but our faith has been rewarded.Now we are faced with the great expectations we haveraised so widely - and great swathes of improvedgrassland in field after field!

Our new Project Officer, Annette Murray, started in May2008. Our soils, habitat and species monitoring hascommenced. The next couple of years will see us goingthrough organic conversion, whilst silage cuts are takenunder licence by a local farmer. In 2009, we intendtrialling spring-sown oats as an alternative method ofnutrient reduction. Other areas will be subject to acombination of tree-planting and natural regeneration ina couple of years, once the silage cutting has taken theedge off the current high nutrient status.

The local dormice are expected to respond quickly,whilst birds of mixed farmland should also thrive inthe early years. The real prizes however, will comewhen a species-rich grassland flora has developed.GWT has a strong record in grassland restoration. Wehave ten years of experience of flower-rich grasslandcreation on seven of our reserves. Through our GwentGrassland Initiative, we have also worked on species-rich grassland management or creation with some 200landowners in the last three years. But Wyeswood willbe unique in our experience both for its scale and forthe extremes of current soil enrichment.

On the far side of Pentwyn Farm, semi-improvedgrassland bought by GWT in the 1990s has beencolonised by green-winged and common spotted orchidsfrom seeds blown over the hedge. We shall compare arange of restoration treatments on Wyeswood Common.We have a seed-harvester to gather local seed-stock, andwe shall also use green hay, hand-gathered hay rattleseed and natural seed-rain in some areas.

Quarter century timescaleWe think it will take 20 to 25 years before thebackbone of the grassland and woodland habitats aresufficiently well-developed to introduce extensivegrazing. Steaming heaps of avermectin-free dungshould encourage plenty of dung-beetles, which will

make this land a regular haunt of the local

Common spotted orchid

GaynorAinscough

10

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greater horseshoe bats, which have a penchant for grassland beetles. Wealso hope for the arrival of hornet robber-flies - another top predator ofthe dung foodchain.

We would like the diversely structured woodland edge to become hometo spreading bellflower and wood white and pearl-bordered fritillarybutterlies. Our shopping list of bird colonists stretches to the mildlyoutlandish, such as nightjar and honey buzzard.

We shall feel the species-rich pastures to have come of age when we seemilkwort and greater butterfly-orchid appearing in the sward. Shrillcarder bee Bombus sylvarum is doing well on the Gwent Levels, but isnow virtually unknown inland in Wales. The reappearance of this bee,and its congener Bombus humilis, will be another sign of success.

One of the most exciting Welsh wildlife discoveries in recent years hasbeen the finding of the Red Data Book rugged oil-beetle Meloe rugosuson a smallholding just north of the land we have bought. Its intricate andexacting lifestyle requires solitary bee colonies to thrive year on yeararound extensive flowery grasslands - if this bizarre beetle can hang onfor a decade or two, then Wyeswood Common could become responsiblefor maintaining its survival as a British species.

We have a long way to go in re-creating Wyeswood Common, but we are nowmaking a start, thanks to the support and generosity of so many people. Givenwhat climate change threatens, we just pray we have started soon enough.

Julian Branscombe is Chief Executive of Gwent Wildlife Trust.

1 A range of the supporting documentation for the Wyeswood Common project

can be accessed online at www.gwentwildlife.org

O’r Gwyrddi’r Gwyllt

Mae cynllun ar waith i droi 104 erw odir pori arddwys yng Ngwent i fod ynhafan ar gyfer byd natur. Pan ddaeth ytir hwn ar werth yn 2007, ar gyriongwarchodfa Fferm Pentwyn ac yngnghyffiniau safleoedd pwysig eraill ifywyd gwyllt, roedd yn gyfle rhy dda iYmddiriedolaeth Bywyd Gwyllt Gwentei golli.

O freuddwyd gychwynnol, datblygoddsyniad pendant o droi’r glaswelltiranniddorol hwn yn borfa goediog. Ynod yw creu brithwaith o goetir aglaswelltir blodeuol a fydd yn cael eibori gan dda byw a gaiff grwydro’nrhydd drwy’r safle. Cafwyd cymorthhael i brynu’r tir, yn rhannol oherwyddpotensial y prosiect i ddangos sut ygall creu cynefinoedd helpu atafaelucarbon a hefyd oherwydd y gallai fodyn elfen allweddol mewn strategaeth iadfer a chreu cynefinoedd ar hyd alled de-ddwyrain Cymru. Gall gymryd20-25 o flynyddoedd cyn y bydd moddcyflwyno stoc. Ond mae profiadymarferol yr Ymddiriedolaeth o greu acadfer glaswelltiroedd dros y ddegawdddiwethaf yn mynd i fod yn gymorth ilwyddiant y prosiect. Cyn y gellirplannu coed ac annog atgynhyrchiadnaturiol bydd rhaid lleihau’r maeth yn ypridd, drwy dorri silwair ac efallai tyfuceirch gwanwyn am gyfnod.

Fe arhoswn yn eiddgar am y dydd panfydd tegeirianau llydanwyrdd yn tyfu yny glaswelltir, iâr wen y coed yn hedfan arhyd ymylon y goedwig a’r chwilen olewarw Meloe rugosus yn mabwysiadu’rllecyn hwn fel ei chadarnle Prydeinig!

Nightjar

John

Robinson

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Conserving Wales’ lastsemi-wild ponies

Wehave often taken for granted the sight of indigenous Welshponies hugging hillsides. A chance encounter with a wild herd was

once commonplace. Today, wild equines living in a ‘state of nature’, notowned but left to their own devices, are relegated to a few corners ofthe highest mountains and most isolated marshes. We can track downponies which might appear to be wild, but which are owned andmanaged. These ‘semi-wild’ or ‘semi-feral’ ponies are rarely handled andare not fully controlled by their owners. They still run in natural herds,grazing extensively on Wales’ tidal flats, moorlands and mountains.

Farmer-breedersMany owners of semi-wild ponies are farmers and dedicated breeders.They often belong to Wales’ official breed association, the Welsh Pony andCob Society (WPCS), set up 107 years ago to protect this unique equineheritage. All semi-wild, that is hefted, WPCS-registered ponies areaccurately described as semi-feral Welsh Mountain (Section A) ponies andhave pedigrees. Their ancestors can be traced back over more than acentury through stud books. Most breeders of semi-feral pedigree ponies

Winter coats at CwmduAll photos: David Anthony MurrayNative ponies have roamedfreely in Wales for perhapsthree millennia. A centuryago, an estimated 10,000untamed beasts were anintegral part of ourremotest landscapes, fromthe Llanrhidian marshes tothe Carneddau massif.Precious cultural heritage,they have helped defineWales’ history andcharacter. Today, relativelyfew survive, with potentiallyalarming consequences forour rich biodiversity.DAVID ANTHONY MURRAYreports.

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are also members of recognised Hill Pony ImprovementSocieties (HPISs). Twenty-five HPISs exist in southern,western and central Wales (see map).

Some independent farmers breed semi-wild poniesthat might resemble the recognised breed but thathave no pedigree. These may be described as ‘Welshmountain’. For example, the Carneddau plateauherds of Snowdonia

1are Welsh mountain ponies of

unrecognised modern origin.

Declining genetic populationThe number and sizes of Wales’ semi-feral pedigreeherds have declined alarmingly over the last thirtyyears. The number of stallions has nearlyhalved. Many irreplaceable breedlines faceeventual extinction. Upland herds - those livingbeyond approximately 200m above sea level -are particularly threatened.

A rare breed’s number of actively breeding femalesindicates how threatened it is. In 2008, only about760 semi-wild Welsh Mountain mares remainthroughout Wales. This diminishing sub-population ofthe Section A pony is officially classified by Britain’sRare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) as ‘semi-feral’ and‘Rare Vulnerable’.

Declining demandToday there is a rapidly declining demand for semi-wild Welsh Mountain ponies. The cost of rearingfoals for autumn market often exceeds the sellingprice. With the notable exception of support fromthe Horserace Betting Levy Board, there is littlefinancial incentive. Farmers are increasinglydiscouraged from breeding pedigree stock.

A recent European requirement for all equines to havepassports has encouraged some Welsh farmer-breedersto either reduce herd sizes or sell up, eradicatingbreedlines. The curtailment of breeders’ traditionalgrazing rights due to restrictive regulations on someWelsh commons exacerbates this serious situation.

Cultural and genetic heritageDoes it matter if our Welsh Mountain poniesdisappear forever from their traditional strongholds?Should the breed be preserved only on enclosedfarmland, in lowland studs and in ‘artificial’ or ‘show’herds? Semi-wild indigenous ponies representprecious cultural and genetic heritage and a signifi-cant, largely unexploited, tourist attraction.Dedicated farmer-breeders believe that it is vital forthe future of the WPCS, and for Welsh heritage andbiodiversity, that ponies continue to ‘run’ on the hills.

Many breeders of domesticated Section A poniestraditionally have replenished their breeding stockfrom hardy semi-feral breedlines within HPISs. Thedisappearance of foundation herds will jeopardisethe Section A breed’s long-term chances of survival

Hill Pony ImprovementSocieties in Wales

14

in its present form or ‘type’. The Section A breed isalso the foundation stock for Section B ponies andSection C and D Welsh Cobs. Extinction of semi-feralbreedlines could adversely affect the future develop-ment, appearance and status of these breeds.

Halting genetic erosionOver the last century, Section A breeders haveselected physical characteristics that they believeddefined the Welsh Mountain breed, favouring sometraits and animals, rejecting others. Unwantedcharacteristics have been gradually bred out,reducing variety or diversity within the breed.

This process of so-called ‘improvement’ may beregarded as ‘genetic asset stripping’. Genetic erosionof the breed escalates with the extinction of eachgenetically unique semi-feral breedline. Furtherdilution of the gene pool could threaten the breed’sfuture ability to cope with extreme Welsh environ-ments. Failure to halt genetic erosion could haveserious consequences for Welsh biodiversity.

Conservation roles for semi-feral poniesSemi-feral ponies are needed to help manage Wales’varied wildlife habitats. Able conservationists, theycan benefit wild flowers, invertebrates, birds andmammals because they graze and browse selectively,creating vegetation mosaics of taller and shortervegetation. Unlike sheep, Welsh Mountain ponies

generally take little heatherand, being small and light,they are ideal for grazingsensitive wetland sites thatcannot withstand heavytrampling by cattle.

Empirical and anecdotalevidence of the grazingcharacteristics of semi-feralWelsh Mountain ponies islimited

2. Untamed ponies

have hardy constitutions andrequire only minimalhusbandry. Some herds grazehappily even beyond 610m

above sea level. They are resourceful and adaptable,maintaining excellent body condition year-roundoutside if sufficient wild forage is available. Theycope well on exposed cliff, marsh and moorland,needing only natural shelter, and develop woollywinter coats to withstand extreme weather.

Results of an unpublished HPIS survey in 20043

demonstrate their versatility. Semi-feral ponies willgraze poor-quality forage, often preferring shorter overlonger grass swards. Many herds eat fine grasses,coarser grasses, coarse herbs, rushes and sedges andbrowse available deciduous regrowth. Several herds willstrip bark from shrubs and trees. Most never or rarelyconsume flowering or harmful plants. Many habituallytrample bracken stands to varying extents throughoutthe year when foraging.

Environmental asset strippingMaintaining a link between Welsh Mountain poniesand their traditional environments is vital if hardiness,thriftiness and disease resistance are to be retained.Herds removed from their native habitats couldquickly unlearn ‘desirable’ grazing behaviour, aphenomenon that may be described as ‘environmentalerosion’ or ‘environmental asset stripping’.

Semi-feral foals learn hefting, how to thrive onmeagre winter vegetation and where, how and whatto eat from their mothers. Land managers may, in

A hardy pony from Snowdonia’s Carneddau Plateau

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future, need to harness learned grazing behaviour tohelp targeted wildlife and habitats to flourish.

Current demand for ponies in nature conservationThe need for semi-feral ponies in conservation rolesis likely to increase. Recent agricultural policy reformin Wales could lead to a considerable reduction ofsheep and cattle farming, especially in the uplands.“Careful and appropriate grazing can mean thedifference between wildlife thriving or vanishingcompletely,” explains grazing scheme organisationPori, Natur, a Threftadaeth (PONT).

Grazing ponies are already helping to preventbiodiversity loss caused by undergrazing on somenational nature reserves. The disappearance of semi-wild ponies from Welsh national parks “wouldseriously reduce the options available for achievingeffective conservation of priority biodiversityhabitats,” stresses Paul Sinnadurai, the BreconBeacons National Park ecologist.

