Wales Feed

World Wetlands Day

2013-01-31T14:00:52+00:00

Wetlands, those habitats so often neglected and overlooked are the focus of special attention this weekend with World Wetlands Day on February 2.

Wales has many types of wetlands including fens, bogs, grazing marshes, swamps, marshy grasslands and, of course, lakes, ponds and rivers.

A fly orchid - CCW

Some are only seasonally flooded or waterlogged, such as marshy grassland. Others, such as our peat-forming mires, are wet all year round.

But, without concerted action, they are all under threat. The looming prospect of drier summers means that managing wetlands to maintain their features is vital - not only for the wealth of wildlife that lives there but for everyone's quality of life.

Wetland habitats, in peak condition, can capture and store massive amounts of carbon that would otherwise be released into rivers and the atmosphere so wetlands have a key role to play in combating climate change.

Sphagnum moss - CCW

Wetlands also help purify our drinking water and can help control flood peaks, particularly relevant at the moment with regular flood alerts in Wales during the heavy rain.

Upland wetlands, in particular the blanket bogs which stretch all the way along the upland spine of Wales, provide dramatic wild open spaces and contribute much to the character of the landscape.

According to Dr Peter Jones, CCW Peatlands Ecologist: "There is some fantastic conservation work underway including a £3.5 million wetland restoration project covering Anglesey and Llyn Fens.

There is also much work on other National Nature Reserves such as Cors Caron and Cors Fochno in Ceredigion, Cors Crymlyn in Swansea, Fenns and Whixall Mosses near Wrexham and the magnificent upland mires of the Berwyn.

With concerted action and the great support of landowners, wetlands can, once again, become a haven for wildlife and great places to visit."

Many wetland National Nature Reserves are managed by CCW and have easy access along board walks for visitors.

The Forestry Commission in Wales

2012-11-23T16:28:59+00:00

About 12% of the land in Wales is now covered by forest or woodland, a far cry from the pre-Neolithic Age when virtually the whole country was swamped by trees.

Over the centuries, however, a process of gradual deforestation – including a period of deliberate, military based destruction during the campaigns and despotism of Edward I – gradually eroded Welsh woodlands.

In the rest of Britain there was a similar situation, something about which nobody seemed to care until the world erupted into war in August 1914.

Bronaber (Image from Joysaphine on BBC Wales Nature Flickr group)

World War One exposed Britain's weakness as far as a ready supply of timber was concerned. Wood alcohol was a crucial component of cordite and, without this ingredient, the guns of war simply could not fire. Consequently, Britain was forced to import huge amounts of timber.

In an effort to halt this high level of dependence on imported wood, the Forestry Commission was established in 1919. This new government department immediately began to purchase large amounts of land.

By the outbreak of World War Two in 1939 the commission had managed to buy some 28,000 hectares of what was once rich Welsh farmland, much of it in the highlands of the country. In Wales and in Britain as a whole the Forestry Commission had become the single largest owner of land.

The demand for timber was equally as high in World War Two as it had been in World War One. As a result, between 1946 and 1951 a further 20,000 hectares of Welsh farmland was acquired. By 1975 the commission owned 134,000 hectares of woodland in Wales. Unfortunately, much of this land was obtained through compulsory purchase orders which brought about considerable bad feeling and great hostility from Welsh sheep farmers.

It wasn't just the acquisition of land that caused problems. Forests of non native conifers, invariably set out in rigid straight lines and blocks, brought the complaints that the Forestry Commission woodlands were ecologically and aesthetically unpleasant.

A change in policy

By the end of the 1960s Forestry Commission policies began to change. Long, protracted military conflicts, it was felt, were not likely to occur. Any future world war would simply destroy the planet and with the emphasis increasingly on localised conflicts, the need for huge forests of conifers diminished.

Native deciduous trees were now planted and the commission harvested and even sold off some of its holdings. By the end of the 20th century, privately owned woodlands actually exceeded those of the Forestry Commission.

