Spring Wild About Gwent 2023

Wild About Gwent

NATURE RECOVERY Appeal launch

NATURE PRESCRIBING IN ACTION

NO SOLAR ON SSSI Campaign latest

Welcome to our Spring issue

With the nights continuing to draw out and the signs of spring in full flow, we’re starting to see wildlife come out of hibernation, return to our shores, or just become more visible and vocal as species look for mates, nest sites, or food.

For those of you who have been out and about on our nature reserves over winter you will have noticed a huge amount of work taking place to improve the infrastructure we need to deliver our conservation work. For those who will be revisiting favourite haunts this spring, you’re in for a treat as the Nature Recovery Team have installed new paths, gates, information panels, fences to keep our livestock safe, and you might even notice some of our new editions; Longhorn Cattle and Exmoor Ponies, see pages 6-7 for a feature on our Conservation Grazing.

In the year ahead, we are launching our work to save 10 vulnerable species from extinction in Gwent by 2030 (read more about this on pages 10 and 11). But best of all it isn’t just these species that will benefit, as due to their careful selection, by saving these species we will also restore the habitats and ecosystems on which thousands of other species rely.

Whilst looking at restoring these species and habitats, we are also working to provide more land for wildlife and address the worst impacts of climate change by doubling the area of land we own by 2030; with much of this land likely to come into our care in 2023.

At present, we are negotiating the acquisition of four new nature reserves across Gwent which will significantly improve the plight of rare and threatened species and habitats whilst also providing large new areas of accessible greenspace for the public to enjoy; so if you would like to help us to achieve this then please see more information about our Big Green Give appeal on pages 2 and 3.

Alongside these acquisitions it’s important to remember that we can’t save wildlife without people,

and that people can’t survive without wildlife. That is why we are launching our new “Team Wilder” approach to working with communities which will see us listening to local people to understand the specific challenges they face, then provide them with support or training so that they can take action to address these issues and save wildlife at the same time.

As you can tell it’s going to be an extremely exciting year for all of us who work at, volunteer with, and support Gwent Wildlife Trust, so thank you for your support and action for wildlife, and I hope to bump into you at one of our events or out on one of our nature reserves soon.

Adam Taylor, GWT CEO

Gwent Wildlife Trust Editorial Team & Contributors

Sarah Harris (Editor), Andy Karran, Rick Mundy, Joe Ryder, Debbie Stenner, Adam Taylor, Ian Thomas, Lowri Watkins, Mike Webb, Beccy Williams

Guest Contributors

Verity Picken, Dr Steph Tyler, Dr Sophie-lee Williams

Above, Longhorn cattle, part of our conservation grazing project. Find out more on pages 6 & 7.

Below, our cover image is Croes Robert Wood nature reserve by Lowri Watkins

LOCAL GROUP CONTACTS

For details on all our local groups please go to our website - see below.

JOIN TEAM WILDER AT GWT!

To find out more about the work of GWT, become a member/volunteer or get involved in our local groups, events, read our latest blogs and see other updates visit our website www.gwentwildlife.org

GET IN TOUCH WITH US:

Call us: 01600 740600

Email us: info@gwentwildlife

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NATURE PRESCRIBING

PRIVACY POLICY: In line with General Data Protection Regulation we outline why we capture your personal data, what we use it for, and how we keep it safe, please visit our website gwentwildlife.org/ privacy-policy or call us on 01600 740600.

CURLEW SIGHTINGS SURVEY How you can help

CAMPAIGN LATEST

Save our precious Gwent Levels SSSIs from solar developments 10

Ten important species we’re saving in Gwent

12 SURVEYING

Meet this edition’s Wildlife Hero - Conservation Officer Mike Webb

Nature Recovery Fund Launched

We’re aiming to raise £100,000 this year, to increase the land we own, restore and manage for wildlife.

By Debbie Stenner, Head of Fundraising and Communications.

Healthy ecosystems, rich in biodiversity are vital for us all to live and thrive. However, our biodiversity is threatened by climate change and habitat reduction and degradation caused by inappropriate development, pollution and over-exploitation. Wales’ wildlife continues to decline with the State of Nature 2019 Report revealing that 1 in 6 species are at risk of extinction.

We have been protecting important sites for wildlife for 60 years, from Nature Reserves out across ‘living landscapes’ of connected habitats. Our Nature Reserves provide vital refuges for wildlife and remain the biodiversity hotspots which protect our most important habitats and species and allow them to repopulate the wider landscape.

This is why we have set an ambitious strategic goal – to double the amount of land we manage for wildlife by 2030.

CEO Adam Taylor explains why we’ve made this bold commitment. “By 2030 we need to see 30% of land and sea protected and well managed for wildlife. This is a huge target, so we are giving it everything we’ve got. We’re working with policy makers to improve subsidies for farmers and landowners so they can make a decent living whilst saving wildlife, engaging and training thousands of people to take action for wildlife where they live, and acquiring additional land that we will manage for wildlife so that key habitats and species can thrive.”

This Nature Recovery fund will help us acquire additional land, with negotiations currently taking place on 4 sites totalling 676 acres; that’s larger than the size of Monaco! We are also especially grateful to the current owners of these sites for their huge generosity, as during discussions these sites have been made available to GWT in one case for just the cost of the legal fees, and in the others at a small fraction of the market price, meaning we can save more wildlife with every pound we receive.

The sites represent a range of different habitats including uplands and heathlands in the Brecon Beacons, grasslands in Monmouthshire and fantastic grassland and wetland habitats on the Gwent Levels. Our team, together with other local

Gwent Wildlife Trust, alongside the movement of Wildlife Trusts in the UK, are working towards at least 30% of our land and sea being connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030

ecologists, have identified these sites as being particularly important for wildlife, including rare and threatened species like Lapwing, Peregrine Falcon and Adder as well as a wide array of invertebrates, flora and fungi.

The acquisition of these sites is still underway at the time of writing, so we aren’t disclosing the exact locations yet. If they don’t go ahead we will continue to pursue other opportunities to acquire and protect high quality sites for nature. As well as restoring these new sites, we’ll continue to monitor and record wildlife across our nature reserves and engage and advise other landowners to link-up existing, fragmented, wild areas to enable wildlife to spread and thrive.

By supporting this appeal, you will be helping us complete the purchase of new nature reserves in Gwent and contributing to the initial management.

To support our Nature Recovery appeal:

We will be launching our Big Green Give matched funding appeal online on 20th April. If you make a donation via the appeal page during this week, your gift could be worth double, thanks to matched funding from The Big Give Trust.

For a chance of being match funded, donations must be made online, via the Big Give website, between 20th and 27th April.

If you would prefer not to give online via the Big Give, you can donate to our appeal by credit or debit card via our website at www.gwentwildlife.org/appeal or by sending a cheque payable to Gwent Wildlife Trust to Gwent Wildlife Trust appeal, Seddon House, Dingestow Court, Monmouth NP25 4DY. If you have any questions about this appeal, would like to support us with your business or community or would like to know more before making your donation, please email Debbie at dstenner@gwentwildlife.org.

ABOUT BIG GIVE MATCHED FUNDING APPEALS:

Last year, your support helped us raise over £16,966.25 through two appeals with the Big Give. Big Give run match funding campaigns for charities and special causes. The Green Match Fund is designed specifically for charities working on environmental issues, whilst their Christmas Challenge is open to all. The Big Give has helped raise £233,853,862 for 14,096 charities since 2008!

Your

support

will

help us protect precious habitats and restoration sites for some of our most threatened and loved wildlife.

They Are Back!

By Verity Picken of Gwent Ornithological Society

Gwent’s breeding Curlews are back! We know some of their traditional breeding sites but are there more? The answer is almost definitely yes. But where? We’re on a mission to find as many sites as we can because unless we know where they are we can’t take steps to conserve them. And as you probably all know Curlews are likely to become extinct as a breeding species in Wales within the next decade if we can’t reverse the decline.