A strategy for conserving semi-feral pedigree herdsRemarkably few semi-feral Welsh Mountain poniesare used in Welsh grazing schemes. Conservationagencies often have ignored their genetic value,heritage importance and conservation grazingpotential. Instead, managers have relied largely onnon-pedigree ponies of unknown origin, reducing anyneed for farmer-breeders to maintain semi-feralpedigree herds.

Dowlais ponies

Cwmdu ponies in Winter

Some unregistered ponies, e.g. the Carneddau herds,represent valuable genetic assets. These poniesdeserve registration and conservation status becausethey exhibit potentially desirable anatomical, physio-logical and behavioural characteristics that might beabsent in registered breedlines. Generally, however,available semi-feral pedigree youngstock should bethe preferred choice for future Welsh biodiversitymanagement programmes.

Some Welsh land management agencies use foreignbreeds, e.g. the Polish Konik horse or the AsianPrzewalski horse, in conservation programmes. Thispractice also accelerates the extinction of our semi-feral pedigree sub-population because conservationgrazing opportunities are, and will be in future, moreor less limited. One or other Welsh Mountain ponybreedline will likely perform any required grazingtask at least as efficiently as any exotic pony. Foreignbreeds should not be employed if suitable nativeponies are available.

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“It’s also important to choose ponies from herds oflocal origin,” believes farmer-breeder Roger Davies.“Local Welsh Mountain ponies have evolved overmany centuries to cope with local conditions.” Anincreasing practice of using other, less suited, (thatis, less locally adapted) native breeds in grazingprogrammes, further hastens the demise of WelshMountain herds. For example, recently importedExmoor ponies, whilst they do an excellent job inrestoring heathland, are geographically misplaced onthe Trellech Plateau.

Although appropriate Government support isessential, the survival of semi-feral breedlines willdepend ultimately upon whether the WPCS cansuccessfully market the progeny of its semi-feralmares for conservation purposes. In order tomaintain and improve opportunities for wildlife toflourish on our moorlands, farmer-breeders must beencouraged to rear suitable pedigree stock forgrazing schemes. “We have to provide incentives to

Carneddau in Winter

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Oes merlen eto?Prin y gwelir merlod gwirioneddol wyllt yng Nghymru. Maemerlod mynydd fel rheol yn eiddo i rywun ond dim ond ynanaml y cânt eu trafod gan eu perchnogion. Mae’r merlod‘lled-wyllt’ hyn yn frîd cydnabyddedig gyda phedigri. Disgrifirnhw, yn gywir, fel ‘Merlod Mynydd Cymreig lled-wyllt’. Mae‘na hefyd ferlod mynydd lled-wyllt sydd heb fod â phedigri, felrhai’r Carneddau.

Mae nifer y merlod lled-wyllt â phedigri yn prinhau ac mae’rgreoedd sy’n pori ucheldir dros 200m dan fygythiad difrifol.Mae’r galw amdanynt wedi lleihau oherwydd cost maguebolion, yr angen i gael pasbortau, cyfyngiadau ar hawliaupori mewn mannau a hefyd diffyg ymwybyddiaeth o’upwysigrwydd.

A ddylen ni boeni am eu tranc? Maen nhw’n elfen draddodi-adol o’r tirlun, yn atyniad i ymwelwyr ac yn adnodd genetigolsydd wedi bod yn bwysig i atgyfnerthu stoc fridio merlod

domestig - yn cynnwys cobiau. Gallant hefyd helpu cynnalcynefinoedd bywyd gwyllt; maen nhw’n bwyta gwair garw ahesg, yn sathru rhedyn ungoes, maen nhw’n ddigon ysgafn ibori gwlypdiroedd a gallant gynnal eu cyflwr drwy gydol yflwyddyn. Gallant bori ar glogwyni, rhostir ac ucheldir a bywheb fawr ddim cysgod. Dysgant yr arferion hyn oddi wrth eumamau a gallent eu ‘dad-ddysgu’ pe bai’r greoedd yn cael eucyfyngu i gaeau amaethyddol. Mae cadwraethwyr wedianwybyddu’r merlod pedigri lled-wyllt i raddau helaeth acmae’r arfer o ddod â merlod estron - o Loegr, o dramor, neu odarddiad arall anhysbys, yn lleihau’r angen i ffermwyr gynnalgreoedd pedigri lled-wyllt ac felly’n cyflymu eu diflaniad.

Gellir atal difodiant y ferlen fynydd Gymreig led-wyllt. Mae llei gydblethu rheolaeth gynaliadwy o’r tirlun, cadwraeth natur achynhaliaeth ffermwyr-fridwyr - ond dim ond os caiff genetegy greoedd lled-wyllt sy’n weddill eu gwarchod a’u rheoli atddibenion pori cadwraethol.

graze with ponies, with individuals and organisationsbuying and selling animals, to improve wildlife,”agrees Paul Sinnadurai.

The semi-feral pony’s real valueThe further decline of Wales’ semi-feral pedigreepony is preventable. Land managers and farmer-breeders are beginning, at last, to recognise thegenetic worth and conservation grazing potential ofthis pony. Immediate action must ensure the long-term survival of remaining herds on their nativeheaths, moors and marshes. We would be providingthe best chance of successfully protecting thegreatest variety of wildlife in the face of radicallyaltering farming practices, rapidly evolvinglandscapes and a gradually changing Welsh climate.

Sustainable landscape management, optimal biodiver-sity conservation and maintenance of farmer-breedertraditional lifestyles are intimately related objectiveswithin Wales. These goals may be fully attainable onlyif the genetic complement of remaining semi-feralherds is conserved and appropriately managed forconservation grazing.

David Anthony Murray is a freelance conservationscientist, writer and explorer. He is a Fellow of theRoyal Geographical Society, an Earthwatch InstituteFellow and a Millennium Fellow.

1: Neale, J. ‘The Carneddau – A landscape of the past andthe present.’ Natur Cymru, Issue No. 14, Spring 2005. p 31.

2: Murray, D.A. 'Current status, with reference to conserva-tion grazing, of the Welsh Mountain (Section A) semi-feralpony following decoupling of farm subsidies through CAPreform in Wales – a scoping study', 380 pages. Funded andpublished by the Countryside Council for Wales, 2007. Seethe Publications and Research section on CCW web site,www.ccw.gov.uk and on the author’s web site,www.matilda.boltblue.net

3: Murray, D.A. ‘The Welsh Mountain (Section A) semi-feralpony: grazing characteristics and breed profile – a preliminaryanalysis.’ Unpublished survey, 2004.

If any group / individual would like to receive a copy of thereport on CD, please write to David Anthony Murray at:MATILDA, P.O. Box 550, Leicester, LE5 2WB, enclosing acheque for £20 (payable to D A Murray) to include the costof preparation, packing and postage.

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The South Wales valleys have a distinctive landscape. Although thisregion is defined by its topography, its distinctiveness lies in the

density of its population next to and on the doorstep of green spacewith a tremendous biodiversity resource. Indeed, this resource is theoutcome of the great variation of geology, topography, altitude, watercourses and vegetation, and human interaction and influence. ‘TheValleys’ is a term that represents not only a landscape but a people andtheir social, cultural and economic past.

If you looked out of the window of a plane at the valleys landscapebelow, you would see a flattened patchwork of green spaces, settlements,rivers and transport corridors. But from low ground, hillsides andmountains rise up around you, intersected by gorges and valleys, anintensity of form and shape which characterise this unique area.

Over the last three years organisations operating across theenvironment, heritage and tourism sectors have been identifying newways of working together to plan and prioritise projects, and to identifyopportunities and issues to achieve shared goals and vision for the area.

ValleysRegional Park

Within an exciting,rumpled topography, theSouth Wales valleys hidemany environmentaltreasures, and are hometo many people. Bringingpeople and environmenttogether, and workingwith communities so that‘the Valleys’ becomes abyword for a high qualityenvironment for peopleand nature, is the taskfacing Wales’ firstRegional Park, asBERRY COFFMANexplains.

Mandy

Marsh

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In effect, the Valleys Regional Park is a way to workcollaboratively, cross-boundary and cross-sector.

The overall aim of the project is to raise the quality ofour countryside, tourism and heritage assets and, inturn, to regenerate the area and change how it isperceived. The Valleys Regional Park is unique as Wales’sfirst regional park, covering an area of over 200,000hectares, and is home to over one million people.

Opportunities and assettsThe valleys have traditionally been undervalued interms of their natural beauty, natural and culturalheritage, and potential to attract visitors. They have thepotential to offer far greater opportunities for outdoorrecreation, environmental education, heritage-basedand activity tourism than has yet been realised. Theyalso have the potential to help halt the decline ofinternationally important species such as otter, lapwing,skylark, various fritillary butterflies, various bat species,and habitats such as heather moorland, oak and beechwoodland, rivers and streams, just to name a few.

Existing assets and facilities such as the Country Parksand Local Nature Reserves could support greatervisitor numbers, and become part of an initiative thatdevelops greater ecological connectivity across theregion. Within the area there is a fantastic network ofwalking and cycling routes that provide the idealopportunity for getting out into the countryside.Harnessing the opportunities presented by theinteraction of these components is what makes theValleys Regional Park such an exciting initiative.

As governments and policy makers alike begin torealise the economic and social potential of theenvironment on the fringe of communities, so theValleys Regional Park becomes an opportunity toprove this or bring this theory to life. Indeed life iswhat it’s all about. Projects that underpin thisinitiative range from developing our ranger andwardening service to engage the local community, toenhancing and protecting our existing species andhabitats. Where you have people living on the edgesof green space, the task seems to be about balancingthe users and the environmental interests.

Encouraging access and understanding of local speciesand habitats need not be at the cost of those sites.

An example of this is at Dare Valley Country Park, wherea viewing scheme that was first developed by the RSPBas one of their Aren't Birds Brilliant projects,encourages visitors to follow the progress of a residentperegrine family. The project is now managed byRhondda Cynon Taff Council. This project has manybenefits. It gets us up-close and personal with species onour doorstep; it instills a sense of what’s unique orimportant about our local park; it gives us thatmemorable experience that may encourage us to return;and it protects a species against detrimental footfall. Italso sends a clear message to those who are thinking ofstealing eggs or disturbing the site, that they are beingwatched: great deterrent to environmental crime.

In many cases, particularly where poor and deprivedcommunities exist next to open and green space,there is a lack of relationship with the landscape. Thiscan often result in the abuse of the landscape throughlittering, fly tipping, and vandalism. As agencies, weneed to work together to improve understanding anddevelop pride and ownership of the environment inour local population. We can improve the quality ofour interpretation and signage, we can engagecommunities through rangers and wardens and wecan develop education programmes that use thevalleys as an outdoor classroom. It is a mix of

BerryCoffman

outreach to locals and engagement of visitors that will create the mostlasting and immediate change.

In short, the Valleys Regional Park will enable better co-ordination inpromoting, enhancing and managing the area's environment, heritage andtourism assets, for the benefit of both local people and visitors. It willencourage more activity - walking, cycling, horse riding and mountainbiking - whilst encouraging greater understanding of our unique environ-ment and the history that has shaped our landscape and people. It willengender pride in our local populations, whilst tackling barriers to enjoyment,such as fly-tipping, litter and vandalism.

This is ambitious, and undoubtedly the Valleys Regional Park will growand change over time. We are currently developing a 20 year strategywith a 5 year action plan. We hope Convergence funding and other EUand domestic funding will help the Park develop in its critical, initial 5-7years, and establish it as a model for delivering services collaboratively.Most of all we hope that “the Valleys” becomes synonymous with a highquality, diverse environment and the welcome to go with it.

Berry Coffman is the Valleys Regional Park Coordinator. For moreinformation on any aspect of the Valleys Regional Park contact her onberry.coffman@groundwork.org.uk

For more information on the Aren’t Welsh Birds Brilliant projectcontact RSPB on 02920 353000.