It was not now just about the production of timber. Scientific research and recreation were also brought within the remit of the commission. Projects such as the successful forestation of what had once been the south Wales coalfield became more important than merely acquiring land and planting trees for the sole purpose of supplying timber.

Despite this the commission still owns 135,000 hectares of land in Wales, the largest forests being Coed y Brenin in north Wales and Brechfa in Carmarthenshire. It has been something of an about turn for the Forestry Commission after a history that has been more than a little turbulent.

World Wetlands Day

2012-02-02T11:17:12+00:00

Today, millions of people around the world will be taking part in activities to mark World Wetlands Day

Since 1997 World Wetlands Day has been used to raise public awareness to the values and benefits of wetland habitats.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance called the Ramsar Convention was established in 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea and is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem.

This year's theme is Wetlands and Tourism which has benefits both locally and nationally for people and widlife. At least 35% of Ramsar sites around the world now have a toursim activity associated with them.

It is difficult to place a monetary value on a unique type of habitat but in Britain it has been estimated to be worth somewhere in the region of £6.5 billion.

This figure can be broken down into a number of different resources - from flood prevention and storm defences to water purification and storage, not to mention the abundance of wildlife species found in wetland areas and the vital role wetland habitat plays in reducing carbon emissions.

According to Ramsar, wetlands are among the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change and some including coral reefs, mangroves, and those found in tropical forests, sub-arctic forests, prairies and arctic/alpine zones are especially at risk.

Wetland areas such as peatlands, salt marshes and mangroves play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as they act as natural carbon 'sinks' locking in significant amounts of carbon while drainage and peat extraction releases it into the atmosphere.

A recent study found that 'damage to peatlands has been responsible for annual emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) equivalent to 10% of emissions from worldwide use of fossil fuels.

It's worth noting however that different wetlands store and release carbon in different ways and at varying levels.

Newport wetlands centre

Wales has its fair share of internationally important wetland habitats which have fully embraced the concept of wildlife tourism in partnership with other wildlife organisations such as the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and RSPB and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

Tourist traps

Nowadays you don't even need to get your feet wet to visit a wetland reserve as the majority have embraced tourism and cater for people of all ages and abilities with state of the art visitor centres, plush wooden boardwalks, comfortable well positioned bird hides and wildlife guides on hand.

They are also attracting large numbers of schools too with a range of activities designed to teach schoolchildren about the local wildlife and the environment - including pond dipping, bird watching, bush-craft skills and bark rubbing.

Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve in south Wales has had over 16,500 school children through its doors since it opened in 2005.

CCW Reserve Manager Kevin Dupé said: "It's a great time of year for people to get out and see the over-wintering birds. Tufted ducks, pochard and gadwall are commonly seen on the reserve's reedbeds. Keep a look out and you may be lucky enough to see a golden-eye duck, short-eared owl or marsh harrier, which are a rare sight."

Reserves in Wales

Wetland reserves in Wales were given a boost in 2011 when the RSPB reserve at Ynys Hir in Ceredigion became the new home for BBC Springwatch.

The 700 hectare reserve is set in a stunning location at the top of the Dyfi Estuary, flanked by the Cambrian Mountains with a huge variety of different habitats including Welsh oak woodland, wet grassland, saltmarsh, reedbeds, heathland, rivers and ponds.

The nearby Dyfi Reserve, managed by the CCW comprises of the Dyfi Estuary, Ynyslas Dunes and Cors Fochno (Borth bog) is one of the largest and finest examples of a raised peat bog in the UK.

The Dyfi estuary is one of only 11 sites in Britain which has been registered as an international Biosphere Reserve and is a vital feeding ground for large numbers of wildfowl.

In winter large numbers of waders and wildfowl use the estuary including important numbers of wigeon and the estuary also supports the only regular wintering population of Greenland white-fronted geese in Wales and England.

The Ynyslas dunes are home to many rare species of fungi and orchid and also a nocturnal hunting spider Agroeca dentigera which is unknown elsewhere in Britain.