So we really do need your help. Please submit every single record, whether seen or heard, to the dedicated email address Curlew@gwentbirds.org.uk . As before, please give the date, location (a grid reference is a huge help), number and, if possible, the habitat (pasture, silage, hay, moorland, marshy area etc) and whether there are sheep or cattle present. Signs of display are particularly important.

One more thing: if you’re lucky enough to find Curlews it would be great if you could make a repeat visit (or visits), sending an email on each occasion to say if Curlews are present or absent –negative reports are also helpful.

Thanks to the records you’ve submitted in the past two years, Curlew Wales (Gylfinir Cymru)* has recognised our breeding Curlews as ‘an important isolated population’ and is supporting Gwent Ornithological Society in our attempts to locate all Gwent’s breeding pairs.

As well as revisiting the areas where you’ve previously seen Curlews, we

would very much appreciate help to follow up on a number of other areas. Some of these have held breeding Curlews in recent years whereas others (which may not have been visited by birders recently) held birds a few years ago and we’d like to know if they’re still there:

• Northwest Gwent: Trefil, Tredegar, Cefn Golau, Cefn Manmoel, Garnlydan Reservoir, Garn-yr-Erw and other areas;

• West Gwent: Markham and northwards;

• North Gwent: Llanwenarth and several areas north of Abergavenny, including Blaengavenny, Llanvihangel Crucorney and Llangattock Lingoed reaching up towards Grosmont;

• East Gwent: Llanishen, Trellech, Cwmcarvan;

• Mid Gwent (more or less): Pontypool, Greenmeadow Golf Course, Llanover, north of Raglan, Llandenny, Gwernesney, Llansoy, Newchurch, Llangybi, Llanllowell.

If you are able to visit a new area please get in touch (on the email address above left hand side) – I can provide you with details of the fields to be covered.

*Curlew Wales is a joint working group of organisations which are committed to Curlew recovery in Wales; it includes representatives from the government, conservation, farming and game management sectors: NRW, WOS, RSPB Cymru, BTO, Curlew Country, Wildlife Trusts Wales, Brecon Beacons National Park, the GWCT and NFU Cymru are just a few of its members.

Trevor Evans 1924-2023 A Tribute

Trevor died in January 2023, aged 98. Those of you who never had the good fortune to have met Trevor, missed a treat. He was a lovely, courteous man and a legendary botanist with a wicked sense of humour. He spent much of his adult life teaching at the secondary school in Chepstow until his retirement in 1984. He met his wife Ursula T. Jones (Thelma) as a young man and they courted in the countryside around Chepstow. They married in 1946 and had two sons, Nigel and Nicholas.

Trevor was a self-taught botanist who started botanising in the 1940s. He soon started contributing plant records to the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI). He became vice county recorder for the BSBI in 1972 and continued in that role until he handed over to me and Elsa Wood in 2012. He was meticulous in his recording and a great field botanist. Sadly, he lost his soul mate, Thelma, to a brain tumour in 1999 and for two years was lost and grieving. (Many records in the Flora are attributed to TGE and UTE). Happily, he

Large Solar Farms On The Gwent Levels SSSI

By Conservation Officer Mike Webb

rallied somewhat in the early 2000s and I was fortunate to be able to spend a day a week with him out botanising in the spring and summer from about 2005. I learnt so much from him and enjoyed his sense of humour. There was always a cup of coffee for me and biscuits for my dogs, when we called in at his home on Mounton Road, Chepstow.

Trevor was much involved with Gwent Wildlife Trust and for many years was Chairman of the Conservation Committee of the Trust. He also was a founding member of the Chepstow Society which was set up in 1948 to explore the history of the town; he was President of the Society. He also supported and was President of Monmouthshire Meadows Group from soon after its start in 2003.

After his retirement, he organised teams of local botanists to take on different parts

We are firmly of the view that wetland SSSIs such as the Gwent Levels, a UK- level site statutorily designated for its wildlife, are fundamentally unsuited to large-scale solar farms.

We are now ramping up our campaign against the Magor Net Zero project - a very large solar farm and associated wind turbine proposal located entirely on the Gwent Levels SSSI. In tandem with this campaign, we and Friends of the Gwent Levels (FOGL) have launched a public call to the Welsh Government to halt major development on the SSSI.

This has been taken up by several environmental charities, including RSPB Cymru and CPRW, as well as community councils on the Levels such as Marshfield. We will be working in collaboration.

These two linked campaigns have becoming increasingly urgent, as yet more enormous proposals emerge - so many in fact that solar farm proposals are likely to start physically abutting each other, leading to the real and nightmarish prospect of our precious and fragile SSSI becoming one gigantic power station.

of the vice county and record plants by tetrads. This culminated in 2007 with his excellent Flora of Monmouthshire which maps plants throughout the vice county and for which he wrote informative texts. He had seen huge changes in the 60+ years of searching for plants and was very critical of organisations that had inadvertently destroyed so much beloved good habitat. Botanist Tim Rich helped him enormously in the final stages of the book. I remember collecting copies of the Flora from Cardiff and taking one to show Trevor who at that time was in hospital in Newport for an operation on his leg. He was so proud, soon afterwards, in receiving an MBE aged 87 from the Queen for his services to conservation and wildlife in Monmouthshire. Speaking of his delight at receiving the honour, he said, "The award is a great pleasure. The countryside is my passion." Unfortunately, his hearing started to go and he was so annoyed when he could no longer hear Chiffchaffs singing and then sadly, his memory for plants began to fade. He also received an award from the BSBI/Wild Flower Society and was an honorary member of the BSBI until his death. He had a party for his 90th birthday celebrations in 2015.

Farewell Trevor, Steph Tyler

As part of this campaign, we have started looking into post-construction studies on wildlife on and near the only constructed solar farm on the SSSI – Llanwern. The results are grim.

Breeding lapwings, a scarce and declining iconic bird species of Gwent have been driven to extinction in the area, and numbers of other scarce birds have plummeted. Water quality in the reens, which the developer claimed pre-construction would be improved, has remained more or less the same, if not deteriorated.

GWT’s vision for our precious and vulnerable Gwent Levels is one of a beautiful and tranquil place, thrumming with nature, not a desolate industrial park covered with hundreds of thousands of panels of glass, plastic and metal.

Mike being interviewed by BBC Wales about the Magor solar power station plans on the Gwent Levels.

PHOTO CREDITS: LAPWING SKETCH BY RICHARD MUNDY, SARAH HARRIS,

Conservation Grazing

Hi, my name is Joe Ryder and I’ve been working for the Gwent Wildlife Trust as the Conservation Grazing Officer for the past 3 and a half years.

It is a fantastic job! I am incredibly lucky to work in such a beautiful environment.

Many people ask me, “What is conservation grazing?” Well, it’s many things - at its most simple I would describe it as improving biodiversity through grazing domesticated livestock (farm animals), most commonly, sheep, cattle and ponies.

An explanation and bit of history

Conservation grazing is often commonly associated with the traditional hay meadow, but can also range from permanent pasture (land grazed year round) upland hill grazing, heathlands, woodland pasture to lowland wet meadows and rewilding (and many more besides!) To better understand why and how conservation grazing works, we need to look back through time to the beginnings of the grassland habitats we know today.

The vast majority of grassland habitats in Wales are a result of thousands of years of human activity favouring grasslands over forests and wetlands to support the grazing of domesticated livestock for providing milk, meat and skins. Along with the cutting and storage of

conserved grass for winter forage (early hay meadows), the variety of grassland habitats began to become an important feature in Wales around 5,000-6,000 years ago. Over this period they have adapted to soils and climate of Wales resulting in the many varied grassland habitats that we experience within Gwent today. Without the grazing livestock the grassland would gradually succeed to woodland, losing many important rare plant species and their associated ecology.

Through conservation grazing with sheep and cattle we can maintain a natural balance similar to that from thousands of years ago.