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Cydweithio yny Cymoedd

Mae’r ‘Cymoedd’ yn cynrychioli un odirweddau mwyaf adnabyddusCymru, a hefyd yn cyfleucymdeithas arbennig gyda hanes adiwylliant unigryw. Mae gwahanolfudiadau wrthi’n ceisio canfod ffyrddo gydweithio i wella ansawdd yramgylchedd naturiol a hanesyddolyn yr ardal hon ac i gynyddu’rcyfleoedd sydd ar gael i ymwelwyr athrigolion fwynhau’r dreftadaeth hon.Drwy hyn gobeithir adfer yr ardal yneconomaidd a newid canfyddiadpobl o’r rhan hon o Gymru.Sefydlwyd Parc Rhanbarthol yCymoedd, y parc rhanbarthol cyntafyng Nghymru, i wireddu’r dyheadhwn. Mae’n ymestyn dros 200,000hectar ac yn cynnwys poblogaeth odros filiwn o bobl.

Dyma gyfle i ddangos bod yramgylchedd ar gyrion mannaupoblog yn dwyn budd cymdeithasolac economaidd i gymunedau lleol. Ynod fydd cynyddu’r cysylltiad rhwngcymunedau a’u tirlun - dod â’r wladyn ôl yn rhan ganolog o fywydaupobl a chynnig profiadau cofiadwyac uniongyrchol iddynt, fel gwyliobywyd gwyllt er enghraifft, er mwynennyn balchder a chynyddudealltwriaeth o hynodrwydd eu bro alleihau troseddau a difaterwch.

Mandy

Marsh

Mandy

Marsh

BerryCoffman

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Ihave a lifelong interest in natural history albeit purely on an amateurbasis; my interests have ranged from insects to birds and then backto insects again. Moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) are still my maininterest but personal circumstances have severely curtailed the timeavailable for my hobby over the last year or so.

Over the winter of 2007-08, during breaks from the excitements ofdecorating, I managed a few minutes each evening in the garden,attempting to locate interesting subjects for photography. This activityproved surprisingly fruitful and one of the main orders I found inabundance was springtails (Collembola). These animals are a very variedgroup and can be found across the whole of the country. There arearound 250 known species in the UK and densities in the averageecosystem vary from 10,000 to 100,000 individuals per square metre.As such, they are one of the most abundant animals on earth. Theyfeed on liquid matter and solids in suspension and play an importantrole within the decomposition process.

Leaf litter is an essentialpart of any woodlandecosystem; but how manypeople are aware of theincredible faunal diversitythat can be found with verylittle effort? On a recentvisit to north Wales,SHANE FARRELL madesome surprising andexciting finds as well as,according to recordscurrently available, whatappears to be a newspecies of springtail for thewhole of Wales.

Globular springtail Dicyrtomina saundersi

Life in theLeaf Litter

Allimages:ShaneFarrell

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My garden, thankfully, was notthe exception to the norm, andwith the help of a fellowentomologist, Frans Janssens inBelgium – isn’t the internet awonderful thing sometimes? - Ihave identified at least tendifferent species with littleeffort (Tomocerus minor,Dicyrtomina saundersi,Orchesella villosa, O. cincta,Lepidocyrtus cyaneus, Entomobrya intermedia,Entomobrya albocincta, Vertagopus arboreus,Isotomurus palustris and Hypogastrurapurpurescens). Unfortunately, many of these animalsrequire special methods to find and identify as theyrange from only 0.25mm to around 6mm in thiscountry. Sometimes this requires the retention of aspecimen. However, the larger ones (including thosementioned above) can usually be identified with agood quality photograph or a hand lens.

“Why is he babbling on about his garden?” you mayjustifiably ask at this point. The answer, you will bepleased to know, is that it was through the locationof such attractive and intriguing animals at homethat I became interested in finding out what elselived within the soil and, in particular, leaf litter.

In any sample of leaf litter or soil you can expect tofind specimens from many different groups of

animals. I wasrecommended totry an efficient

searching method by twofellow entomologists. Thisbasically involves sievingthrough the litter to allowanimals to drop into a bowl. Ifound a cost-effective methodis to buy a standard chip-panbasket, which is half-filled withleaves and then shakenvigorously into a cheap(preferably pale coloured)

washing-up bowl – it is not recommended that youuse the one reserved for the normal washing-up ifdomestic harmony is to be maintained! This methodgenerally causes no damage to the inhabitants of thesample and both the animals and the litter shouldbe returned whenever possible to the site they werecollected from.

At a recent visit to Gwernymynydd, near Mold inFlintshire, I stopped at the side of the road andcollected a small sandwich bag full of leaves in thehope that I might find something interesting. Amongthe usual selection of springtails, including many ofthose referred to above, was a smaller ‘globular’springtail, which was unfamiliar to me. At around2mm long it was hard to define any detail even withan 8x hand lens. However, via the photographs takenof this animal (one of several found at the site) I wasable to observe the key identification features toconfirm Dicyrtoma fusca. This species has never beenrecorded in Wales before according to the nationalrecorder of this order and to be prudent I will beconfirming one

Dicyrtoma fusca - a new record for Wales?

Click beetle Adrastus pallens

Springtail Orchesella cincta

Pseudoscorpion Chthonius ischnocheles

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specimen with him, given theimportance of this record.

One of the predators ofspringtails is an intriguing andenigmatic animal, the veryexistence of which is to mostpeople a mystery, despite beingpresent in some habitats at highdensity; this animal is thepseudoscorpion. Having seenphotographs on the internet and hearing of them froma number of sources, it became something of a questto find and photograph one. The pseudoscorpions(Pseudoscorpionida) are members of the large groupof animals known as arachnids. This is the namenormally associated with spiders (Araneae) but alsoapplies to pseudoscorpions, mites and ticks (Acarina)as well as the harvestman ‘spiders’ (Opiliones) andtrue scorpions. Thankfully, although manypseudoscorpions have a venom gland in their‘pincers’ (pedipalps) they are usually only 2-4mm longand therefore bear no threat to humans, unlike theirlarger cousins. In fact, as they prey on mites andvarious destructive larvae, they are truly beneficial tous. Their small size creates the same photographyand location/identification challenges relating tospringtails and many other inhabitants of leaf litter.

Whilst searching through the litter fromGwernymynydd, I was very excited to find my firstpseudoscorpion. It displayedwhat I now know as typicalbehaviour, initially freezing as it

was shaken out of the leavesand then slowly walkingforward with pedipalpsextended. They react to anynearby movement by instantlyfreezing or even jerkingquickly backwards; theseanimals cam move as quicklybackwards as they canforwards. The specimen wasidentified as Chthonius

ischnocheles, a relatively common inhabitant ofmoist/damp leaf litter and soil. Subsequent to thisfind I have now located a further three pseudoscorpi-on specimens, all probably Neobisium muscorum butthere is a possibility they are Neobisium carpenteri.This will be confirmed in due course as this would bea notable UK record.

Other arachnids present in good numbers are thespiders and also mites, which seem to be the mostnumerous next to springtails. Many of the spidersbelong to the ‘money spiders’ (Linyphiidae) or areearly instars, and are thus difficult or impossible toidentify. Others are relatively large and readily identi-fied, an example being Pachygnatha clercki which waslocated in the Welsh sample. Most of the mites in leaflitter are involved in the decomposition process butsome are predatory on other animals of the soil. Ihave found several specimens like the one illustratedbelow which seem to have a hard casing of soil

particles on their back. Thispresumably performs a protec-

Red mite

Ground bug Drymus sylvaticus

Flower bug Anthocoris nemorum

Mite with soil particles on its back

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low given the time of year which I searched. Of thebeetles located and photographed I have managed toobtain identification on both of them. One was arepresentative of the rove beetles (Staphylinidae)Anotylus sculpturatus and the other a click beetle(Elateridae) Adrastus pallens. I have, however,regularly seen beetle larvae of varying types.

Woodlice (Isopoda) and millipedes (Myriapoda) arecommonly found in the litter; there is great variety inthe size and shapes of the specimens that can be

present. The common rough woodlousePorcellio scaber, the common shiny

woodlouse Oniscus asellus andthe common stripedwoodlouse Philosciamuscorum seem to be themost abundant and will be

familiar to readers by sight if not byname. Unfortunately, I have no realreference for the identification ofmillipedes and therefore I cannotbe name specific. However, Ihave seen various forms ofmillipede, which reallyseem to like the damp

conditions foundon a woodlandfloor. Included

within thesehave

tive function. There are also specimens which arequite large and the red specimen shown was around3mm long. I also regularly locate harvestman spidersalong with other arachnids.

Specimens of Heteroptera (true bugs) are sometimesfound, usually in ones and twos. Drymus sylvaticusand Anthocoris nemorum were both present fromthis site and I have also found Scolopostethus affinisand Drymus brunneus in different areas; all of these

bugs are to be expected at most sites. Thenumber of beetles(Coleoptera) has

so far beenPachygnatha clercki

Fanniidae pupa

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been pill millipedes (Oniscomorpha), which resemble woodlice veryclosely but have many more legs and more uniform segments.

It will not surprise readers to learn that worms of many kinds inhabitthe litter. There are massive numbers of flatworms and other worms ofall kinds. It may though be slightly more surprising that good numbersof flies (Diptera) and their larvae can be present. One interesting dipter-ous specimen I found at the Welsh site was identified as being almostcertainly a pupa of the Fanniidae family.

I hope that I have generated some interest in the minds of readers andan appreciation that even on the ostensibly worst days of the year interms of weather and time of year, something of real interest can befound with very little effort!

Finally, a reminder regarding recording. If you do encounter specimens ofany animals then I am certain that both your local Records Centre andalso the administrators of the appropriate national recording scheme willbe very pleased to hear from you! Many of the Orders referred to aboveare under-recorded and all records will be gratefully received.

Shane Farrell is Cheshire County Macro Moth Recorder and a keenamateur entomologist and photographer.

AcknowledgementsDon Stenhouse – beetle identificationsSteve McWilliam – sifting methodology and tentative identification of dipteraSteve Judd – sifting methodology

ReferencesHopkin S.P.,2007. A Key to the Collembola(Springtails) of Britain and IrelandHopkin S.P.,1991. A key to the Woodlice ofBritain and IrelandLegg G. & Jones R.E.,1988. Pseudoscorpions

Rove beetle Anotylus sculpturatus

Bywyd gwylltmewn gwasarn

Hyd yn oed ar ddiwrnod sy’n ddigonsâl o ran tywydd mae modd dod ohyd i ryfeddodau bywyd gwyllt mewnllond bag o wasarn dail.

Gallwch ddisgwyl gweld sawl math ogynffon sbonc (Collembola), sy’n uno’r creaduriaid mwyaf niferus ar yddaear. Mae 250 rhywogaeth yn y DUa bu’r awdur yn ddigon ffodus iganfod rhywogaeth sy’n newydd iGymru mewn dyrnaid o wasarn agasglodd eleni o ymyl ffordd yngNgwernymynydd, ger yr Wyddgrug.

Efallai hefyd y gwelwchffug-sgorpionau, sy’n bwyta’rcynffonau sbonc. Mae’r creaduriaidbach hyn, sy’n mesur 2-4mm, ynperthyn i grwp yr arachnidau. Dymagrwp mawr o greaduriaid sydd hefydyn cynnwys corynnod, gwiddon,trogod a sgorpionau go iawn.

Mae’n siwr y bydd gwasarn yncynnwys nifer o’r arachnidau eraillhyn hefyd. Mae corynnod a gwiddonyn niferus iawn ymysg y dail, ondbydd creaduriaid eraill i’w gweldhefyd - yn chwilod, pycsod, gwrachodlludw, miltroedion a sawl mathgwahanol o fwydod.

Beth am roi cynnig arni - dim ondsospan ffrio sglodion sydd angenarnoch i roi ysgytwad i’r gwasarn, aphowlen i ddal y creaduriaidrhyfeddol a fydd yn syrthio allan!

Gwrachen ludw Porcellio scaber

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Grassland at the NBGW has a long history of being managed foraesthetic purposes, primarily as parkland. The Middleton family

first established an estate here in the early 17th century and there area few lumps and bumps in the ground to show where the originalMiddleton Hall once stood.

Much more evident today is the landscape that was the vision of WilliamPaxton, a Nabob, who purchased the estate in 1799. He engaged theservices of Samuel Lapidge, a former assistant to Lancelot 'Capability'Brown, to design an open parkland landscape that was popular in thelarge estates of the time. Maps of the period indicate an open, hedge-lesslandscape dotted with mature trees and small circular copses with clearlines of sight between. As the fortunes and ambitions of subsequentestate owners gradually waned, so the landscape lost its early 19thcentury precision. By 1930, the land had been acquired byCarmarthenshire County Council and was divided into seven starter farms.