Cors Fochno is home to a large number of sphagnum bog mosses including three which are nationally scarce and provide a rich habitat for bog invertebrate rarities such as the rosy marsh moth, the large heath butterfly, bog bush cricket, small red damselfly, and the jumping spider, Heliophanus dampfi.

In 2011, osprey successfully bred at Cors Dyfi near Machynlleth for the first time and thanks to GPS tracking, Reserve Warden Emyr Evan has been monitoring the birds as they made their winter migration south to Gambia and Senegal.

Wetland habitat can also be re-created and thrive near large populations such as the man-made Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre in Llanelli which opened in 1991.

American / Caribbean Flamingo, WWT Llanelli in August 2011. Image by Steve Greaves.

Besides the thousands of wintering waders that visit the 450 acre site, the centre has also attracted more exotic species such as little egret and flamingo and in July 2011 hit the headlines when a lesser flamingo chick hatched - only the second ever born in captivity in Britain.

Wetland Facts

Wetlands are used for fishing, farming, transport, tourism, recreation and sport.

Communities around the world use reeds to make rafts, boats, housing materials and thatching as well as peat for fuel.

Many countries still rely on waterways as their principle method of travel and transportation.

Man-made wetlands such as paddy fields provide rice to over half of the world's population.

The world's largest continental wetland is the Pantanal in South America covering an area larger than England.

Other wetlands to visit in Wales:

Cors Caron

Cors Geirch

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Llanelli

Oxwich

Cors Goch

An invasive cost

2011-03-07T10:12:00+00:00

We're a nation obsessed by gardening and plants and I'm no different especially once springs arrives and the sun graces us with its presence, like it did this weekend for much of Wales.

I popped down to my local garden centre twice this weekend, partly because it's a nice place to potter and partly because I can never make up my mind what to buy - so have to go home first, refer to the books and then go back!

It's a tricky balance deciding what looks good and is practical for your garden and what is good for the environment and native wildlife you are hoping to attract.

As you browse the plants in your local garden centre take a careful look at where those plants come from as we've got serious problems in Wales currently with invasive plants destroying native species and strangling the life out of some of our more delicate ecosystems.

A new report by Plantlife lists 92 species that are on the brink of becoming invasive and lists 20 sites that are considered at risk in the UK - including Lydstep Headland in the Pembrokeshire National Park, the Great Orme and even Bala Lake.

Plantlife is "calling for urgent action to be taken on plants assessed as having invasive potential should they escape 'over the garden wall', by conducting more detailed research to determine the level of threat they pose."

Some people reading this might mutter to themselves that it's only a plant and they aren't really going to affect our day to day lives but they'd be wrong.

Ecosystems are incredibly sensitive, it only takes one species to be taken out of the equation for the whole thing to be tipped on its head.

In this case it could be a particular plant or tree taking over an area preventing other species from growing which has a knock on effect for everything else, from the insects right up to the birds, mammals and fish that feed on them.

Invasive plants can also cause irritable rashes and burns to our skin and even increase the risk of flooding as drainage ditches and waterways become clogged up and let's face it - we could all do without any more flooding.

The large-flowered waterweed - popular in fish tanks is one such species that is now causing problems in our waterways, particularly in Cornwall which isn't too far away.

Rhododendron ponticum actually poisons the soil around it so other plants can't grow there and as a result, wildlife habitats diminish.

New Zealand pigmy weed is thought to be directly responsible for the loss of a native fern in Suffolk and also, the internationally important - great crested newts which have disappeared from a pond in Dorset so this is a very real problem for our native wildlife.

Anglers could also suffer as ponds and rivers become stagnated and devoid of fish life as oxygen levels drop.

The problem is so serious that in some cases, conservationists are opting to fill in ponds as soon as pigmyweed is found, in order to save other nearby ponds and streams.