Our stock and feeding

At Pentwyn Farm and Wyeswood Common we graze our own (Gwent Wildlife Trust) cattle: Longhorns and Herefords; and sheep: Hill Radnor and Hebridean; all registered organic with the Soil Association. Grazed out on the land all year round, the older native breeds are most suitable. Longhorn and Hereford cattle are some of the oldest native breeds in the country. These old breeds are well suited to the outdoors with thick, well-insulated coats and able to thrive off grass and rough vegetation alone with no need for modern concentrate feeds.

We have some new recent editions to our stock - two pure bred, registered Exmoor ponies. GWT have taken them on from the Monmouthshire Meadows group to assist with our conservation grazing.  They will be

PHOTO CREDITS: HEPBURN PHOTOGRAPHY, JOE RYDER

Above, GWT Conservation Grazing Officer Joe Ryder. Top, Hereford cattle - view - looking over Wye valley to Forest of Dean.

settling in on Wyeswood through spring and summer and then moving around the county to assist with our conservation grazing management through late summer, autumn and winter.

Through the winter we feed our own Pentwyn Farm hay as a treat on frosty days! The hay is packed with seeds from the grassland SSSI Pentwyn Farm, fed out on the grasslands through the winter it helps improve sward plant diversity. The livestock are removed from the hay meadows in early spring, in the case of Pentwyn Farm mid-February, as with mild weather some of the early plants are already on the move sending out seed leaves. Next, we chain harrow with a tractor, knocking over the molehills and raking up mosses and removing any thatch. Over the next 5-6 months the hay meadow develops into is full glory! The crop is not cut until the end of August once most of the plants have flowered and set seed.

Marvellous meadows

June is a great month to visit a hay meadow, with orchids in flower and grasshoppers stridulating!

The hay meadows are a great example of the importance of conservation grazing, without the grazing of sheep and cattle the hay meadow simply doesn’t work.

Grazing livestock comes with a great deal of responsibility. GWT livestock are registered organic with the Soil Association. This means that the land we graze them on is free from artificial fertilisers and we do not use any pesticides or insecticides. It also requires a higher level of animal welfare. To meet these high standards our livestock are checked for health and welfare 365 days a year come rain or shine! The daily checks are carried out by our wonderful team of volunteer shepherds.

Get involved

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer shepherd, general volunteer or finding out more about our conservation grazing and Pentwyn Farm and Wyeswood nature reserves work, please contact me, Joe Ryder via email jryder@gwentwildlife.org

Above left, Jacinth, Exmoor pony.

Above right, Longhorn cattle - view - looking over Wye valley (two peaks , back of the The Kymin and Staunton Forest of Dean).

Below from left to right: Bumblebee on Spear Thistle; Jacinth and Jemima Exmoor ponies; Sheep handling with volunteers and trainees; Chemical free cow pat packed with dung invertebrates.

Working wonders to restore Whitetailed Eagles

It has been a busy few months for Eagle Reintroduction Wales (ERW) – White-tailed Eagle programme/Rhaglan Eryr y Mór and our partners at Gwent Wildlife Trust. Our key focus has been to increase opportunities for local communities to learn more about one of Wales’ native-lost species, the White-tailed Eagle.

A total of 30 White-tailed Eagle stakeholder workshops and eight community talks have been successfully delivered in the region, including a very well attended online talk with Gwent Wildlife Trust (GWT) and in-person talks in Usk, Newport and Pontypool. Twenty-five landowners have also taken part in our White-tailed Eagle habitat surveys, with 68 sites surveyed to assess suitability across Southeast Wales. And I presented a talk to people from across the region at GWT’s Landowners’ day on Sunday, March 3rd.

This work received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.

Learn more

If you would like to learn more about

Restoring White-tailed Eagles to Wales , join Dr SophieLee and Gwent

Wildlife Trust at Chepstow Castle on 21st and 22nd of April for our wildlife event Castle Creatures. Dr Sophie-Lee will be there to talk about the ERW project, White-Tailed Eagles in Gwent.

You can also keep an Eagle eye out for other exciting opportunities you can get involved with on social media @ERWProject and via the website https:// www.eaglereintroductionwales.com/.

PHOTO CREDITS: WILD MEDIA, SIMON R LEACH

Project update by Durrell Wildlife’s White-tailed Eagle Officer Dr Sophie-lee Williams

Decision to Ban Dogs from Brockwells Meadows

By Nature Recovery Manager Rick Mundy

We have recently made the difficult decision to exclude dogs from our Brockwells Meadows reserve. This is the second of our reserves where we have decided that dogs will not be allowed, the first being Magor Marsh, the third, when it formally opens to the public later this year, will be Bridewell Common.

We understand how popular dogs are in our society, they are part of our lives and part of our families, and we are aware of the close association that many people feel between their dogs and the great outdoors. Many people’s enjoyment of the countryside is greatly reduced if they are not able to bring their dog out with them. Indeed, for many people, the motivation for getting out and about is to walk the dog. Our existing policy that dogs are allowed on our reserves, but must be kept on a lead, reflects this understanding. However there are strong arguments against allowing dogs on our nature reserves.

It is important to appreciate that a dog is a predator, to wildlife it looks, smells and sounds like a wolf. Having predators around presents a very obvious problem if you’re a wild animal: you, or your young or your eggs might get eaten. This potential ‘direct’ effect of dogs on wildlife is what is behind requests to keep dogs on leads, and if owners behave responsibly and follow the rules, these measures should be largely effective. But unfortunately, this direct effect is just the tip of an iceberg of less obvious ‘indirect’ effects that dogs can have, many of which come under the general term ‘disturbance’.

There is strong evidence that wild animals that share their space with dogs are in a state of constantly elevated stress.

We are becoming increasingly aware of the problems caused to human health by chronic stress and stress has the same effects on animals. A number of scientific papers have been published that demonstrate elevated cortisol levels, reduced populations, reduced breeding success and reduced body condition in birds and mammals that live in places where dogs are frequently present.

‘Conservation grazing’ livestock animals are essential to maintain species-rich grasslands and other habitats on our reserves and dogs can cause problems for these animals as well, two pregnant ewes were killed by pet dogs on our Great Traston Meadows reserve last summer for example. Poorly controlled dogs not only chasing and upsetting the young cows that graze Brockwells Meadows reserve, but also potentially putting their human companions at risk by causing the cattle to stampede, is one of the main triggers for our decision to exclude dogs.

A less obvious issue can be caused by the medicines that we use to keep our pets

healthy, such as flea treatments containing neonicotinoids and wormers containing avermectins. One of the important species at Brockwells Meadows is the hornet robberfly. It lays its eggs in dung and if this contains avermectins they cannot survive. NRW do not allow avermectin use on the cattle which graze the reserve but dogs treated with the same wormers could potentially introduce these chemicals.

As a wildlife charity, wildlife must always be our first priority. Our members, our funders, our partnership organisations, and our trustees expect this, and the wellbeing of the wildlife on our reserves can’t be compromised. If we become aware of a threat to one of our reserves, be it from dogs or anything else, we have to make an evidence-based and rational decision and act. In the case of Brockwells Meadows, the combination of disturbance to the cattle, the risk to human health and safety of stampeding cattle, and the potential for avermectins to be introduced, has been enough for us to decide that dogs need to be excluded.

PHOTO CREDITS: RICK MUNDY, CHRIS JONES

Left, view of Brockwells Meadows and top, cattle grazing at Brockwells Meadows Nature Reserve. Above, Hornet robberfly.

A Starter for 10!

By Evidence Manager, Andy Karran

At Gwent Wildlife Trust, we care about all of Gwent’s wildlife of course and strive to ensure a biodiverse, healthy, functioning environment for us all to enjoy. We value each species intrinsically. We however also recognise the need to target our efforts, and to be able to measure the success of this.