Managing Meadowsfor Nature -a National BotanicGarden of Wales Perspective

Think of the NationalBotanic Garden ofWales (NBGW) andyou’ll probably bring tomind its iconic GreatGlasshouse and historicDouble Walled Garden.But there is also awonderful organic farmattached to the NBGW,spread over 20 fieldsand covering 400 acres.This is managed notonly as a working farm,but as one that activelyencourages the spreadof native wild plants.TIM BEVAN and BRUCELANGRIDGE describesome of the lessonswhich have been learnt.

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When the NBGW took possession of the land in thelate 1990s, it was clear that much of the farmlandhad escaped the intensive agricultural treatments thathad blighted much of the British countryside.

DecisionsWe were therefore fortunate to have inheritedmeadows and pastures containing plants that are nolonger commonly found in the countryside. Not all ofthem were obvious though. The decline of thesmallholders had led to a gradual spread of rushesand coarse grasses, and the practice of traditionalhay making had largely been replaced by silage.

So, we had some decisions to make. As a botanicgarden, we clearly wanted to maintain and improve

Flower-rich meadow

the kind of conditions that allow native grasslandplants to thrive. How should we do this? From thestart, we decided not to use any chemical inputs offertilisers or sprays and to manage the land accord-ing to organic principles. This stopped us usingherbicides to control invasive plants, such as tuftedhair-grass Deschampsia caespitosa, soft rush Juncuseffusus and bracken Pteridium aquilinum. If we usedit, we could not be sure of the damage we mightinadvertently cause to other life in the soil.

Next, we enlisted the help of some of Wales’ foremostnaturalists to help us target particular habitats,plants and animals for conservation. The likes ofQuentin Kay, John Savidge, Richard Smith, MauriceRotheroe, Kevin Davies, Jan Crowden and AlanOrange carried out surveys on plants, fungi, lichens,lepidoptera, mammals, amphibians, reptiles andbirds. Once we had developed an understanding ofthe ecological value of our fields, we had some moredecisions to make. Which fields needed the mosturgent attention? Which would benefit from cuttingand which needed grazing? When would we cut andwhen would we graze? What would we graze with?

We live in a target culture so it was time to settargets for each grassland type and then to definethe management to help us reach that target.

Hay makingBy tradition, species-rich wild flower meadows needto be cut for hay, and the biodiversity benefits oftaking a late cut, i.e. after mid July, are well known.

Traditional hay-making

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Many plant species that have declined in theirdistribution across Wales have time to grow andseed, ground nesting birds have time to breed,whilst a diverse range of insects and spiders providea rich larder for a long food chain including birds,amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

Here at the NBGW, we chose two potentially species-rich large meadows that had been cut for silage, tomanage as a traditional hay meadow. The first wasdirectly adjacent to the formal botanic garden, alocation that would provide us with great opportuni-ties for interpreting its story for NBGW visitors.

Initially, hay cutting and the removal of the cuttingsreduced the fertility of the soil. This helped to reducecoarse grass cover, which in turn allowed morewildflowers to establish. It is common for farms tocut the entire hay field in one go. While this is not aproblem for flowering plants it may be a problem tothe invertebrates living on the plants. This cut andremoval of all plant material removes the shelter andfood source in a very sudden upheaval. It is not justthe insects affected – small mammals and birds

suddenly have cover and feed material removed.With this in mind, we routinely left refuges of uncutmaterial in amongst the hay meadows, rotating thisarea from year to year.

One major problem we had was in deciding when,and to what extent, we should graze the hay meadow.Helpful advice was often contradictory. Should wegraze lightly or hard in spring, how late should wegraze, is it better to use cattle, sheep or horses?

We have now settled on a pattern. Spring cattle grazingkeeps the larger grasses in check whilst autumn cattlegrazing poaches the ground, providing opportunities forplant seeds to establish new territories.

An expanding floraSo what plants have arrived, or perhaps have re-emerged from seeds in the soil, given this treatment?

Initially, overgrown large clumps of Yorkshire fog,cocksfoot and soft rush were dominant and few wildflowers were visible. Now, finer grasses and wood-rushes are more dominant, allowing colourful patches

Lady’s smock

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of blue and purple flowered plants such as blackknapweed, self heal, betony, bugle and devil’s-bitscabious. These contrast with yellow rattle, meadowbuttercup, common cat’s-ear, autumn hawkbit,burnet-saxifrage, great burnet, stitchworts, pignut,meadow vetchling, vetches and pockets of commonspotted and greater butterfly orchids. Wet flushes areindicated by patches of ragged robin, greater birds-foot trefoil, lousewort, foxtail grasses, meadowsweet,fleabane, sedges and rushes. Lady’s smock attracts aprofusion of orange-tip butterflies in the spring.

The second hay meadow, located far from the formalbotanic garden, was much drier and was sheep-grazed in the spring and over winter, with an Augusthay cut. Before hay management, sorrel and coarsegrasses were dominant. Change has been moregradual here, but noticeably different from the otherhay meadow. Fine grasses, red clover, meadowbuttercup, hawkweeds, hawkbits, yarrow and yellowrattle are now flourishing and there are prominent,growing patches of heath-spotted orchid andlousewort. Buoyed by the success of these haymeadows, we now have plans to cut hay in otherfields over the next few years.

Cattle grazingMuch of the estate is cattle and sheep grazed

pasture. In the first years of ourgrazing management, it soonbecame obvious that sheepwere, true to their reputation,very fussy grazers. On introduc-ing them to a damp meadowwith little botanical interestapart from a few patches ofgreat burnet, we found theygrazed out the burnet in oneweekend - a hard lesson but thebest way to learn!

From our experiences with WelshBlacks, cattle do not appear tobe as selective and are good atpasture ‘topping’ – removingcoarse vegetation. If they are not

too heavily stocked, they can produce an interestingmosaic of grass heights, giving these fields a ‘rough’appearance where the clumps of long grass provide arefuge for invertebrates. A wide diversity of fine andcoarse grasses reflect the underlying soil type andhydrology, and on bright summer days the air can beheady and scented by the sweet vernal grass. Theflowering plants found here are quite tolerant oflower grazing pressure and include many plants thatare typical of Welsh pastures such as the whiteflowers of yarrow, plantain and pignut, and theyellows of buttercups, birds-foot trefoil and tormentil.

In wet areas cattle will trample and poach, which cancause damage to sensitive plants and create largebare areas into which invasive weeds can flourish.Bearing this in mind, some mild trampling by cattlefeet is not a bad thing as it allows seeds deeperdown in the soil to germinate and provides gaps fornew wildflower seeds to establish. Cattle are alsoused on these wet areas to keep down the invasivesoft rush. One of the most satisfying results of this isthe opportunity it has given for Carmarthenshire’scounty flower, whorled caraway, to thrive. Onceconfined to just the occasional patch, there are nowplaces that are covered in a white carpet of whorledcaraway blossom in July, looking like a summerblanket of snow.

Welsh blacks and the Great Glasshouse

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In our species-rich wettest meadows, whichapproximate most closely to the classic Welsh ‘rhospastures’, cattle help to limit the spread of invasivewillow and alder. This stops the land from drying outand provides a refuge for wet loving species such aspurple moor-grass, marsh cinquefoil, lesserspearwort, gypsywort, wild angelica, commonvalerian and marsh willowherb.

Sheep grazingThere are several well drained pastures in the centreof the farm estate where sheep grazing is doing avery good job. For most of the year these fields lookgreen and uninteresting but come the autumn, a richvariety of waxcap fungi dot the meadows in theirvivid colours of yellow, pink, orange, white, greenand red. A 2007 survey, financed by the CCWSpecies Challenge Fund, and largely carried out byDebbie Evans, Dr Phil Jones and local volunteers,found at least 18 species of waxcap Hygrocybe spp.on one outstanding hillside. Nestled amongst themare the more muted colours of the crazed capsDermoloma spp., pink gills Entoloma spp. andearthtongues Geoglossum spp., contrasting with the

more brightly coloured stems of club-shaped fungiClavaria spp. The presence of these fungi is a strongindicator of long-term non-intensive farmingpractices. Sheep grazing is essential to theircontinued presence as they do not like competitionat their fruiting time from long grasses. Heavy-footed, poaching cattle are kept away.

Staying healthyGrazing sheep on wet areas causes problems otherthan their preference for herbaceous plants. Theseare good breeding grounds for water snail Limnaeatruncatula which multiplies and spreads liver fluke,fatal to all sheep. Fluke also affects cattle but theyappear to be better able to cope with low levels ofinfection. Foot infections in sheep are alsoassociated with wet soils, leading to welfareproblems of lameness and continuous foot rot. Tohelp reduce these problems we restrict sheepgrazing to the drier well-drained hill tops and sides.Now, in an attempt to mitigate future sheep healthproblems in such a wet climate, we have decided totry a local rare breed, the Llanwenog, which shouldbe better adapted to local conditions. Numbers will

Milkwort

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be low as the only real need for sheep grazing is tomaintain the waxcap pastures.

On reflectionThe eight years we have spent managing thegrasslands by grazing and hay making have not beensimple and we are learning the importance of thecorrect grazing mouths for particular situations.Needless to say we have had to learn quickly and beprepared to make mistakes. No one year is the sameand with our low stocking rates we are often under-grazing in quick growing wet summers.

One thing we have definitely learned is that the careof wild flower meadows is a very active one - if leftwith no management they quickly deteriorate andbecome invaded with coarse weeds and scrub.

The futureWe are turning our attention to what we can achievewith cattle grazing on some of the moreagriculturally improved fields. It may take a longtime to see results but we would like to createinvertebrate havens of clumpy grassland with varying

heights of grass cover whilst using mild poaching tosupply areas suitable for seeds to root into.

What is certain is that we now need to monitor tomake sure our management is correct and we areproviding the right conditions for all these wonderfulplants to thrive. This will be greatly helped by therecent recruitment of Dr. Natasha DeVere to theNBGW team. A conservation botanist, she will help tosupervise detailed surveys of the grasslands to makesure that our management is increasing the diversityof wildflowers. As part of this she will create maps ofall the grasslands showing the type of plantcommunities present, using the National VegetationClassification system. This is a way of describing all ofthe different groups of plants present in an area.Surveys will be repeated regularly so that we can keepa close eye on changes within the plant communities.

Come and have a lookAs part of the NBGW, the farm actively welcomesvisitors. We want people to come and enjoy being inthe Welsh countryside and to appreciate the featuresthat make it so special. We want to help our visitors to

Greater butterfly orchid in flower-rich meadow

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learn about the Welsh native flora, the habitats thatsustain them and their impact on other biodiversity.From this we want to encourage visitors to help toconserve the Welsh flora in an informed, responsible way.

For the past two years, fingerpost signage, a kissinggate and mown paths have allowed visitors to walkthrough our most established hay meadow. As thisroute also passes through a patch of woodland anda hedge lined lane, we’ve called it the ‘Welsh CountryWalk’. But in 2008 we are planning to open up thewhole farm estate area. There will be clearlywaymarked choices of footpath, well interpretedinformation points and trail leaflets.

We also have an ambition to convert one of thederelict smallholder farms into an interpretation /education centre, where the next generation ofnaturalists and conservationists can come and learnabout organic farming for wildlife. By then, we wouldhave learnt so much more.

Visiting informationAccess to the organic farm is through the BotanicGardens. Open every day except Christmas Day,opening hours are 10-6 during the summer, 10-5

Amaethu mewn GarddBu’n stâd, yn barcdir, ac yna’n saith daliad fferm a thrwy’rcyfan llwyddodd glaswelltiroedd Gardd Fotaneg GenedlaetholCymru i gynnal planhigion a chynefinoedd sydd bellach ynbrin yn ein cefn gwlad. Dros yr wyth mlynedd ddiwethaf, agyda chyngor arbenigwyr ar gynefinoedd a rhywogaethau, aedati i reoli a gwella cyflwr y tiroedd hyn ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt.

Nid oes unrhyw gemegolion yn cael eu rhoi ar y tir.Dewiswyd dau gae sylweddol i fod yn weirgloddiau ac ar ôlsefydlu patrwm o gynaeafu ar ddiwedd Gorffennaf a phori yny gwanwyn a’r hydref, mae’r llystyfiant yn datblygu i fod ynfwy amrywiol. Gwelir blodau nodweddiadol fel y bengaled,cribau San Ffraid a thamaid y cythraul ynghyd â rhai mwyanghyffredin fel tegeirianau llydanwyrdd. Mae planhigion felerwain a physen y ceirw mawr yn tyfu yn y mannau gwlyb.Caiff patshyn gwahanol o wair ei gadw’n hir bob blwyddyn ar

gyfer mamaliaid a thrychfilod.