"On the Great Orme, several non-native cotoneasters along with strawberry-tree, turkey oak and evergreen oak are invading areas of this internationally important limestone headland where nationally and locally threatened native plants occur."

"At Lydstep Head in Pembrokeshire, populations of the vulnerable liverwort green blackwort have declined following encroachment by the small-leaved cotoneaster microphyllus agg."

"The liverwort is now restricted to a single very narrow path on the site and removal of cotoneasteris required to prevent shading of the remaining colonies. Only a handful of sites in the UK support the liverwort."

It's worth doing some reading up on this subject though, so you're aware of what to look out for at your local fishing spot or how to dispose of plants properly.

Invasive species already cause enormous problems to our native plants and wildlife but also cost the British economy around £1.7 billion every year.

And on a purely practical level it could mean you have to do less gardening as there is nothing more frustrating that digging up Japansese knotweed!

Download the new Plantlife report.

Read the invasive plants article on our website.

Gull

Breaking the habit

2011-02-07T09:53:03+00:00

We might just see another Welsh island stronghold for red squirrels in the not so distant future..

Those wise monks on Caldey Island, off the coast of Tenby have devised plans to re-introduce red squirrels to the island.

Caldey Island by Tracey Cole.

It's generally agreed by everyone involved that this would be a great idea as there are no grey squirrels or other predators on the island, so it could become the perfect stronghold for red squirrels once established.

Government ministers have now backed the plan after it was raised in Parliament by South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart, so for now, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next.

Fingers crossed as I've yet to see a red squirrel in the wild and Tenby is a lot closer for me to travel to than Anglesey!

Gull

Sea slugs are flourishing

2011-01-31T12:36:36+00:00

Although slugs are not considered to be the most exotic of creatures, their cousins the sea slugs are a completely different prospect.

A recent report by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) about sea slugs at Skomer Marine Nature Reserve (MNR) has revealed that sea slugs are flourishing - with a huge variety of these attractive, striking species being recorded (66% of UK species represented in an area of just 13.2 square kilometres).

CCW Assistant Marine Nature Reserve Officer Kate Lock said: "Sea slugs are specialised predators, each having their own particular food choice, which can be either plants or other animals".

Crimora papillata pair. Image by CCW.

"The high number of sea slug species means that there must also be all the different foods present too. This is a great indication that the health of the Marine Reserve is really good and that the conservation of this part of the sea is proving a huge success for wildlife".

During the 2010 survey a wide range of habitats, in all conditions, were searched to find the sea slugs. Some can be hard to find as they are both very small and well camouflaged, and quite often the only clue to their presence is their eggs or prey species.

There are some nice underwater video clips on You Tube from CCW too.

Coryphella lineata by CCW

Visit Skomer MNR's exhibition at Martin's Haven to see the beauty of the underwater world and find out more about techniques used to survey and monitor marine wildlife.

Opening times: From Easter to November - 10.00 until 16.00 everyday. Winter opening times vary, but normally 10.00 until 16.00 on weekdays.

Find out more about Martin's Haven.

Watch a video clip about widlife on Skomer Island.

Tree felling project helps rare Powys flower

2011-01-14T10:27:00+00:00

Efforts to safeguard the population of a very rare winter flower, the Radnor Lily, have been stepped up by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW).

Radnor lily. Photo courtesy of CCW.

The flower's sole UK habitat is the Stanner Rocks near New Radnor, which are 700 million years old. The rocks are managed by CCW and is a distinctive rounded hill clothed in part by woodland of native trees and pockets of important grassland.

Andrew Ferguson, CCW's senior reserve manager of Stanner Rocks, said: "The Radnor Lily has been found, with its very occasional small yellow blooms, along with several other rare species including mosses. They flourish on the relatively arid rocky outcrops and thin soils that create a marginally suitable environment for a selection of wild plants that more typically would grow in northern Mediterranean regions.

"Sites like Stanner Rocks deserve special treatment and that's just what the management plan devised by Forestry Commission Wales and the CCW has been delivering. We identified the need to fell blocks of non-native trees and to manage the undergrowth in order to encourage these species to flourish. So a lot of shade was removed from the hill top, thus providing new areas for some rarities to spread."