To this end, we have chosen 10 vulnerable species that we will particularly focus on between now and 2030, with the intention of making a real, measurable difference to their fortunes in Gwent. It wasn’t easy

shortlisting these 10, for a long time we had 11, we were then ruthless and only had 9! However, we settled on these 10 species as follows:

1. Grayling butterfly (Hipparchia semele)

2. Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

3. Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)

4. Pine Marten (Martes martes)

5. Pink Waxcap (Porpolomopsis calyptriformis)

6. Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus)

7. Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

8. Adder (Vipera berus)

9. Shrill Carder Bee (Bombus sylvarum)

10.

Why these?

Firstly, each of our selected species occur in Gwent, are threatened and as such feature as one of the 100 species featured in “The Greater Gwent State of Nature Report” (2021). Moreover, targeted work for each species will benefit countless other species in varied habitats across Gwent. Dippers, for example, rely on

Hedgehog Nightjar

Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius)

Adder

Shrill Carder Bee

healthy rivers; Shrill Carder Bees on flowery grasslands; Grayling butterfly on post-industrial colliery sites; and Hedgehogs in more urban areas. If Dippers are to be thriving on our rivers it means the watercourses must be unpolluted, with plenty of insect life for them to eat, this will also mean more fish, and in turn more Otters. We also hope our 10 species are readily identifiable and will capture people’s imagination, and so inspiring wildlife enthusiasts and those newer to nature alike. This is where hopefully you can all help.

How you can help.

For Hedgehogs your help can be very direct, making your gardens more wildlife friendly. For the other species it may be less obvious how we can all get involved, but will be sharing opportunities to take part in citizen science and campaigns. Naturally, your continued membership is much valued and helps to fund and support our work.

For those of you who are fortunate enough to have some land, you can help by telling us if these species are (or used to be) on your land, and if you’re interested

in taking measures to enhance your land for them. If so, please contact me via info@gwentwildlife.org

We want everyone to get involved. If you happen to see any of these 10 species please report your sightings to the South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre (SEWBReC) http://www.sewbrec.org.uk/recording. If we know where they are, then we can take measures to protect them and enhance adjacent habitats so they can spread and colonise other areas.

For the following 5 editions of “Wild About Gwent”, we will be focussing on 2 species each magazine, exploring in more detail their ecology, the challenges they face, and what can be done to help them. These features will also be available online via our website.

PHOTO CREDITS: ANDY KARRAN, NEIL ALDRIDGE, PETE HADFIELD

‘Targeted work for each species will benefit countless other species in varied habitats across Gwent.’

Barn Owl

Water Vole

Dipper

Pink Waxcap

Pine Marten

Grayling Butterfly

A Journey Through Space, Time And Steep Wooded Climbs

By Lowri Watkins, Evidence Officer

Though Gwent may be small in area, it packs in some of the most spectacular landscapes and diverse habitats in the South Wales region. For millennia, glacial ice sheets, followed by the river itself, have carved out Wales’ ancient borderlands, leaving in their wake sheer cliffs, vast wooded valleys and dramatic gorges. In the centuries since, humans have left their mark too and the woodlands of the Wye Valley carry this rich history upon sprawling, moss-drenched boughs.

Croes Robert Wood, near Trellech, is just one of the enchanting woodlands that makes up this rich valley landscape and it

just so happens to be a Gwent Wildlife Trust nature reserve. It sits within the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), recognised for its broad-leaved woodland and dormouse population.

In May 2022, I headed to Croes Robert Wood to apply the ‘grid-mapping’ survey technique. This involves splitting the whole site into 50x50m squares, aligned with the British National Grid. Each square is traversed during the survey to record various features, such as the abundance of wildflowers or the age/size of the trees and shrubs. By applying a fixed grid, we can return to monitor variation in plants and habitats with greater detail and precision over time. This level of scrutiny can detect more subtle and gradual changes, and allow us to better relate these to the management. The ultimate goal is to create an effective monitoring-management feedback loop, giving us confidence that the action we take is having the desired results. And in looking after the plants and habitats, we build the steady foundations for all other life to thrive too.

“Enough pre-amble, Lowri! Tell us what you discovered”, I hear you say. Well, there

PHOTO CREDITS: LOWRI WATKINS

Regenerating coppice coup

were no real botanical surprises. As a SSSI, many finer botanists have come before me to study the flora of this magnificent site, so the species are quite well documented. That’s not to say there aren’t delights to be found, but the main aim of the survey was to map the finer detail.

The woodland floor showcases a stunning assortment of plants, from spring favourites such as Wood Anemone and Lesser Celandine, to more localised curiosities, like Herb Paris (my favourite) and Moschatel. In places, Bluebells roll out in a crowded carpet, while elsewhere, lush, leafy Dog’s Mercury dominates, punctuated only by taller ferns.

In the understorey, Hazel is the most familiar sight, thanks to a long history of coppice management across this reserve. It is this ancient woodland practice which tends to promote the bright conditions for wildflowers to prosper. Birch, Rowan and Hawthorn are sprinkled into the shrub layer, creating further interest. Moving higher still, the canopy is dominated by the linear trunks of Ash, but wetter areas give rise to vast, arching Willows and bulky Alders.

The botanical mix shifts according to a wide range of conditions, with light levels, topology, drainage/moisture, and soil depth and pH all important factors. While we can’t really manipulate many of these environmental factors, our approach to woodland management can have a considerable impact on which plants flourish. We can, for example, influence how open or closed the canopy is, how the structure of woody species varies, and as a result, how much light reaches the forest floor. My survey hoped to identify some of this variation, by recording not only the different species of trees and shrubs, but their age/size too.

stood for centuries, important markers of ownership in the past. Some impressive older coppiced trees have also survived within the depths of the woodland, like the mammoth Ash tree in the photo [on the next page]. With a diameter of two metres, we could estimate that this tree is probably several hundred years old!

In winter, it was time for me to retreat to office work and set about analysing the wealth of information volunteer Paul and I had collected in spring. Cleaning and preparing the data can be boring, but it is all worth it when I finally get to visualise the results. It feels a bit like magic,

importantly, it unlocks information about the condition of the woods and where our action is needed most.

We have a bit of ‘wish-list’ of features we want to see at Croes Robert Wood. Features which are key to ensuring a healthy, functioning ecosystem; one which can sustain a diversity of wildlife, from lichens to ferns, butterflies to birds and much more. The wish-list must provide for the Dormouse population too, which needs a succession of food throughout their active months (April – November) and well-connected woody layers to travel through.

WOODLAND WISHLIST

• A diversity of tree species as ‘standards’ and ‘coppice’

• Variation in structure, from temporary glades to dense thickets

• Natural regeneration of trees from seed

• Dead and dying trees

• Live trees with holes, hollows and rotten branches – great habitats for invertebrates, fungi etc.

• Diverse ground flora

The site has an interesting history, with most of the largest trees having been harvested for timber in 1982, just prior to GWT taking over ownership. As a result, some of the most mature trees survive only at the boundary, where they will have

translating a spreadsheet full of numbers into a colourful map that instantly tells the story of the woodland. You can see snapshots of a couple of these maps [on opposite page].

From recording plant species, as well as their age/size, I can start to build a picture of where trees are regenerating, where the greatest diversity of wildflowers occurs or where the biggest, oldest trees stand. This is all really interesting, but more

One of the key outcomes of the survey work is to meet up with the Nature Recovery team over winter to discuss the results and make recommendations for future management. We have recently held this meeting for Croes Robert and it was really useful to bring together our different experiences of the wood. We chatted about the coppicing regime, how to control Sycamore regrowth, as well as more troublesome invasive species, such as

‘Croes Robert Wood, near Trellech, is just one of the enchanting woodlands that makes up this rich valley landscape.’

Cotoneaster. More detailed spatial plans can now be developed and we can return to the site in future to assess our success in implementing them.