Ar laswelltiroedd llaith eraill mae gwartheg yn helpu gwanhau’rfrwynen babwyr ac atal lledaeniad gwern a helyg. Drwy sathru’rtir maen nhw hefyd yn creu cyflyrau delfrydol ar gyfer y garwydroellennog - blodyn Sir Gaerfyrddin. Mae defaid ynddefnyddiol yn y caeau lle mae’r capiau cwyr yn tyfu gan maitywarchen fer sydd angen ar y ffyngau hyn. Bwriedir cadwdefaid Llanwenog i’r diben hwn, oherwydd eu bod nhw’ndebygol o ymdopi’n well gyda chyflyrau a allai droi’n gynyddolac yn gyffredinol yn fwy gwlyb dros y blynyddoedd nesaf.

Mae rheoli’r tir yn dal i fod yn broses o ddysgu ac maemonitro’n hanfodol os am lwyddo. Y gobaith hefyd yw rhoicyfle i ymwelwyr ddysgu am yr hyn sy’n digwydd fel y gallanthwy yn eu tro helpu gwarchod bywyd gwyllt Cymru.

during the winter. Check our website:www.gardenofwales.org for up-to-date admissionprices. The National Botanic Garden of Wales issituated 10 mins from the M4 and ¼ mile from theA48 in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales, midwaybetween Cross Hands and Carmarthen.

Tim Bevan manages the National Botanic Gardenfarm estate, and Bruce Langridge is the Garden’sInterpretation Officer.

Waxcaps

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Mae diddordeb SARAHJONES yn yr amgylcheddyn dyddio nôl i’wphlentyndod ar fferm yngngogledd Cymru. Cafodd eihysbrydoli gan brofiadaubyd natur yn agos at adre’ac ymhellach i ffwrdd. Ondyma yng Nghymru y maehi wedi dewis aros ac yn yrerthygl hon mae’n disgri-fio’i swydd ar hyn o brydac yn rhannu eibrwdfrydedd am weithioym myd cadwraeth.

Cynefin llygoden bengron y dŵr, Afon DwyrydWater vole habitat, Afon Dwyryd

Y BeiliBrwdfrydig

Trafaeliais y byd, ei led a’i hyd - a dod yn ôl i fod yn Feili afon gydagAsiantaeth yr Amgylchedd yng Nghymru!

Feddyliais i erioed mai dyma beth fyddwn i yn ei wneud - yn wir, faswn iddim wedi gwybod, pan oeddwn i yn yr ysgol, beth yn union oeddgwaith beili afon. Ond petawn i heb wrando ar fy mam yn fy siarsio ia’m brawd i gofio ein trwyddedau genweirio pan oedden ni’n mynd allani bysgota mae’n bosib y byddwn i wedi dysgu yn llawer cynt!

‘Swyddog Troseddu Amgylcheddol’ yw teitl llawn fy swydd a bellach rwyfwedi bod yn ymhél â’r gwaith hwn ers pedair blynedd. Fy mhrifddyletswyddau yw gwarchod ein hafonydd rhag effaith niweidiolpysgotwyr a rhai sy’n llygru dyfroedd Cymru. Yn y gorffennol - ac ymhellcyn fy amser i - ystyriwyd bod gan unrhyw un yr hawl i ddefnyddio pabynnag ddull y mynnai i gymryd eogiaid a brithyllod o’r dŵr i fwydo’ideulu. Mae poblogaethau’r pysgod mudol hyn wedi lleihau’n ddirfawrerbyn hyn ac mae llawer llai o’r potsieriaid ‘traddodiadol’ ar hyd y lle.Ychydig o bobl sy’n dwyn pysgod heddiw i fwydo’u teuluoedd,

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adain gwastraff y TîmTroseddu. Gweithiaf yn aml âswyddogion Cyllid a ThollauEi Mawrhydi ym MhorthladdCaergybi, gan gadw golwg arfaint o wastraff anghyfre-ithlon a fewnforir i Gymru.

Nid peth diweddar yw’rdiddordeb sydd gen i yn yramgylchedd. Bu Ted BreeseJones, y naturiaethwr enwog,yn ddylanwad mawr arnaf ; yfo oedd yn gyfrifol am fynghyflwyno i’r tylluanodgwynion ar y fferm gartref ahyd heddiw dwi’n dal i gadw

golwg ar yr aderyn godidog hwn. Cefais anogaethhefyd gan filfeddyg lleol yn Nolgellau, sef MikeDallimore, a ddysgodd i mi sut i ofalu am adarysglyfaethus clwyfedig neu sâl. ‘Dwi’n dal i fod ynfalch o allu cynnig cymorth i filfeddygon lleol i ddeliogydag adar ysglyfaethus sy’n dod i’w gofal.

Bu profiadau gwaith, ar ôl gadael coleg yn sbardunpellach. Bûm yn warden tymhorol ar Lyn Tegid gydaPharc Cenedlaethol Eryri am gyfnod, a chael cyfle igynorthwyo gyda gwaith arolwg ar rywogaethau felllygoden bengron y dwr a’r dyfrgi. Dysgais lawer amy creadur olaf hwn drwy ymaelodi â PhartneriaethDyfrgwn Dwyryd a’r Grwp Llywio ar Ffyrdd aDyfrgwn. Gweld dyfrgwn yn gelain ar ochr y lôn ybyddwn i yn amlach na heb, a fy ngwaith oedd codi’rcyrff a’u gyrru at Brifysgol Caerdydd ar gyferarchwiliad post mortem, er mwyn canfod lefel yllygredd ynddynt. Roedd hyn yn allweddol gan maillygredd fu’n gyfrifol am achosi’r lleihad trychinebusyn niferoedd dyfrgwn yn y gorffennol.

Mae poblogaeth y dyfrgwn yng ngogledd Cymru argynnydd bellach, ond rwy’n dal i ymddiddoriynddynt a chymryd rhan yn y gwaith o’u gwarchod.Rydym yn canfod mwy o genawon amddifad syddangen gofal ac yn ystod y flwyddyn neu ddwyddiwethaf cefais y pleser o achub nifer o ddyfrgwnamddifad, clwyfedig neu sâl. Dwi ddim am godi

ond bellach mae gangiau o ddrwgweithredwyrtrefnus o gwmpas y lle sydd â’u bryd ar ddal eogiaida brithyll afon i wneud elw mawr.

Yn aml nid yw pobl yn sylweddoli pa rymoedd syddgan Feilïaid Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd. Mewngwirionedd, mae gennym ni holl hawliau swyddogHeddlu. O dan Ddeddf Pysgodfeydd Eogiaid a DŵrCroyw 1975, ‘rydym yn gwnstabliaid a gallwn arestioa dal y rhai y tybiwn eu bod yn pysgota’nanghyfreithlon. Byddwn yn rheolaidd, fel rhan o’ngwaith, yn treulio nosweithiau hir yn cuddio mewnllwyni a gwrychoedd, gan ddisgwyl i botsiar gyrraedda dechrau chwilio am bysgod. Mae dillad cuddliw ynhanfodol i’m gwaith weithiau, yn ogystal â theles-gopau sy’n caniatáu i ni weld gyda’r nos, gwasgodaugwrth-drywanu, ffyn a gefynnau - yn union yr un fathâ heddweision.

Yma yng Ngogledd Cymru ’rydym yn dîm o saithbeili, yn gwarchod yr holl ardal o Fôn i Ddyfi a drawat y Ddyfrdwy. Dibynnwn lawer ar y wybodaeth agawn gan enweirwyr lleol ac aelodau’r cyhoedd; hebeu cymorth hwy byddai’n gwaith yn llawer anoddach,os nad yn amhosibl. Mae’r wybodaeth allweddol honyn caniatáu i ni ganolbwyntio ein hymdrechion llebo’u hangen nhw fwyaf.

Weithiau caf wneud gwaith gwahanol, gan gynorthwyo

Afon Dyfrdwy ac Afon Alun yn cyfarfod â’i gilydd • Convergence of the rivers Dee and Alun

DavidHatcher

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gwrychyn fy nghyd-enweirwyr, ond wir ichi, mae dyfrgwn ifanc yn ddel acweithiau’n annwyl, ac wrth gwrs does dimgwadu bod dyfrgwn yn arwydd o afoniach. Pan fyddaf yn derbyn dyfrgi, y pethcyntaf y byddaf yn ei wneud yw ei fwydo -ond gyda physgod o archfarchnad ynhytrach nag o’r afon agosaf, er mwyngwarchod y stociau lleol o bysgod! Os

yw’n iach, caiff ei gasglu gan swyddog lleol y Gymdeithas Frenhinol ErGwarchod Anifeiliaid a’i gludo i ganolfan yn y New Forest. Ni chaiff eiryddhau hyd nes y bydd wedi ymgryfhau yn llwyr, ac wedyn bydd yn caelei ollwng yn y fan lle’i cafwyd. Dyma’r adeg pan nad yw dyfrgi yn ddelnac yn annwyl o gwbl, na chwaith yn hawdd ei reoli! Lawer gwaith bubron i mi gael fy mrathu a’m crafu gan ddyfrgi a oedd yn frwd iawn iddychwelyd i’w gynefin!

Braf yw gweithio ym myd cadwraeth yn agos at adref, ond f’aswn i ddimam y byd wedi colli’r profiad o deithio i wledydd eraill i weld peth o’rbywyd gwyllt mewn mannau eraill, a rhannu’r profiad hwnnw gyda phobleraill drwy gyfrwng rhaglenni teledu ar S4C. Bûm yn ddigon ffodus idreulio pythefnos ar gwrs yn Moholoholo yn rhanbarth gogleddol DeAffrica yn dysgu sut i fod yn geidwad gwahanol helfilod fel llewod,llewpardiaid ac amryw o adar ysglyfaethus - a chael fy ffilmio yngwneud. Arweiniodd hyn at gyfleoedd eraill ym myd y teledu i deithio ileoedd fel Sri Lanka, Mecsico, a’r Arctig a gwneud llu o wahanol bethau– fel marchogaeth estrys, ail-leoli anifeiliaid gwyllt, dilyn trywyddllewpardiaid, gweld eliffantod amddifad, plymio ar greigres gwrel arhyddhau crwbanod môr gwyrdd yn ôl i’r gwyllt. Dygais lawer am waithmudiadau eraill fel Ymddiriedolaeth ‘Born Free’ a ‘Global VisionInternational’ sydd oll yn gweithio mor ddygn i ddysgu pobl am warchodcynefinoedd a rhywogaethau bregus a hefyd yn gwneud gwaithymarferol ardderchog eu hunain. Mae’r atgofion yn wefreiddiol - ogyfoeth y cynefin tanfor yn nyfroedd cynnes Mecsico i’r daith drosdwndra rhewllyd yr Arctig mewn hofrennydd lle gallwn weld pa morerwin yw cynefin yr eirth gwynion rhyfeddol sy’n wynebu dyfodol moransicr bellach yn wyneb y newidiadau yn yr hinsawdd.

Ond ‘does unman yn debyg i gartref. A bellach dwi’n mwynhau einhamgylchedd ardderchog ni yma yng Nghymru. Does dim yn well nacherdded ar hyd glan afon a gweld y bywyd gwyllt amrywiol sy’n byw o’ncwmpas fan hyn. Un o brofiadau gorau’r flwyddyn i mi yw gweld eogenfawr, sydd wedi nofio milltiroedd lawer ar gefnfor agored, wedi teithioar hyd aber ac wedyn wedi dilyn afon er mwyn silio yn nentydd mân ybryniau. Pan fydda i’n gweld golygfeydd o’r fath, hawdd yw anghofio’rnosweithiau hir ac oer o ddisgwyl potsieriaid!

The Water-watcherPoachers aren’t what they used tobe. No longer is it a case of ‘one forthe pot’, but of ‘lots for profit’.Today’s river bailiffs need to keep acareful look out for organised gangsof environmental criminals, andoften have to spend long uncomfort-able nights staked out on riverbanks. Few people realise perhapsthat river bailiffs have the samepowers of arrest as police officers,and the equipment they carry isvirtually identical.