The felling project has also had the benefit of assisting in providing an improved habitat for the Stanner Rocks' other rare species, the Hazel Dormouse and the Southern Wood Ant.

"The dormouse's woodland habitat, particularly food and shelter, is provided by plants such as hazel, bramble and honeysuckle that flourish here where there is sufficient light," said Ferguson. "The felling of some heavily-shading trees has allowed light to reach towards the woodland floor, such that hazel nuts and blackberries can ripen for food."

"Not only is [the project] good news for many of the special wildlife features of this site, it also provides an outstanding viewpoint for the public from the top of the hill. Walkers can freely access the top via public footpaths that lead from the A44 trunk road without entering very sensitive and potentially hazardous parts of the National Nature Reserve [NNR]."

The NNR beyond the level parts of the quarry floor and below the top of the hill is not open to the public. Access within the NNR should be arranged in advance through the Countryside Council for Wales enquiries desk on 0845 1306229.

A bird (box) in the hand

2010-11-12T14:11:40+00:00

Birds in schools across Newport will be offered new homes this winter but they won't get their heating bills paid for! ;)

Children in 15 local primary schools are busy building nest boxes where wrens, robins and blue tits can huddle together for warmth during the cold winter months.

Nest boxes play an important part in winter survival for many of our garden birds so don't disturb or move the boxes and leave any the old nests and leaves inside as they provide nice warmth for the birds.

A team from the Gwent Wildlife Trust show local schoolchildren how to make a bird box.

Hopefully then in spring, the birds will return to nest and rear their young in the same bird boxes although I'm not sure what the 'pecking order' is...

Newport City Council Biodiversity in Schools Officer, Natalie Waller, will be visiting schools with volunteers from Gwent Wildlife Trust over the next few weeks.

Natalie said "Having built the boxes, the children can then watch them being used and follow the habits of garden birds, which are such an important natural feature in urban areas."

Building bird boxes is just one aspect of Newport's Biodiversity in Schools scheme. There are also projects to plant trees and wild flowers that will attract birds and butterflies to school grounds.

Log circles will also be created as outdoor classrooms and 'bug hotels' and log piles provide a rich habitat for all kinds of insects.

Gull

Habitat help key to safeguarding eel numbers

2010-11-08T10:32:01+00:00

Environment Agency Wales (EAW) believes that helping eels in their Welsh habitat is the best chance of keeping a domestic population in the face of huge drops across Europe.

Eels

It is estimated that the English and Welsh eel population has collapsed 70% since the 1980s. Eels spawn in the Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean, then make a two year journey on the Gulf Stream to Europe, with historically huge numbers coming into Welsh river systems.

The are an essential part of the ecosystem, acting as food for species such as otters and herons.

Speaking to the Western Mail, Andy Schofield of EAW said: "When elvers are born they are not self-propelling and it takes them two years to drift on the Gulf Stream and ocean currents from the Caribbean across to Wales, where they are filtered into our rivers.

"Some scientists think shifts in the ocean's currents, caused by the El Niño climate pattern, have led to changes in this cycle. Others think changes to the ocean's temperature could have a big impact on them and their food supplies.

"Maybe the plankton they feed on has disappeared and the elvers are ending up as food themselves. They are also prone to a parasite that feeds on their bladders.

"Just 30 years ago there were big eel populations on the River Wye. People were using dip nets to catch elvers and transport them live to the Far East, where they are considered a delicacy."

While it is thought that environmental factors are largely responsible for the drop in eel numbers, those which do make which can be helped.

Mr Schofield went on to say: "We are improving their habitats and making sure that our lifestyles have little impact on their adult lives".

"Eels can cross damp fields at night to get from pond to pond and will leave the water rather than tackle a waterfall, making them easy prey.