A final note

It was such a privilege to visit all the hidden corners of Croes Robert Wood. Through my slow presence, I could feel myself falling in with the unique rhythm of the place, and noticing more and more. One of my favourite discoveries came in the shape of a beetle, rather than a plant. Volunteer Paul and I were trudging back uphill late one afternoon, when a little black blob began to cross the path in front of us. It was big and curious enough to warrant a proper inspection, so I gently scooped it up and allowed it to tiptoe over my hand. Up close, we could see it had an impressive arrangement of horns! It wasn’t a species I had encountered before, so we diligently photographed its many pleasing angles and set it down in the vegetation it had been heading towards.

Back home, I eagerly researched ‘big black beetle with horns’ and soon stumbled

A Community Of Wild Possibilities

By Marketing Officer Hamish Blair

Our Local Groups have wrapped up their winter talks – covering diverse topics from marvellous mammals such as Pine Martens, Beavers, Badgers, Dormice and Water Voles to reptiles, raptors, swans and even panthers for good measure. Furthermore, we had talks on botany, gardening, wildlife nearby and wildlife photography to name just a few! Thank you to all who attended and put in hours of work organising and hosting. If you are feeling like you missed out then make sure to keep an eye out for the Local Groups talks returning next winter!

Welcome to all new members who have joined since the last issue, some through the winter promotion, Christmas Gift Memberships or otherwise. Our partnership with South West Wildlife Fundraising Ltd (SWWFL) is growing – many of you may have recently joined when you met one of our friendly Membership Recruiters in Gwent. We’d like to welcome both Russ and Steve to the team, so far they’ve been doing brilliantly – here they are at the Monmouth Seed Swap (pictured above right).

To be frank, it is a difficult environment for many of us. The financial pressures are felt widely both within

on the magnificent Minotaur Beetle. I learned that it’s a soil-boring, dung beetle with a short life-cycle and the fearsome looking horns belong to the males, who use them for mating contests. I was surprised to read that their typical habitat is lightly wooded heath or moorland and that they need well-draining soils to build their burrows up to a metre deep.

charities and for those supporting them. All the while with a backdrop of the necessity to defend nature and protect the wildlife we all love. There are many reasons to be positive nonetheless; the support of our members gives us the ability to continue to help local wildlife and take action for biodiversity. We now have around 7,500 members, all of whom are helping stand up for the climate and nature issues that they care about most… As a community, we really are able to create the changes needed for us all to enjoy a wilder Gwent.

PHOTO CREDITS: HAMISH BLAIR, ANDY KARRAN, LOWRI WATKINS

Coppice Ash and volunteer Paul

Minotaur Beetle

Herb Paris

Above, our friendly membership recruiters Steve, left and Russ, right.

A Diary Of Winter Work

By Senior Youth Engagement Officer Beccy Williams

The February half term was a busy time for young people from the Stand for Nature Wales project.

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, a group of Wildlife Warriors and Nature Nurturers worked on the construction of a Wildlife Garden at the LINC complex for older people at Llys Glyncoed in Ebbw Vale. They worked hard on preparing the ground and constructing a path out of recycled plastic boards. The young people and the residents enjoyed it and all are

looking forward to completing the project as soon as possible.

On Tuesday of the same week, Kieran (from the Warriors group), Petra and I went to the allotments in Pillgwenlly in Newport. We met some people from Newport Youth Academy to discuss future plans for the area. A patch in the garden that had been wildflowers last summer was cleared back ready for it to flower again this summer, leaves were cleared up and a litter pick was undertaken. Then in the afternoon, Petra, Kieran and I went to St. Paul’s and St Stephen’s Church in Pillgwenlly, where we cleaned out the pond, removed dead leaves and planted bulbs in the garden area.

On the Wednesday of half term, the two groups met in Wentwood with Dai Lucas who lead an animal tracking session. The group quickly became very skilled at

tracking, spotting numerous deer tracks plus anthills, bird pellets and other natural signs with help from our own Wild Health Officer, Rose.

On Thursday, I travelled with Molly, one of the Nurturers, to the outdoor pursuits centre – Urdd at Llangrannog. We met Petra, other staff and youth group members from all over Wales to do a recce for this year’s youth summit in August. Molly tested the accommodation and the food...it passed! Other groups went to assess the area around the beach and across the cliffs, it is looking to be a perfect venue for the summit.

We have also recently had a talk from a former member of the group, Michael Rodgers, on Reptiles and Amphibians of Gwent. And our youth group has also been making bat boxes.

In addition, the S4NW staff team has been visiting schools and improving habitats with the pupils. Activities included installing bird nest boxes ready for the season ahead, as well as making seed bombs and taking part in the RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch.

If you are or know a young person aged 9-24 years who is interested in making a stand for nature in Gwent, contact me, Beccy on rwilliams@gwentwildlife.org

PHOTO CREDITS: BECCY WILLIAMS, ROB MAGEE, PETRA MITCHARD

Above left to right: S4NW working on the wildlife garden at Llys Glyncoed; Kieran clearing the wildlife pond in Pillgwenlly; enjoying a wildlife tracking session with Dai Lucas.

Above left to right: young people preparing the ground for a boardwalk at Llys Glyncoed; the recce for this year’s Youth Summit at Llangrannog included a trip to the coast.

Left to right, on Saturday 4th March S4NW organised a community litter pick at Tanglewood Blaina, with a group made up from S4NW youth group members and local residents in partnership with Blaenau Gwent County Council.

Wild & Healthy

By Ian Thomas, Senior Wild Health Officer

It’s been another very busy and successful year for Wild Health! Throughout 2022, we reached out and delivered sessions to numerous organisations and hundreds of individuals right across Gwent, inspiring a curiosity in nature and wildlife and promoting pro environmental behaviour.

Participants tell us they’ve been reaping the benefits physically and emotionally, have a greater community connection, and have a great deal of confidence and desire to access the outdoors independently of the project! The following montage will give you a flavour of what’s been going on.

PHOTO CREDITS: ROSE O’HAGAN, MANDY JONES, IAN THOMAS, ANDI THOMAS, SAM JONES, DAVE JONES

Left, building wooden shelters with Aderyn.

Above, mixed habitat walk with Early Intervention Programme. Right, Whittling sticks with Ty Gwyn.

Above, Rewild families building a reptile hibernaculum at Pontymoile Basin.

Above left, Newport Community Mental Health Team at Tredegar House Lake on a well being walk. Above middle, Cambrian Consortium / N Monmouthshire Community Mental Health Team in search of dippers and heron on the River Rhymney. Right, Staff from Skills and Volunteering Cymru on a well being walk.

Above, Sensory Walk with Ukrainian Families. Right, Mindfulness and Crafts with South Monmouthshire Community Mental Health Team.

Above left, Bridges Group making halloween crafts at Goytre Woods. Above middle, Gareth from the Autism Service looking for a cache, digital development. Above right, People First Participant finding a goldfinch on the geocache trail (a fake one of course).

Left, Sensory Walk with Sense Cymru at Tredegar Park. Above, GWT trainees and members of the public looking at archaeology, history and biodiversity on Llangynidr Common / Chartist Cave.

Above, bushcraft session at Fourteen Locks with Newport People First.

Wildlife Gardening on a Budget

Rather than buying plants grown in peat-based compost and plastic pots, grow them from seed in your own compost and an upcycled container. Take cuttings and dig up and divide plants to propagate more, and if you have too many why not share them with friends and neighbours who might return the favour? It’s a good idea to save seeds rather than buy fresh every spring, but don’t forget how good birds are at farming — if you’ve ever watched a goldfinch feeding on knapweed seed you’ll know that half of it ends up on the ground to grow into next year’s larder. Look out for berrying seedlings such as holly and hawthorn at the base of fences or other spots where birds like to perch, and — with the landowner’s permission — dig them up to grow for free in your garden.