Sarah Jones’ lifelong passion forwildlife has taken her from her homein Gwynedd to places as far flung asSouth Africa, Mexico and the Arctic.She has witnessed natural wildlifespectacles and enjoyed sharingthem with others through themedium of television programmes.But her home environment is secondto none; her involvement with localinitiatives brings her into closecontact with wild creatures such asotters and birds of prey and herwork allows her to witness theexcitement of our own wildlifewonders, such as the return of anadult salmon to its spawning groundeach year.

John

Robinson

Hebog yr ehedyddHobby

636

Bosherston Lakes (or Lily Ponds as they are commonly referred to) area series of man-made lakes at the heart of the National Trust’s

Stackpole Estate in south Pembrokeshire. They extend over an area ofapproximately 30 hectares within the Stackpole National Nature Reserve,managed by the National Trust (NT) in partnership with the CountrysideCouncil for Wales (CCW). Created principally as a landscape feature, thelakes now support nature conservation features of European importance,including otters and aquatic vegetation, notably the well-known water liliesand large beds of stonewort Chara hispida (an uncommon plant in Wales).

The lakes lie in a system of three wooded valleys extending inland into alimestone plateau from the beach at Broad Haven South. From the endof the last Ice Age until the mid-eighteenth century these valleyscontained spring-fed streams, fringed by swamp and woodland, flowinginto a tidal creek bordered by salt marsh and dunes. The Campbells ofCawdor, who owned the estate from 1689 to 1976, created the lakeswith a series of dams between approximately 1760 and 1840.

Chara and roach shoal

In at thedeep endrestoring open waterat Bosherston Lakes

Sometimes drasticaction is called for tore-start the processes ofnatural succession andsave a much-loved andvaluable landscape. Theupper reach ofBosherston lakeswestern arm was in-filling, and becoming aswamp; could a hugeproblem be turned into avaluable resource forlocal farmers?BOB HAYCOCK andIAN BENNETT decided totry to restore the area,and lived to tell the tale.

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stream-fed silt, flowing into the lake during periodsof heavy rainfall. Much of this is due to soil erosionfrom steep-sided valleys and adjacent farmland,where the limestone borders a ridge of old redsandstone at the head of the Lakes Eastern Arm.The effects of this are especially evident at the headsof the valleys where open water is gradually beingreplaced by expanding swamp and woodland.

Maintaining an open water landscape - the challengeThe lakes have been extensively studied over thelast 30 years, including bathymetric surveys,measurements of hydrology and water chemistry andchanges in vegetation. From such work we know thatthe lakes are becoming increasingly shallow leading to adecline in nature conservation and landscape interests.

By 2006, a one-hectare pool (at the top of the LakesWestern Arm, below Bosherston village) previouslysupporting attractive water lilies, was quicklydeveloping into swamp. This area, crossed by anarrow causeway, is one of the first places peoplecome into contact with the lakes' wildlife and scenicinterests. Local people and visitors to the area werebecoming concerned about lake levels and the degreeof sedimentation in this area. Because of itsimportance, in both landscape and conservationterms, it was realised that something had to be done.

There were basically only two options to consider -leave alone allowing natural processes to continue, orremove (by an appropriate method) a large volume ofsediment, which had been accumulating over some

Bosherston Lakes and western arm

Today, the lakes are a popular visitor destination. Thearea is visited by more than a third of a millionpeople per year. The majority use a network offootpaths around the shoreline connected to nearbycar parks. The lakes are also a popular coarse fishingattraction during the fishing season.

Lake water levels were originally controlled by anelaborate system of valves and sluices, which mayhave enabled sections of the lake to be de-silted atintervals. This system fell into neglect and disuseduring the early twentieth century, and hadaltogether ceased to function by the time theNational Trust took over in 1976. As a result, partsof the lake system have been gradually infilling overthe years, through natural sedimentary processesfrom rotting lake vegetation. This is exacerbated by

Allimages:Bob

Haycock

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150 years or more. Because of the area’s importanceas an open water feature, the decision was made torestore it and its associated nature conservationinterests. Removal was going to be a major task,requiring considerable resources and planning, aproject that would take almost two years to complete.

Formulating the planWe had previously observed suction dredging of siltduring the restoration of Barton Broad in Norfolk, soit seemed useful to consider a similar approach. Asuction-pumping demonstration was organised onone of five silt-trap pools upstream of the lakesystem. We quickly realised that sucking out thesediment would not only be fairly time-consuming,but would require a large area of land to holdnecessary settlement lagoons. The steep topographyof the area posed severe limitations.

It was clear that the most appropriate and cost-effective option would be to mechanically dig out thesediment. A similar method had been employed adecade ago to de-silt a smaller pool at the head ofthe Bosherston Lakes Eastern Arm. This would be a

messy operation, but if done at the driest time of theyear in the autumn, we hoped to minimise potentialimpact to wildlife and visitors.

The next stage was to meet contractors on site, tomake sure that proposed methods would beachievable and within a projected budget limit.Before the plan could be finalised, we were veryaware of a duty to inform local residents of theproject and how it could possibly affect them, andexplore the hoped for benefits.

It was helpful at this time that the NT appointed aCommunity Liaison Officer. Meetings were set up atthe local pub in Bosherston to outline the plans,involving the Area Warden. The response was veryencouraging. We promised to provide regularprogress reports. This was done through strategicallyplaced notices, leaflets delivered to individualhouseholds, and press releases.

Where would we put the stuff?We obviously needed a disposal site. The Trust’s landholding in the area was not well suited to take much

Chara hispida bed, western arm of Bosherston Lakes, August 2005

39

of it. Simon Davies, a tenant farmer closest to thesite was contacted. He was extremely receptive,provided his landlord approved. This being the case,two field options were offered - one, immediatelyabove the lakes, the other some 800 metres away.We opted for the latter - not only was it slightlylarger, but there would be minimal risk of run-off intothe lake. This area of land was on fairly shallow soil,the fertility of which could hopefully be improvedthrough a topping of rich, organic lake sediment.

By spring in 2006 we had a working method, theapproval of local people, and had identified suitableland to deposit the sediment but we still had anumber of things to do. Most importantly, thisincluded obtaining Environment Agency consent andSSSI approval from CCW. We also had to ensure thatimportant geological and archaeological featureswould not be damaged.

Local Environment Agency (EA) staff were extremelyhelpful, guiding us through quite a lengthy processtowards achieving consent. Samples of sediment hadto be analysed, to make sure there were nocontaminants. Similarly, soil samples from the

potential receptor fieldhad to be analysed todetermine compatibilityof soil type with theorganic sediment.Following receipt ofchemical analyticalreports, an independentagronomist then had tointerpret the results,and produce aCertificate ofAgricultural Benefit,plus a Pollution RiskAssessment. Armed withall the necessaryreports, it was nowpossible to submit tothe EA form WMX7(notification of anexempt activity) land

treatment for agricultural benefit or ecologicalimprovement. It took several weeks to get therequired information together but approval wasfinally given.

To reach the receptor field, dumpers would have totransport the sediment some 200 metres along anarrow country road on the edge of Bosherstonvillage. So, consultation with Pembrokeshire CountyCouncil Highways Authority was necessary for adviceon managing spillage, traffic management, the levelof road-sweeping needed and so on.

At last the work commencesThe preliminaries took approximately 4-5 months tocomplete, but on 16th October a large trackedexcavator and five dumper trucks arrived on site andthe work commenced. Loads of very wet sediment(estimated to be 60-70% water) slowly made theirway up a steep, narrow track, across a field andalong the road into the receptor field 800 metresaway. Even though we were experiencing a dry spellof weather, water depth was higher than anticipated.It was quickly realised that the machinery could nottravel very far into the lake. Crunch time! If we were

Keeping visitors informed about progress

to continue, a lakeside access track would have to becreated so that dumper trucks unable to drive downthe lakebed could be loaded. In addition, a largepump was installed to lower the water level. This waskept going for 24 hours a day during the duration ofthe work. Without these modifications, we would havehad to abandon the project.

Over the next eight days the work proceeded well;and then the rains came. Conditions deteriorated andaccess to the receptor field became impossible. TheEA were again consulted and approval was given totemporarily store sediment to allow it to dry out on analternative area of land, in NT ownership, closer tothe site but further up the valley. A bund was createdto prevent run-off. When dry, this material would bespread in an approved field location the following year.

After a further two weeks even this area was close to

capacity. By now lake levels were rising as winter rainsset in, so we had to stop work until the following year.By November 2006, we estimated that more than9000 cubic metres of lake sediment had been removed.

Work recommenced in autumn 2007. First we had toremove a deep layer of now dried rich, dark sedimentfrom the valley upstream. Having been very pleasedwith the material provided in 2006, Simon Davieswas happy to use the stored material - offering anarea of set-aside land, which was to be ploughedsoon. More soil-tests followed; by now we were prettyconversant with the procedures! Dried sediment wasmuch easier to handle and dispose of. At first it wasspread by large tractor-pulled muck-spreaders,though it proved more efficient to spread byexcavator. Having successfully spread all the driedmaterial, excavation of the remaining in situ sedimentcontinued, along similar lines to 2006, filling thevalley bottom again. The operation was refinedthrough installation of two large pumps to lower thewater levels. The contractor provided larger capacitytrailers with big, low ground-pressure tyres. Thisallowed further access into the water, and the remain-ing sediment was removed over the next three weeks,well within time and budget.

What have we learned?We considerably underestimated the volume ofsediment in the lake, and the area required to disposeof it. We calculate that around 15,000 cubic metres ofmaterial was removed. This has been replaced by anequivalent amount of water, which should help retainthe overall lake water levels in summer.

Working on a lakebed of unknown and irregulartopography was certainly challenging. We identified anatural deep band of clay, half way down, as well as afew previously unknown springs.

Lake levels were quickly restored. Over the last yearor so, lake flora and fauna have started to recover,although it may be a few more years before waterlilies become re-established.

Communication with the local community at every

40

The start of the de-silting project

stage of the project was critical to its success.Visitors to the area and the local community haveexpressed their appreciation of the work done andcan see the benefits.

Clearly, major intervention of this kind is not onlycostly and subjective, but if we are to maintain thelakes (in themselves a man-made landscape) as animportant visitor attraction and for their nature

conservation values, large-scaleworks are some times needed. Thetotal cost of all the work, includingdisposal, analyses, consents, andthe agronomist’s report was£56,000 (an average of £3.75 percubic metre).

The project helped raise the profileof bigger issuesaffecting the lakes' future, such aswater-loss, impacts of modernfarming practices in the catchmentand possible impacts of climatechange. Above all it provided agood example of a multi-agencypartnership approach and the

benefit of working with local farmers to recyclenatural organic materials. The benefit to the farmlandhas been recognised by other members of thefarming community, some of whom have expressedan interest in being involved with similar future work.

Bob Haycock is CCW’s Senior Reserves Manager,Stackpole NNR and Ian Bennett is NT’s AreaWarden, South Pembrokeshire.

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Water lily flower

Troi’r cloc yn ôlNôl yn y 18-19fed G y crëwyd llynnoedd Bosherston, yn neSir Benfro a hynny drwy godi cyfres o argaeau ar drawsnentydd mewn tri chwm coediog y tu ôl i draeth Broad Haven.

Mae’r llynnoedd 30 hectar hyn yn hynod o boblogaidd, a hefydyn rhyngwladol bwysig oherwydd eu dyfrgwn a’u planhigiondyfrol. Ond mae’r diddordeb yn dirywio oherwydd bod yllynnoedd wedi bod yn llenwi’n raddol dros y blynyddoeddgyda gweddillion planhigion a llifwaddod o dir fferm cyfagos.

Nid ar chwarae bach y penderfynwyd carthu’r llyn islawpentref Bosherston, lle’r oedd y dwr agored yn troi’n gors.Roedd rhaid ystyried pa ddull i’w ddefnyddio, cost acamseriad y gwaith, yr effaith ar fywyd gwyllt, archeoleg acymwelwyr ac roedd angen llecyn diogel i wared gwerth 150mlynedd (15,000 m³) o waddodion.

Er y cynllunio gofalus, cododd problemau annisgwyl. Erenghraifft, oherwydd dyfnder annisgwyl y dwr bu rhaiddefnyddio pwmp yn ddi-baid i ostwng y lefel cyn carthu.Roedd angen safle llawer mwy o faint na’r un a ddewiswyd istorio’r gwaddodion ac roedd glaw y gaeaf yn gymaint orwystr nes bu rhaid hollti’r gwaith dros ddwy flynedd.