"In South Wales, we have created fish passes for salmon and trout, with tiny brushes to help eels make their way up the River Taff and other rivers.

"We believe that eels spend most of their adult lives here before leaving at around seven to 12 years old to return to the Caribbean to spawn."

Appeal for Carmarthenshire churchyard fungi

2010-10-21T09:43:01+00:00

The National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGoW) is asking for help in assessing Carmarthenshire's fungus populations in churchyards.

Waxcap fungi

Unlike open country and farmland, churchyards don't tend to be intensively managed and are unaffected by agricultural chemicals. Hence, species of fungus such as waxcaps, fair clubs, spindles and earth tongues can thrive in this particular habitat.

Bruce Langridge of NBGoW said: "There are more than 400 churchyards in Carmarthenshire but only a few of these are rich in these colourful fungi.

"Waxcaps, fairy clubs, spindles and earth tongues only really come out in the autumn and we haven't got time to visit every churchyard. So we desperately need the help of church wardens, vicars, ministers, deacons, people who mow the cemeteries or even dog walkers who pass through... to let me know if they think they've seen these things."

Either Langridge or another local expert will attend sites to identify the fungi, log them and offer advice on their continued conservation.

Bruce Langridge can be contacted on interpretation@gardenofwales.org.uk or 01558 667162.

Otters back across Wales

2010-10-19T09:14:56+00:00

Environment Agency Wales (EAW) yesterday announced that the otter, after nearing extinction in the 1970s, is now back with healthy pockets of population in all river catchments of Wales.

An otter, yesterday

Now 90% of sites surveyed across Wales have otter populations, while in 1978 just 20% bore proof of the aquatic mammal. The otter has also established itself on Anglesey for the first time in 30 years.

Speaking to the Western Mail, EAW's biodiversity officer Rob Strachan said: "Otters were heading for extinction in the late 1970s but they have continued to make a steady recovery and can now be considered to be widespread throughout the rivers and the coast of Wales.

"They are now on Anglesey where they haven't been seen for 30 years, and they are moving right into the heart of Cardiff's River Taff and into Cardiff Bay, Newport and the South Wales Valleys.

"With improved water quality, growing fish stocks, the removal of pesticides in sheep dip and persistent chemicals on crops that can take 30 years to biodegrade, our latest survey shows that nearly 90% of [surveyed] sites now have otters."

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Hain says Barrage decision a 'disaster'

2010-10-18T09:13:57+00:00

Shadow Welsh Secretary Peter Hain has reacted angrily to the news that the coalition government is planning to ditch plans for a £30 billion barrage across the Severn estuary.

Written by James McLaren

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is expected to kick the scheme for renewable energy into the long grass as it not finanically viable.

Mr Hain is taking a wide view of the issue, pointing to the fact that a barrage would have produced to up 5% of the UK's energy, going some way towards achieving the planned 80% reduction in CO2 by 2050, but some take a more local view, pointing to the potential harm to the ecosystem of the estuary, which has the second largest tidal range in the world.

They believe that the delicate balance of the estuary would be compromised by the barrage. Up to 65,000 birds use the estuary for winter feeding grounds.

Friends of the Earth (FOE) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), have welcomed the news. Martin Harper, head of sustainable development at the RSPB, said: "Climate change threatens an environmental catastrophe for humans and wildlife. Harnessing the huge tidal power of the Severn has to be right, but it cannot be right to trash the natural environment in the process.

"A barrage like the one proposed between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare would not only destroy huge areas of estuary marsh and mudflats used by 69,000 birds each winter and block the migration routes of countless fish, but, as confirmed by this report, it would dramatically increase risk of flooding to residential properties.

"The government study needed to demonstrate that a big barrage could form a cost effective part of a radical plan to tackle climate change. It is clear today that a barrage does not make economic sense.

"It's a great shame that we have been fixated on outdated environmentally destructive technology. We have consistently called for investment in more innovative and potentially less destructive schemes on the Severn which take environmental considerations into account in their design.