Rather than buying plants grown in peat-based compost and plastic pots, grow them from seed in your own compost and an upcycled container. Take cuttings and dig up and divide plants to propagate more, and if you have too many why not share them with friends and neighbours who might return the favour? It’s a good idea to save seeds rather than buy fresh every spring, but don’t forget how good birds are at farming — if you’ve ever watched a goldfinch feeding on knapweed seed you’ll

It’s not just gardening that can be done cheaply. Want a log pile? Keep an eye out for neighbours doing tree work and ask if you can have a log or two. Want a new bird box? Find instructions online to make your own. Other ways to help wildlife require no money at all: let grass grow long around the edges, avoid cutting back plants and start a nice open compost pile at the end of the garden. Nature costs nothing, we just have to let her in.

know that half of it ends up on the ground to grow into next year’s larder. Look out for berrying seedlings such as holly and hawthorn at the base of fences or other spots where birds like to perch, and — with the landowner’s permission — dig them up to grow for free in your garden.

Get more tips for helping nature at home from wildlifetrusts.org/gardening

Kate Bradbury is passionate about wildlifefriendly gardening and the author of Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything in association with The Wildlife Trusts.

It’s not just gardening that can be done cheaply. Want a log pile? Keep an eye out for neighbours doing tree work and ask if you can have a log or two. Want a new bird box? Find instructions online to make your

own. Other ways to help wildlife require no money at all: let grass grow long around the edges, avoid cutting back plants and start a nice open compost pile at the end of the garden. Nature costs nothing, we just have to let her in.

It doesn’t cost the earth to make a wildlife friendly garden. Indeed, the less money you spend the better for your pocket, wildlife and the planet.

It doesn’t cost the earth to make a wildlife friendly garden. Indeed, the less money you spend the better for your pocket, wildlife and the planet.

GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE

Grow annuals from seed

Pollinator-friendly favourites like sunflowers and cosmos are easy — simply sow in pots of peat-free compost and plant out in early summer.

Grow annuals from seed

Pollinator-friendly favourites like sunflowers and cosmos are easy — simply sow in pots of peat-free compost and plant out in early summer.

Make new plants from old Dig up herbaceous plants like nepeta and cranesbills and use an old bread knife to slice the rootball in two, with intact stems. Replant and water well.

Take softwood cuttings

Make new plants from old Dig up herbaceous plants like nepeta and cranesbills and use an old bread knife to slice the rootball in two, with intact stems. Replant and water well.

Cut 10cm shoots from shrubs like lavender, remove lower leaves and push into pots of moist, gritty compost. Cover with a plastic bag sealed with an elastic band and keep on a bright windowsill for eight weeks.

Take softwood cuttings

Be less tidy

Let an area of grass grow long, allow leaves to pile up in borders, deadhead and cut back less.

Be less tidy

Let an area of grass grow long, allow leaves to pile up in borders, deadhead and cut back less.

Make your own habitat boxes

From bird and bat boxes to hedgehog feeding stations and even “toad abodes”, there are plenty of instructions online on how to make your own bespoke wildlife homes.

Make your own habitat boxes

Grow your own bird food

Make a log pile

Cut 10cm shoots from shrubs like lavender, remove lower leaves and push into pots of moist, gritty compost. Cover with a plastic bag sealed with an elastic band and keep on a bright windowsill for eight weeks.

Neighbours pruning or cutting down a tree? Ask for some logs! Piled up in a corner or beneath a bench they provide an easy, inexpensive habitat.

Make a log pile

Neighbours pruning or cutting down a tree? Ask for some logs!

Piled up in a corner or beneath a bench they provide an easy, inexpensive habitat.

From bird and bat boxes to hedgehog feeding stations and even “toad abodes”, there are plenty of instructions online on how to make your own bespoke wildlife homes.

Home-grown bird food is free: avoid cutting back seedbearing plants like lavender, knapweed, grasses, sunflower and Verbena bonariensis, and watch the birds flock to feed from them.

Grow your own bird food

Enjoy free gifts from birds

Home-grown bird food is free: avoid cutting back seedbearing plants like lavender, knapweed, grasses, sunflower and Verbena bonariensis, and watch the birds flock to feed from them.

Birds make great farmers. Keep an eye out for holly and hawthorn seedlings, often found at the base of fences or other ‘perches’. With the landowners permission, dig them up and plant in your garden!

Enjoy free gifts from birds

Birds make great farmers. Keep an eye out for holly and hawthorn seedlings, often found at the base of fences or other ‘perches’. With the landowners permission, dig them up and plant in your garden!

The Great Big Nature survey launches

The Great Big Nature survey launches

The Great Big Nature survey launches

To help us understand how much nature matters to you, The Wildlife Trusts are launching The Great Big Nature Survey this spring. We want to hear your views on some of the most important issues affecting nature and wildlife, and your relationship with the natural world. How often do you get out into nature? Should people try to control nature to better protect it? How important are green spaces to you? What roles should people, business, and government have in looking after nature? Should local communities be at the centre of nature conservation on their doorstep?

To help us understand how much nature matters to you, The Wildlife Trusts are launching The Great Big Nature Survey this spring. We want to hear your views on some of the most important issues affecting nature and wildlife, and your relationship with the natural world. How often do you get out into nature? Should people try to control nature to better protect it? How important are green spaces to you? What roles should people, business, and government have in looking after nature? Should local communities be at the centre of nature conservation on their doorstep?

Whatever your views on nature, however important (or not) it is to you, make your voice heard by taking The Great Big Nature survey today. With respondents from a variety of backgrounds and with many different

UK HIGHLIGHTS

UK HIGHLIGHTS

UK HIGHLIGHTS

Discover

how

To help us understand how much nature matters to you, The Wildlife Trusts are launching The Great Big Nature Survey this spring. We want to hear your views on some of the most important issues affecting nature and wildlife, and your relationship with the natural world. How often do you get out into nature? Should people try to control nature to better protect it? How important are green spaces to you? What roles should people, business, and government have in looking after nature? Should local communities be at the centre of nature conservation on their doorstep? Whatever your views on nature, however important (or not) it is to you, make your voice heard by taking The Great Big Nature survey today. With respondents from a variety of backgrounds and with many different

experiences in and views of nature and wild places, The Great Big Nature Survey will reveal what people in the UK and islands really think about nature and how we, as a society, should protect it. Results will also help The Wildlife Trusts to hold governments to account over environmental policies and priorities. After you’ve completed the survey, why not share it with your friends and family?

experiences in and views of nature and wild places, The Great Big Nature Survey will reveal what people in the UK and islands really think about nature and how we, as a society, should protect it. Results will also help The Wildlife Trusts to hold governments to account over environmental policies and priorities. After you’ve completed the survey, why not share it with your friends and family?

experiences in and views of nature and wild places, The Great Big Nature Survey will reveal what people in the UK and islands really think about nature and how we, as a society, should protect it. Results will also help The Wildlife Trusts to hold governments to account over environmental policies and priorities. After you’ve completed the survey, why not share it with your friends and family?

Take the survey at wildlifetrusts.org/ great-big-nature-survey or scan the QR code

Take the survey at wildlifetrusts.org/ great-big-nature-survey or scan the QR code

Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK

Whatever your views on nature, however important (or not) it is to you, make your voice heard by taking The Great Big Nature survey today. With respondents from a variety of backgrounds and with many different

Take the survey at wildlifetrusts.org/ great-big-nature-survey or scan the QR code

Ragged robin has declined due to habitat loss

Plotted plants

Plotted plants

Plotted plants

The Wildlife Trusts are co-sponsoring production of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) Plant Atlas 2020, which is published this March. The Atlas is based on more than 30 million records collected by thousands of botanists between 2000 and 2019, providing

The Wildlife Trusts are co-sponsoring production of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) Plant Atlas 2020, which is published this March. The Atlas is based on more than 30 million records collected by thousands of botanists between 2000 and 2019, providing

The Wildlife Trusts are co-sponsoring production of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) Plant Atlas 2020, which is published this March. The Atlas is based on more than 30 million records collected by thousands of botanists between 2000 and 2019, providing

an unrivaled picture of the changing distribution and fortunes of plants in Britain and Ireland. This knowledge is likely to provide evidence to help us protect nature across the UK.

an unrivaled picture of the changing distribution and fortunes of plants in Britain and Ireland. This knowledge is likely to provide evidence to help us protect nature across the UK.