Dysgwyd gwersi pwysig, yn enwedig pa mor allweddol yw hi igyfathrebu’n gyson gyda’r gymuned leol. Mae’r prosiect wedibod o fudd i’r bywyd gwyllt ond llwyddodd hefyd i godiymwybyddiaeth o bynciau ehangach ynghlwm wrth amaethumewn dalgylch dwr ac o newid hinsawdd. Bu’n gymorth hefydi wella cydweithrediad gyda ffermwyr lleol sydd bellach yngweld manteision mewn ailgylchu deunydd organaidd i wellacyflwr pridd.

42

Natur DrefolCymru drefol ac ôl-ddiwydiannol ywlle mae’r mwyafrif ohonom ni yn byw.Ambell waith neilltuwyd y ffaith hongan gadwraethwyr, nid ydynt wastadyn gwerthfawrogi cyfoethogrwydd ybywyd gwyllt yn yr ardaloedd trefol,ac yn arbennig yr hyn mae’n ei olygui bobl. Yn gynharach eleni trefnwydcynhadledd gan NATUR (SefydliadRheolaeth Cefn Gwlad a ChadwraethCymru) i amlygu cyfoethogrwydd yramgylchedd trefol, ac i gael golwg ary cysylltiadau rhwng pobl a naturyng Nghymru drefol.

Ymhlith y siaradwyr roedd MathewFrith o’r ‘Peabody Trust’. AtgoffoddMathew ni fod dealltwriaeth pobl ofioamrywiaeth byd-eang yn rhagoriar eu dealltwriaeth o’r hyn sydd argarreg eu drws; dadleuodd y dylai’ramgylchedd naturiol fod wrth galoncynllunio trefol. Bu Kevin Peberdy o’r‘Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’ yn sônam y potensial sydd i weld gwellhadmewn bioamrywiaeth o fewnamgylcheddau trefol. Gall adferiadgwlypdiroedd mewn ardaloedd trefolchwarae rhan allweddol yn ail-gysylltu pobl gyda bywyd gwyllt drwyddod â natur yn nes atynt.

Ni ddylid anghofio fod posib i gyfranhelaeth o bobl fod yn anymwybodolo fywyd gwyllt trefol ac y dylem nifel cadwraethwyr fod yn gwneudmwy i geisio darganfod ffyrdd oalluogi pobl i gymryd diddordeb ynyr hyn sydd o’u cwmpas. Cafwydenghreifftiau gwych o hyn gan DaveHorton gyda Chymunedau’n Gyntafa’r prosiect ‘Dewch Allan’ a NiaAdamson gyda ‘Mapio Gwyrdd’. I fod

yn llwyddiannus, mae angen sgiliaucyfathrebu ar gadwraethwyr, ynenwedig brwdfrydedd, arloesiad,anogaeth a dealltwriaeth oanghenion cymdeithasol.

Ble bynnag fo pobl, ni fyddent oangenrheidrwydd yn gweld natur taneu bod yn y mynyddoedd; ym mhobman arall dim ond ‘pethau’ sydd ynoydyw.

Mae angen sgiliau penodol i weldpethau fel y gwêl eraill hwy, ynhytrach na thybio mai dyna sy’nbwysig i Gymru neu beth syddangen cael ei wneud ymhle. Gall fodrhesymau ansawdd bywyd achynhwysiad cymdeithasol llesol igael pobl i feddwl am eu bydnaturiol. Rydym ni yn gwybod ambwysigrwydd natur, ond ni allwnwneud i bobl deimlo'r un fath;cyrraedd yma’n ‘naturiol’ wnaethomni felly mae angen i ni greucyfleoedd i eraill yn yr ardaloeddhyn wneud yr un fath. Bydd y dullyma yn amlygu sialensiau a byddangen sgiliau creadigol, hyblyg arheolaeth prosiect arloesol.

Gorfodir ni gan y diffiniad i feddwl adychmygu’r tirwedd tu hwnt igadwraeth natur; golyga trefol boblac ôl-ddiwydiannol yr arwyddion o’rhyn yr arferem ei wneud. Ymateb ihyn yn y ffordd orau posib mae natur.

Mae NATUR yn sefydliad newyddsy’n bodoli er budd gweithwyrproffesiynol ym maes rheolaeth cefngwlad a chadwraeth yng Nghymru.Prif amcan NATUR yw cyfrannu at

ddarparu a chynnal gweithlu proffe-siynol medrus ar gyfer Cymru.

Am fwy o wybodaeth cysylltwchgyda’r Swyddog Datblygu neugweler y wefan www.natur.eu.comGwenno Griffith,Ffôn: 01766 510 132,gwenno.griffiths@nationaltrust.org.uk

DIGWYDDIADAU YN Y DYFODOLGwyliwch allan am rai o'r digwyddi-adau sydd gan NATUR ar y gweill:

• Hydref 2008:Cynhadledd Morol & Arfordirol

• Gwanwyn 2009:Cynhadledd Diwylliant & Natur

Swyddfa NATUR:Craflwyn, Beddgelert, Caernarfon,Gwynedd LL55 4NG

John

Little

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Urban NatureUrban and post-industrial Wales iswhere most of us live.Conservationists sometimesoverlook that fact, and don’t alwaysappreciate the richness of wildlife inurban areas, and what this meansto people. Earlier this year NATUR(The Welsh Institute of Countrysideand Conservation Management)organised a conference to highlightthe richness of the urbanenvironment, and to explore theconnections between people andnature in urban Wales.

Amongst the speakers was MathewFrith from the Peabody Trust.Matthew brought home the messagethat most people have a greaterunderstanding of global taxa thanwhat’s there on their doorsteps, andargued that the natural environmentshould be at the heart of urbandesign. Kevin Peberdy from theWildfowl and Wetlands Trust gave an

insight into the potential forbiodiversity enhancements withinurban environments. The restorationof wetlands in urban areas can playa big part in re-connecting peoplewith wildlife and also make it moreaccessible to them.

We must not forget that a lot ofpeople might be unaware of urbanwildlife and that we asconservationists should be doingmore to find ways of enabling peopleto take an interest in what’s aroundthem. Dave Horton gave some greatexamples of this with CommunitiesFirst and the Come Outside projectand Nia Adamson with GreenMapping. To be successful,conservationists needcommunications and people skills,especially enthusiasm, innovation,encouragement and anunderstanding of social needs.

Wherever people are, they don’tnecessarily recognise any natureuntil they’re in a reserve or in thehills; everywhere else it’s just ‘stuff’that’s there.

A distinctive set of skills is neededto see things as others see them,rather than relying on pre-conceivednotions of what’s important to Walesor what needs to be done where.There might be very good quality oflife and social inclusion reasons toget people thinking about theirnatural world. We know howimportant nature is, but we cannotmake others feel the same; we’vecome to it ‘naturally’ so we need toprovide the means for people inthese areas to do likewise. And this‘uncontained’ approach will throw upits own challenges, so skills in

creative, flexible and innovativeproject management are needed.

The definition forces us to think andimagine the landscape beyond justnature conservation; urban meanspeople and post-industrial meanssigns of what we used to do. Naturejust responds to this as best it can.

NATUR is the new Institute thatexists for professional workers in thecountryside and conservationmanagement field in Wales.NATUR’s main aim is to contributetowards and maintain a highlyskilled professional workforce forWales.

For more information contact theDevelopment Officer or see thewebsite www.natur.eu.comGwenno Griffith,Phone: 01766 510 132gwenno.griffith@nationaltrust.org.uk

FUTURE EVENTSLook out for other events thatNATUR will be organising:

• Autumn 2008:Marine & Coastal Conference

• Spring 2009:Culture & Nature Conference

NATUR Office:Craflwyn, Beddgelert,Caernarfon,GwyneddLL55 4NG

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SEDGES OF THEBRITISH ISLESAC Jermy, DASimpson, MJYFoley & MSPorterBSBI London,2007

The first volume of BSBI Handbookson difficult groups of plantsappeared in 1968. Its purpose wasto aid the identification of sedges,and its approach was experimental.The experiment was well received,getting the series off to a crackingstart.

I now have three editions of this firsthandbook on my shelves. That firstvolume, my favourite, fits easily intothe pocket, runs to two hundredpages and covers 69 species. It hasbeen out on numerous field trips tonice places, which is where you findsedges.

That is why you want to becomeacquainted with them. There issomething satisfying about knowingyour sedges; they tell you much thehabitat you are in. They are not alldifficult, either. Pendulous sedgeCarex pendula grows in my gardenas a weed. You can’t miss thisjumbo-sized sedge, finger-lengthtassel spikes reaching chest heightand hanging heavy with seeds whichonce formed part of the diet of earlysettlers in these islands. Thehandbook helps with the morecritical species.

The second volume added 68 pages,or 34%, and 4 species, had a glossycover and a spine which has fadedin the sun, but does the job it setout to do very well. Now we come to

the current edition. It looks exactlylike its predecessors, same title,same cover, but this time we have a600-page volume, which is far fromhandy. By including non-sedges inthe cyperaceae, like cotton-grassesand spike-rushes, it manages toextend the list to 106 species, andthrows in 50 hybrids for goodmeasure. That’s inflation.

Size isn’t everything – indeed moreis often less. I don’t think thisvolume will do nearly such a goodjob at encouraging the timid to getstuck into sedges, and I’m not sureit really is a handbook any more. Itsfocus is narrow, but its detail huge -this is a general trend I havewatched in nature conservation withanxiety. However in its technicaldetail and the quality of its editing itis masterly, and there will be anaudience out there which willwelcome and make good use of it.Before embarking on a fourthedition, I hope BSBI tries a new‘experimental approach’; andperhaps there’s room for a non-technical book about sedges, lest weforget what nice plants they are.

James Robertson

A BOOST FOR WILD MEADOWS!Wild meadows, colourful grasslandsfull of wild flowers and insects,provide a fundamental life-supportsystem for birds and other wildanimals. They are among Britain'smost threatened wildlife habitats,and now occupy less than 3.3% ofthe Welsh countryside. Thesemeadows are a source of greatbeauty and abundant wildlife, withuntapped potential for economic

and agricultural benefits.

A new document written by FloraLocale and the Grasslands Trust – AManifesto for the Wild Meadows ofWales - was published on 21st April,to alert the Welsh AssemblyGovernment, farmers, landowners,local authorities and conservationgroups to this grave situation. Thecampaign is led by televisionpresenter and patron of The WildMeadows Initiative for Wales, IoloWilliams. The purpose of theManifesto is to develop an agendafor meadow conservation, which allthose who care about WildMeadows can unite behind.

The Manifesto for Meadows isavailable to download online, inboth Welsh and English, atwww.wildmeadows.org.uk /www.dolyddbyw.org.uk. If youwould like a hard copy, or moreinformation about the WildMeadows (Wales) Initiative thenplease contact: Ivy Berkshirewildmeadows.ivy@googlemail.comTel: 07912 789003.

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2007 News from Skomer &Skokholm

Staying, coming and goingThe Skomer farm complex has beentransformed into accommodation for15 overnight visitors, 6-8 volunteersand sundry researchers. Skomer isfamous for its approachable puffins,but nothing compares withexperiencing an enormous Manxshearwater colony at night. If youwant to stay as a visitor orvolunteer, log on towww.welshwildlife.org or phone01239 621600.

After nine successful years asSkomer Warden, Juan Brown hasdecamped with his family toShetland. Jo Milborrow has movedfrom Skokholm to take up theSkomer post, with Chris Taylorlooking after Skokholm. AssistantWarden Richard Brown has alsomoved... to Bardsey Bird & FieldObservatory!

It’s now the turn of the Skokholmbuildings to be renovated, so therewill be no residential stays for twoyears, until the work is completed.For details of five day-trips this year,log on or phone as above.

Most seabirds still doing wellBoth islands report good breedingseasons. Breeding numbers onSkokholm were up for guillemots,lesser black-backed gulls andherring gulls, with other seabirdsfairly stable. The puffin count onSkomer on 4th April was 11,821,the highest spring count on record.Great black-backed gulls, starved ofrabbits after a 90% crash, tookmany guillemot and razorbill eggs

and chicks, and even some adultguillemots. Nevertheless, these SWWales colonies have not suffered theappalling nesting failures seen inmany northern British colonies.Storm petrels on Skomer werepredated by three species of owl –barn, little and short-eared!