"The government has signalled it will be prepared to review this decision if the strategic context changes. We now want the government to announce that only truly sustainable solutions which respect the estuary, its people and its wildlife will be considered in the future.

"Such an announcement would provide a clear signal to the engineering community and provide some much-needed incentives for the development of these technologies for use not just in the Severn but also in estuaries around the UK and elsewhere.

"It would also mean that if the situation changes and this or a future government decides to reopen the debate about how to harness tidal power from the Severn, then it will not have to rely on outdated, environmentally destructive technologies.

"The UK could and should be a world leader in sustainable tidal power if the investment and the will could be found."

Peter Hain points to the wider considerations of scrapping the scheme: "This is a decision that is equally disastrous for the Welsh economy and our environment.

"Not only is Chris Huhne turning his back on the proposed barrage scheme that would have created hundreds of good quality green jobs for Welsh people, it appears that he decided to abandon in its entirety the idea of using the Severn Estuary as a generator of electricity.

He said the UK government had "decided to shift their attention, but minimal funding" to technologies which "may not deliver a single kilowatt of clean energy in the foreseeable future".

What do you think? Is this news a good or bad thing for the Welsh environment? If you want to have your say, on this or any other BBC blog, you will need to sign in to your BBC iD account. If you don't have a BBC iD account, you can register here - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of BBC sites and services using a single login.

Need some assistance? Read about BBC iD, or get some help with registering.

Clwydian AONB to be doubled in size

2010-10-05T09:40:57+00:00

Proposals are in place to extend the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to roughly twice its current size, as the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) look to protect parts of the area at risk.

In partnership with the Wrexham and Denbighshire local authorities, CCW plans to extend the Clwydian Range AONB further south into the Dee Valley and Vale of Llangollen.

Speaking to the Western Mail, Paul Mitchell of CCW said: "The current AONB is 158 square kilometres and we want this to double in size to 388 square kilometres".

"We want to reduce the impact on the landscape from visitors who travel to see the amazing views over the Dee Valley up to Eglwyseg Mountain scarps, from areas such as the Horseshoe Pass.

"There are also impacts from heavy traffic and from those walkers on foot, who are causing a degree of erosion on the hillsides."

The proposed extension would help some rare species such as black grouse, and CCW is confident of wide support for the scheme during its 12-week consultation process, but there is some scepticism from the farming community.

"All designations can potentially cause problems because it means that farmers and landowners can do one thing on one side of the map but not on the other," said Julian Salmon, Wales director of the Country Land and Business Association.

"Effective and profitable land management is how these areas of Wales came to be in the first place and anything that threatens to interrupt that is always undesirable.

"If a designation adds another level of bureaucracy, I can't help but react negatively to it."

To view the consultation paper, visit the CCW website at www.ccw.gov.uk.

Your usual blogger Gull is away today; I am James McLaren, occasional Nature site stand-in and music blogger.

Is golf missing a birdie?

2010-09-15T11:17:00+00:00

With Ryder Cup fever approaching, I thought I'd look for a nature angle on this year's tournament and golf courses in particular.

Traditionally, golf courses don't have a particularly good reputation for being wildlife friendly - mainly due to the amount of pesticides and water used to keep the greens looking pristine.

It's ironic when you consider the sport's environmentally friendly origins when men in Scotland wandered around hitting pebbles with sticks.

Five hundred years or so later and British golfers had rapidly fallen in love with America's green and sterile courses and wanted the same back home. But perfect greens come with a hefty environmental price tag.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that acres of green grass would be good for the environment but without wild plants to attract the insects and the birds and mammals to eat them - they simply become green deserts.

Then of course there's the construction of the courses themselves - digging up habitats to create all the twists and turns of the course as well as all the bunkers and water hazards.

Even the 'water hazards' can become devoid of life - becoming contaminated with pesticides after periods of heavy rain.

Besides the pest control, golf courses consume a staggering amount of water. A Unesco World Water Development report found that an 18-hole golf course can use as much as 2.3 million litres of water every day! Which isn't an easy statistic to swallow in our current world climate.