Find out more bsbi.org/atlas-2020

an unrivaled picture of the changing distribution and fortunes of plants in Britain and Ireland. This knowledge is likely to provide evidence to help us protect nature across the UK.

Find out more bsbi.org/atlas-2020

Find out more bsbi.org/atlas-2020

The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK

Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK

Hen party

Hen party

Hen party

The Northumberland Hen Harrier Protection Partnership, of which Northumberland Wildlife Trust is a member, announced a bumper breeding year for hen harriers in the county. Last year the partnership monitored nine nests, seven of which were successful — fledging a total of 26 chicks. This is eight more than in 2021 and brings the total since 2015 to 106 fledged birds. wtru.st/26-harriers

The Northumberland Hen Harrier Protection Partnership, of which Northumberland Wildlife Trust is a member, announced a bumper breeding year for hen harriers in the county. Last year the partnership monitored nine nests, seven of which were successful — fledging a total of 26 chicks. This is eight more than in 2021 and brings the total since 2015 to 106 fledged birds. wtru.st/26-harriers

The Northumberland Hen Harrier Protection Partnership, of which Northumberland Wildlife Trust is a member, announced a bumper breeding year for hen harriers in the county. Last year the partnership monitored nine nests, seven of which were successful — fledging a total of 26 chicks. This is eight more than in 2021 and brings the total since 2015 to 106 fledged birds. wtru.st/26-harriers

Give peat a chance

Give peat a chance

Give peat a chance

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has been awarded a £100,000 Discovery Grant by Natural England to protect and restore the county’s peatlands. Peatland is a vital habitat, not just for wildlife but also for storing carbon. The grant will allow the Wildlife Trust to identify mechanisms to restore the region’s peatlands, so they can absorb and lock away carbon.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has been awarded a £100,000 Discovery Grant by Natural England to protect and restore the county’s peatlands. Peatland is a vital habitat, not just for wildlife but also for storing carbon. The grant will allow the Wildlife Trust to identify mechanisms to restore the region’s peatlands, so they can absorb and lock away carbon. wtru.st/Derby-peat-grant

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has been awarded a £100,000 Discovery Grant by Natural England to protect and restore the county’s peatlands. Peatland is a vital habitat, not just for wildlife but also for storing carbon. The grant will allow the Wildlife Trust to identify mechanisms to restore the region’s peatlands, so they can absorb and lock away carbon. wtru.st/Derby-peat-grant

wtru.st/Derby-peat-grant

Mr Blean

Mr Blean

Mr Blean

Kent Wildlife Trust has welcomed a male bison into the herd at West Blean and Thornden Wood. The bull’s arrival was delayed by post Brexit complications, but he has now joined the three females that were released in July, and the calf born in September. The bison have 50 hectares to roam as part of the Wilder Blean Project, a joint wilding initiative. wtru.st/bison-bull

Kent Wildlife Trust has welcomed a male bison into the herd at West Blean and Thornden Wood. The bull’s arrival was delayed by post Brexit complications, but he has now joined the three females that were released in July, and the calf born in September. The bison have 50 hectares to roam as part of the Wilder Blean Project, a joint wilding initiative. wtru.st/bison-bull

Kent Wildlife Trust has welcomed a male bison into the herd at West Blean and Thornden Wood. The bull’s arrival was delayed by post Brexit complications, but he has now joined the three females that were released in July, and the calf born in September. The bison have 50 hectares to roam as part of the Wilder Blean Project, a joint wilding initiative. wtru.st/bison-bull

PHOTO CREDITS: RAGGED ROBIN © KIERON HUSTON; BISON © EVAN BOWEN

RAGGED ROBIN © KIERON HUSTON; BISON © EVAN BOWEN

RAGGED ROBIN © KIERON HUSTON; BISON © EVAN BOWEN

RAGGED ROBIN © KIERON HUSTON; BISON © EVAN BOWEN

Top, a volunteer get together at Magor Marsh as a thank you from GWT for our volunteers amazing efforts. Above, volunteers getting things all shipshape and ready for our newest nature reserve Bridewell Common to open this spring.

Helping Out

Thanks to funds raised by the fantastic players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we train all our volunteers so they can help us in our nature recovery work. We’ve provided all kinds of training and indoor and outdoor opportunities to benefit both wildlife and people in the past year.

Here’s just a snapshot of some our wonderful volunteers in action.

Left, small hay bale collecting with volunteers on Wyeswood Common. Last summer they helped collect and stack around 800 small bales! Below, clearing bramble and scrub to enhance Lower Minnetts nature reserve.

PHOTO CREDITS: ROB WALLER, HAMISH BLAIR, PAULINE GAYWOOD

Above and below, volunteers and GWT staff hedgelaying at Brockwells Meadows SSSI nature reserve.

Torfaen’s Local Nature Reserves

Across Gwent we have 32 Nature Reserves that we manage for wildlife and you are very much welcome to visit them all. Each of our Local Authorities also have nature reserves, which are known as Local Nature Reserves (LNR). So, what exactly is a LNR and what makes them such special places? By

Andy Karran, Evidence Manager.

Local Nature Reserves are protected open green spaces for both wildlife and local people. They are designated by, and in control of, the Local Authority. They aim to:

• Maintain and enhance the habitats and species present.

• Provide an accessible green space for people to enjoy.

• Provide an accessible green space for people to learn about nature.

• Provide opportunities for community involvement and volunteering.

There are seven of these sites in Torfaen, with a further site proposed, these being:

Churchwood and Springvale

Ponds – A largely wooded site in Cwmbran, including Ancient Woodland full of spring flowers. A series of ponds and species-rich damp grassland further add to the diversity.

Cwmavon Corridor – A cycle track runs for 5km through this site following the old

railway. This allows you to pass through an extensive area of ancient woodland home to the striking Pied Flycatcher and Redstart. An after-dark visit in the summer may reveal the eerie light of a Glow-worm!

Cwmynyscoy Quarry - A real little gem, it is a disused quarry near Pontypool that has been reclaimed by nature, with scrub/woodland and species-rich calcareous grassland that support a number of scarce butterflies and moths as well as orchids amongst the myriad of other species.

Garn Lakes - A large site with three lakes, blocks of woodland and swathes of species-rich grassland between Blaenavon and Brynmawr. A fantastic network of paths make this a great site to explore.

Henllys Open Space

- Largely surrounded by housing in Cwmbran, it is a real oasis for people and wildlife,

PHOTO CREDITS: ANDY KARRAN

Emerald Damselfly, one of many species that thrive at Garn Lakes

Pied Flycatcher

A former industrial site, Garn Lakes is now a haven for wildlife

with ancient woodland, species-rich grassland, a community orchard and ponds.

Llwyncelyn - This is at the cemetery and is the largest area of species-rich meadows in Torfaen. These meadows throng with insects and support a huge population of the scarce Dyer’s Greenweed. Woodland and ponds add to its value.

Tirpentwys – A great site, near Pontypool. It was a former tip, but you wouldn’t know it now as it is a superb mosaic of species-rich grassland full of insects and orchids, woodland full of birds, and areas of heath and watercourses also adding to the interest.

Blaenserchan (Proposed) – Another former industrial site reclaimed by nature, with the slopes of the valley supporting banks of purple heather, scrub, woodland and species-rich grassland. Peaceful but alive with wildlife.

Torfaen CBC are committed to ensuring these sites are superb havens for both wildlife and the public. As such they

commissioned Gwent Wildlife Trust to write new 10 year Management Plans for each of the sites.

Last summer was spent surveying these fantastic sites, (I know, hard life!), and the winter writing the management plans. Each site has its own great features. Personal highlights from my visits were the speciesrich grasslands buzzing with insects at Llwyncelyn, dragon and damselflies darting everywhere at Garn Lakes, the peacefulness of Blaenserchan and the lightning fast lizards at Tirpentwys.