Other visitors -from large to smallIn September 2007 a deadleatherback turtle was spotted inNorth Haven on Skomer. Thisspecies of turtle, weighing in at halfa ton or more, breeds on tropicalbeaches but moves north afterbreeding in pursuit of jellyfish. TwoRemora sucker fish were stillattached to the turtle. A few sunfishwere seen around the same time.

Skomer now has a solar-generated240 volt power supply, which allowsuse of a mercury-vapour moth trapwithout using a generator. Ninespecies were caught forthe first time in 2007,including a death’s headhawkmoth on September10th; several ‘Notable A’and ‘B’ species were alsologged.

Notable birds onSkomerRarities included a short-toed lark in June, andthe island’s first Radde’swarbler on October17th.This species is a relativeof the willow warbler andchiffchaff, which breedsin Siberia and winters inBurma and Indo-China.So it was well and truly

lost! Ravens, crossing to Skomer insearch of fledging Manx shearwa-ters, peaked at 41 in August. Over200 Canada geese in Septembercreated another unwelcome record.

Collated by Geoff Gibbs frominformation provided by theWardens.

EmilyDicks

EmilyDicks

Skomer

46

RecordsA new project to produce a MammalAtlas for South East Wales area(Gwent and Glamorgan) is underwayand will operate along similar lines tothe Snowdonia Mammal AtlasProject. The South Wales MammalPartnership is the loose grouping ofbodies which are supporting anddeveloping the project. For furtherinformation please contact AdamRowe at SEWBReC 02920 641110or Gemma Bodé at Gwent WildlifeTrust 01600 740358.

PolecatsA report just published by TheVincent Wildlife Trust confirms thatthe polecat’s recovery in Britain iscontinuing; it is now widely re-established across Wales, theMidlands and central southernEngland. A new population estimatesuggests that there are now 46,784polecats in Britain. The findings ofthe survey will be the subject of anarticle in the Autumn edition ofNatur Cymru. Copies of The PolecatSurvey of Britain 2004-2006: areport on the polecat’s distribution,status and conservation areavailable from the Trust at a price of£10 + p&p, tel. 01531 636441 oremail vwt@vwt.org.uk

DormiceNorth Wales Wildlife Trust is gaininga better understanding of thedistribution of hazel dormice acrossnorth Wales, and increasing publicawareness of dormice and the issuesthat affect them. The project buildson and complements the work beingundertaken in Bont Uchel Wood nearRuthin by the North West DormicePartnership. It involves placing andsurveying 470 nest boxes in Conwy,

Denbighshire, Flintshire andWrexham, and surveying for dormicein Gwynedd and Anglesey. In theChwiler Valley the population seemsto be doing well, with dormicespreading throughout the woodlands,with records of three new sitessurrounding Bont Uchel. The projectis funded by CCW and MTUK, withsupport from Sharp UK. For more

information contact Rhian WynHughes, Dormouse Project Officer on01352 810469 email:RhianHughes@wildlifetrustswales.org, or visit the NWWT website:www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/northwales/dormouse.html

FreshwaterThe recovery of the otter populationin Wales is borne out by moresightings. In north Wales there havebeen recent sightings in Waunfawrand Penrhyndeudraeth. In FebruaryDavid Greasely had a fantastic viewof an otter swimming across the riveronto a stone embankment under thebridge at Waunfawr. Not too faraway, one of the Snowdonia NationalPark’s estate workers managed to get

Dormouse

BrecknockWildlifeTrust

NorthWalesWildlifeTrust

47

some lovely film footage of an otterfeeding in the business park pondnext door to the Park offices.

Wildlife Trusts in Wales and partnershave started working on the WelshBeaver Assessment Initiative, whichaims to investigate the feasibility of abeaver reintroduction to Wales. Thiswork will continue throughout 2008and involve liaison with all the keystakeholders, research into potentialsites, management issues, andpotential economic and socialbenefits to the rural economy. Sitesurveys are due to commence inJune, with a report produced byOctober, and completion in January2009. Further information can befound on the Beaver InformationExchange for Wales: www.beaverinfo.org. The Project Co-ordinator isAdrian Lloyd Jones of the NorthWales Wildlife Trust:01352 810469, email:acljones@wildlifetrustswales.org.

Radnorshire Wildlife Trust hasappointed their first ever Water Voleofficer - Darylle Hardy. She had beenworking on a River Lugg project withHereford WT, and is now working forRWT in the Marteg catchment.Darylle will be based at Gilfach and ishoping to visit as many sites aspossible along the Afon Marteg aswell as its tributaries, Marcheini Fawrand Fach and the Nant Tawelan. Aswell as determining whether thereare still water voles within thecatchment, Darylle will be devising amink control programme andworking with landowners to combatissues such as acid run-off and bankerosion. The project is funded byCCW Species Challenge Fund and EAand will last six months initially.

Bovine TBThe Wildlife Trusts acknowledge themagnitude of the bovine tuberculosis(bTB) problem in Wales and arecommitted to helping to find aneffective solution based on soundscientific evidence, but believe that theproposed badger cull would not bepractical or cost effective and couldeven be counter productive. Given theKrebs trial results and the fact that, inNorthern Ireland, TB incidents werehalved in just four years throughbetter cattle testing, monitoring andenforcement, the Wildlife Trustsbelieve that the primary focus ofefforts to control bTB should thereforebe on cattle to cattle transfer. Theysupport regular bTB testing of cattle(including wider use of more sensitivetests), increased biosecurity on farms,cattle vaccination and market-basedcompensation payments for diseasedcattle.

MarineIn early December 2007 Cliff Bensonof the Sea Trust S&W Wales firstbegan to get reports of a humpbackwhale feeding in and aroundSwansea/Mumbles which were laterconfirmed by Sea Trust volunteerSteve Rosser and Gower MarineMammal Group’s Rob Colley. Cliffand Lyndon Lomax tried tophotograph and film this incredibleoccurrence and were soon joined bya crowd of thrilled onlookers, as thewhale put on a breathtaking display,often quite close to the shore. Sadlyit was only seen briefly the followingday and in mid December the sadnews broke that it had died and beentowed onto Aberavon Beach by theRNLI. Rod Penrose of Welsh MarineStrandings arranged for Dr PaulJepson and his London Zoological

Society team to perform a postmortem on the humpback. Cliffreports that it was really sad to seethis impressive whale dead on thebeach, especially as many hadwitnessed it alive and seemingly wellonly days before. It seems that it wasa young male and may have beenseparated from its mother. Itsblubber layer was quite thin and itmay have died of starvation, althoughthere were some signs that it hadbeen involved in some kind ofcollision, though this may have beenafter it died.

HaresThe mid and west Wales brown haresurvey (hosted by the Wildlife Trust ofSouth and West Wales) continues toreceive records, with 408 newrecords for Ceredigion, 94 forMontgomeryshire and nine forPembrokeshire received so far. Moreare always welcome (especially forPembrokeshire!) tol.wilberforce@welshwildlife.org

I have received a report of thesighting of a mountain hare on theClwydian Range in north-east Wales.The viewer had seen mountain haresbefore, but not in north Wales, buther husband remembers seeing somewhen he was a child growing up inDenbighshire. Has anyone any morerecords?

And finally…In March, Ben Stammers was witnessto a fox narrowly failing to snaffle alittle egret at Spinnies, Aberogwennature reserve near Bangor..... itmust have been quite a sight!

FRANCES CATTANACH is Directorof North Wales Wildlife Trust

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If you would like your wildlife event to feature on these pages please contact us on 01248 387373 or emailinfo@naturcymru.org.uk (entries may be edited). Please mention Natur Cymru if you attend any of these events.

Plas Tan y Bwlch

COURSES 200830 Jun-4 Jul Woodland ConservationManagement14-16 Jul NVC & ManagementPlanning for Site Management21-25 Jul Plant ID for Surveying,Evaluating and MonitoringConservation Sites2-5 Sept Planning and Design ofInterpretive Media8-12 Sept Advanced Monitoring forSite Management9-12 Sept Surveying Methods,Habitat Conservation and LegalProtection for Bats14-16 Oct The Biodiversity Duty -Focus on Local ActionDetails: www.plastanybwlch.com orphone 01766 590324

National Botanic Gardens

EVENTS1 Jul Alfred Russel Wallace 150 yearcelebration. On 1st July 1858 AlfredRussel Wallace, a Welshman, andCharles Darwin presented a paper tothe Linnaen Society, proposing thetheory of natural selection for thefirst time. NBG celebrates with anexhibition and readings.23-25 Aug Bank Holiday weekend -Family events6-7 Sept Orchid Festival13-14 Sept The Big Village Show.Hugely popular celebration of ruralproduce and crafts.

Newport Wetlands

EVENTS13 Jul Open Day 11-4pm. Stalls,displays, guided walks (3-4km),refreshments and children’s activities.6 Aug Damsels and dragons 10-12am Kevin Dupé leads a walk(3-4km) to see these fascinatinginsects that have been around sincebefore the dinosaurs. No dogs exceptguide dogs. Send a blank email totellmemore@NewportWetlands.comto receive the latest news, or phone01633 636363.

Flora Locale

WILD PLANTS FOR LANDSCAPEAND BIODIVERSITYThis year’s events are suitable for awide range of people involved indesigning, managing and restoringwild plants for landscape andbiodiversity. Most involve seeingprojects 'in the flesh' – the best wayto learn about what works, & whatcan go wrong. See the training &events section at www.floralocale.org.or call 01488 680457.

RSPB

EVENTSThe RSPB have far too many events inWales for us to list here! To find outwhat's happening near you visitwww.rspb.org.uk/events orwww.rspb.org.uk/walesor phone 029 2035 3000.

Wales Biodiversity Partnership

EVENTSMany partners in the WBP run events -some are listed here. For full listingsvisit the events calendar athttp://www.biodiversitywales.org.uk/English/Events/http://bioamrywiaethcymru.org.uk/cymraeg/Events/15 Aug 16.30, 11 Sept 14.45Evening Wildlife Cruises, 4 hours, £25,looking for marine mammals. GowerMarine Mammals Project. To bookcontact GMMP 01639 710239gmmp@ecosurveys.uk.com21 Aug Evening 'Porpoise Picnic',Strumble Head look-out nearFishguard, 6-8pm. Contactinfo@seatrust.org.uk01348 404407

Shared Earth Trust

COURSES 200827-29 Jun Higher Plant Identification– an introduction (LLL) £603-4 Jul (Part 1) & 24-25 Jul (Part 2)Diversity of Invertebrates of WestWales (LLL) £609 Jul Pond Creation andManagement £100/£5015-16 Jul (Part 1) & 12-13 Aug(Part 2) Butterfly Survey (LLL) £6023-24 Sept Phase 1 Habitat Survey£150/£100Contact 01570 493 358www.shared-earth-trust.org.uk or(LLL only) learning@aber.ac.uk01970 621580

Centre for Alternative Technology

COURSES19 Jul Mammals of the Old Quarry16 Aug Mini Beasts of the Old Quarry30 Aug Charcoal Making: Practicaland Theoretical27 Sept Trees of the Old QuarryPlease book early, 01654 705981,courses@cat.org.uk, or see website.

Fenn’s, Whixhall & BettisfieldMosses NNR

EVENTS27 July Creatures of the SculpturePlaques walk 1-4pm. CelebrateInternational Bog Day with a guidedtour (3.5km) trying to spot some ofthe bog creatures highlighted on thewood-carvings along the Mosses Trails.13 Aug Bog Creatures biodiversityworkshop for children 10am-4pm. Ahands-on opportunity for children tolearn about the boggy wildlife of theMosses.31 Aug Woodcarving PrehistoricPines on the Mosses day 11am-3:30pm. Woodcarving workshop toinclude a walk on the Mosses to huntfor the ancient pine.21 Sept A Peat-cutter’s Life 1pm. Astroll with Bill Allmark, a former peatcutter, to learn how life on theMosses used to be and why thecutting had to stop!Full details: Caroline Evans (weekdays)01743 282000 or Joan Daniels(weekends) 07974 784 799, orcaroline.evans@naturalengland.org.uk

Bob

Haycock

Back issues of Natur Cymru (Nos 2 - 26)are available priced £3.00

Diolch am y lluniau i / For illustrations, thanks to:Mandy Marsh, Natural England, Alastair Robertson, Peter Winstanley

NumberRhif19

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Water lillies and chara beds at Bosherston Lakes

www.naturcymru.org.ukwww.natureofwales.org.uk

£4.00

SUMMER/HAF 2008

James

Robertson

Bird’s-foot trefoil