BBC Panorama recently covered the state of 'Britain's disappearing wildlife'. In that programme, Pavan Sukhdev from the UN Environment Programme stated that businesses in the future are going to have to re-think the way they operate and become far more environmentally aware; if we're to avoid paying higher food and water prices.

But it's not all doom and gloom as some golf courses are now turning their backs on this unsustainable method of land management.

Conservation groups such as the RSPB actually believe that golf courses can become wildlife sanctuaries for struggling bird populations such as skylarks, woodlarks and corn buntings.

So, golf courses can actually be good for wildlife - especially coastal courses which have an array of different habitats and species.

A golfer about to tee-off

Roughly 140,000 hectares of out-of-bounds areas exist on UK golf courses which could be used as wildlife highways to create natural corridors between rural and urban habitats - something the Wildlife Trusts are already doing via their Living Landscape initiative.

New Malton Golf Club is an 18-hole course in Hertfordshire, which claims to have been chemical-free for a year, and is planning to apply to the Soil Association for organic certification.

The course's out-of-bounds areas are currently home to woodpeckers, kestrels, owls, pheasants, hares, rabbits and stoats and the owners also plan to graze animals and grow fruit on the land.

Many golf courses in the UK also overlap into SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest).

The Royal St David's Course in Gwynedd is one such site and lies within the Morfa Harlech SSSI - designated for its coastal and fixed dune grassland and diversity of wildlife.

The course has a careful programme of land management and over the years has trialled many different techniques for grass cutting and managing it's rough areas.

The Royal St David's Course. Image courtesy of Visit Wales

Parts of the course wind their way through sand hills and species-rich dune plain grasslands.

Dune areas are often left untouched apart from the occasional scrub or tree removal whilst grassy areas are trimmed to various sizes throughout the year to suit both wildlife and golfers alike.

The out-of bounds areas provide excellent habitat for skylark, meadow pipit, brown hare, amphibians and rodent species which in turn provide food for kestrels and owls. Meanwhile bare sections of the course provide ideal basking habitat for rare sand lizards.

So, the Ryder Cup course has a lot to live up to; as the eyes of the world focus in on Wales for three days this October.

Jim McKenzie, Director of Golf Courses and Estates Management at The Celtic Manor Resort, said: "The Twenty Ten course was built in harmony with its environment and with the close consideration for protected species like otters, toads and dormice."

The third hole on the Twenty Ten course. Image courtesy of the Celtic Manor Resort

"Since its conversion from intensive farmland, many indigenous grasses, plants and wildlife have returned to the land upon which the course is built".

"All the golf courses feature 100 per cent self-sustained irrigation with rain water taken from these lakes and a specially constructed reservoir".

"We are committed to continually improving our own management to ensure care for the environment continues to be a feature of The Celtic Manor Resort's staging of The 2010 Ryder Cup."

There is also a lot of work under way to look at how the event's carbon footprint can be effectively managed by identifying the main greenhouse gas generating activities and looking at ways of reducing them.

So, it would appear that golf courses can be both good and bad for the environment, depending on how they are managed.

Golf courses are ultimately designed for human enjoyment but if managed correctly - taking into account: nature conservation, the landscape, cultural heritage, water useage, turf grass management, waste and energy consumption - they can provide vital habitat for wildlife of all shapes and sizes.

The Size of Wales

2010-09-07T09:14:15+00:00

Prince Charles is visiting the National Botanic Garden of Wales today as he launches a new environmental campaign to sustain an area of African tropical forest - the size of Wales.

The 'Size of Wales' scheme encourages people to do conservation work and make donations towards their running.

Project Manager Hannah Scrase said "This project turns the negative use of our nation's size on its head, and encourages people to help protect an area of rainforest equivalent to the size of Wales."

The Prince is currently touring the UK to promote his ideas for a greener lifestyle.

More on this story on BBC News Online.