It is also heartening to know that 4 of the sites are former industrial sites (Cwmynyscoy Quarry, Garn Lakes, Tirpentwys and Blaenserchan), with a fifth (Cwmavon Corridor) repurposing an old railway, showing that with vision and the right management nature can reclaim these spaces and thrive.

Torfaen CBC manage these sites and great volunteers also assist in this. However, for each site to remain in great condition for all its users (both wildlife and people) is quite an undertaking. To assist with this, it is the intention to establish “Friends of” groups for each of the sites.

There is already a long established “Friend of Henllys LNR” group which has done much fantastic work, if similar croups could be established at the other 7 sites then great things will be achieved.

Work that the “Friends of” groups could get involved in range from the physical (scrub control, removal of invasive plants, path maintenance), monitoring of habitats/ species for a range of abilities (butterfly transects, nest-box checking, habitat condition assessments), administration of the group, promotion of the site, educational (guided walks) and anything else that will benefit the LNR. It could keep you fit, and be a great social activity whilst helping wildlife.

If you are interested in this then please contact either Rachel Edwards (Rachel. Edwards2@torfaen.gov.uk) or Mark Panniers (Mark.Panniers@torfaen.gov.uk).

Hopefully you will be able to get out and enjoy these 8 fantastic sites this year. If you do, and see any of the great wildlife please report your sightings to SEWBReC http:// www.sewbrec.org.uk/recording as this helps us to build a better picture of what is there and from this how to manage the sites better.

‘Torfaen CBC are committed to ensuring these sites are superb havens for both wildlife and the public.’

Bee Orchid

Common Lizard, basking on path at Tirpentwys

Six-belted Clearwing

Citizen science programme suggests

○ The Bugs Matter survey finds bug splats on number plates have declined by 64% in less than 20 years

○ Conservationists describe the outlook for Gwent as “alarming” with the county seeing similar reductions to the national average

○ The announcement comes as the UK Government lifted a ban on pesticides that harm bees.

New analysis of data from the 2022 Bugs Matter survey, run by conservation charities Kent Wildlife Trust, Gwent Wildlife Trust and Buglife, suggests alarming declines in insect numbers in Gwent: the number of flying insects sampled on number plates by citizen scientists has declined by a massive 64% since 2004.

This is an increase from last year’s figures, which showed a 40% decline between 2004 and 2021. The news comes after the UK Government announced the permitted use of the banned pesticide thiamethoxam (a neonicotinoid) on sugar beet crops in England for the third year running, even after advocating for a global pesticide reduction target at the UN COP15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December 2022. A single teaspoon of the neonicotinoid pesticide is enough to kill 1.25 billion bees.

The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey uses an innovative method for the large-scale surveying of flying insect abundance across the UK. The survey runs in summer and involves citizen scientists recording the number of insect splats on their vehicle number plates following a journey. Counting insects not only gives an estimate of the abundance of insect life but is also a measure of the health of the environment, so when their numbers fall it

is an indication that nature is in trouble.

The Bugs Matter data also indicates that insect declines appear to be happening at the same rate in Gwent as the rest of the UK, where a 64% national decline in the number of bug splats on number plates was recorded across the same time period.

The results from the Bugs Matter surveys inform a growing requirement for conservation research, policy and practice targeted at insects. It is also hoped that the survey method could be adopted in other countries, with citizen scientists across the planet taking part to compile a hugely valuable global dataset.

Participation in the 2022 Bugs Matter survey in Gwent was impressive: the number of journeys increased from 172 to 250 between 2021 and 2022 and the top two journey recorders in Gwent logged 75 and 72 journeys over the lifetime of the Bugs Matter survey.

Head of Nature Recovery Gemma Bodé said, “We are pleased that so many citizen scientists in Gwent signed up to the Bugs Matter survey! The data we’re generating means that for the first time we can get a county-wide estimate of how insect populations are changing over time. The results from these first few years are very concerning, but can help us understand the long-term trends in insect numbers in Gwent and focus our work in reversing these declines.”

You can see the full results here:

https://www.gwentwildlife. org/news/bugs-matterresults-2022

PHOTO CREDITS: NIGEL JONES, DARREN BRADLEY

dramatic decline in Gwent insect numbers, as UK Government approve the use of lethal pesticides

LOCAL WILDLIFE HEROES

VITAL STATISTICS

Name: Mike Webb

Lives in: Cardiff

Job: GWT

Conservation Officer

Interesting fact: One of my relatives is featured on a British banknote - Elizabeth Fry, the prison reformer.

Tell us about yourself in 30 words. After a degree in plant biology and environmental biology, my first post was as a Coed Cymru officer, giving advice to the farming community on managing farm woodlands. I moved sideways into planning when I came to the realisation of how important an understanding of the Welsh planning system is to protecting nature.

What’s your favourite local place for nature?

My favourite local place for nature, which I return to time after time, is our Springdale nature reserve. Whether it’s the stunning display of spring woodland flora, or the vibrant high summer wildflower meadows, I’m totally hooked!

Tell us about a memorable wildlife experience you have had locally/in the UK.

In terms of pure visual and aural impact, the Cemlyn tern colony on the north coast of Ynys Mon, managed by our sister trust the North Wales Wildlife Trust, takes some beating!

Why should people care about the climate crisis and nature emergency?

We have a moral and practical duty to care about our natural world, because we have failed to value the beauty, complexity and fragility of natural systems. Nature has an absolute right in and of itself to exist. We have only scratched the surface in our understanding of natural systems, and we are destroying species and habitats that we haven’t even been properly introduced to yet!

Who has inspired you:

I’ve been very privileged over the years to have worked with many truly inspirational people. My first and most obvious choice is Lee Waters, deputy Climate Change Minister of the Senedd, whose recent work resulted in the removal of several damaging road projects from the Welsh Government’s road building programme, including the infamous Red Route in Flintshire, which would have ploughed through ancient woodland and wildflower meadows. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Mr Waters’ work, which has, in a couple of short years, turned decades of damaging transport policy on its head.

Closer to home I would namecheck our former Wildlife Trusts Wales colleague, James Byrne. I can truthfully say, with my hand on my heart, that the M4 Relief Road would have

been built without James’ phenomenal team building and networking skills.

My work is centred on the marvellous landscape of the Gwent Levels, so I must also pay tribute to the inspirational Levels communities who have fought so long and hard to save our precious Levels. Ann Picton and Cath Davis of Friends of the Gwent Levels (FOGL) are two names (amongst many) who spring to mind. Ann sat through every single day of the months of the M4 Relief Road public inquiry, and Cath is a human whirlwind of energy, who has worked tirelessly for the Levels over many years.

Name one thing everyone should do to make a difference for the sake of nature and our planet?

I’m going to cheat, and name two things!

Firstly, if you are not already a member, please join GWT and please consider volunteering for us! Every single membership helps to give us the resources to fight the David and Goliath planning battles which we have to engage in. Our marvellous members and volunteers are our lifeblood, upon whom we rely completely.

Secondly, please be nature’s eyes and ears in your home area. In your walks, look out for warning signs that things may not be going well for nature, such as evidence of water pollution, notices for potentially damaging planning applications and so on.

PHOTO CREDITS: ANDY KARRAN, NEIL ALDRIDGE, JAMES BYRNE

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.

Clockwise from left: Sandwich Tern at Cemlyn Lagoon; Springdale nature reserve; Gwent Levels; James Byrne with First Minister Mark Drakeford.

Leave A Natural Legacy

Gwent Wildlife Trust believes that everyone deserves to live in a healthy, wildlife-rich natural world and to experience the joy of wildlife and wild places in our daily lives.

Including a gift in your will to Gwent Wildlife Trust, no matter the size, makes a difference and helps protect wildlife in your local area for future generations. Find out more: gwentwildlife.org/legacy

PHOTO CREDITS: LOWRI WATKINS