 The Isle of Skomer, Pembrokeshire, a Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales reserve | |
| Type | Conservation charity |
|---|---|
Area served | South and West Wales |
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) (Welsh : Ymddiriedolaeth Natur De a Gorllewin Cymru) is a Wildlife Trust in south and west Wales, one of 46 such Trusts in the United Kingdom.
Forerunner of the WTSWW, the former West Wales Naturalists' Trust traces its origin to a meeting held in Haverfordwest in February 1938. [1] It was convened by L. D. Whitehead, the Welsh industrialist and owner of Ramsey, and the naturalist and author R. M. Lockley, then living on Skokholm. [1] Seventy-eight people were present at that inaugural meeting and on the motion of Mr. Hugh Lloyd-Philipps, of Dale Castle, the Pembrokeshire Bird Protection Society was formed. [1]
In 1943, the society was urged to promote the establishment of nature reserves in readiness for post-war conditions. [2] A meeting in 1945 decided to widen its area, so as to cover the counties of Pembroke, Carmarthen, Cardigan, and Merioneth, in compliance with requests from those counties, and considered a selection of alternative names so as to indicate the extension of the Society's area and activities. [2] The meeting favoured West Wales Field Society. [2] The society purchased Dale Fort which it leased to the Council for the Promotion of Field Studies in August 1946. [2] An arrangement was made in 1947 for the CPFS to operate the Bird Observatory on Skokholm. Dale Fort was sold to the Field Studies Council in 1959.
In January, 1961, the Executive Council formerly resolved to recommend that the Society should be dissolved and reconstituted as the West Wales Naturalists Trust Ltd. [3] In April 2018 it merged with the Brecknock Wildlife Trust [4] to become the WTSWW.
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| Biodiversity of Wales |
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WTSWW work in the Vice-counties of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire and Brecknockshire. The suite of reserves includes the Melincwrt waterfalls (near Neath), Coed y Bwl (daffodil woods near Cardiff), Teifi Marshes (near Cardigan, including the Welsh Wildlife Centre, which has a cafe and shop, and is on the Cardigan-Cilgerran Offshoot trail of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path), Castle Woods in Llandeilo (with castle), and the islands of Skomer and Skokholm .
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales is a membership organisation with charitable status. It states an objective to build an environment "rich in wildlife for everyone” by “rebuilding biodiversity and engage people with their environment”. [5] The trust is works with volunteers and communities to protect habitats and species. [5] Their work includes reviewing planning applications, managing over 80 reserves, and providing advice to a wide variety of groups. [5]
The objectives of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales are: [5]
In September 2019 arsonists burnt down a Kingfisher Hide at the Welsh Wildlife Centre, damage which came at a cost of £20,000 to the Trust. [6] On New Year's Day 2020, the site was again attacked by vandals, who damaged a badger sculpture. [7]
The Wildlife Trusts, the trading name of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, is an organisation made up of 46 local Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and Alderney. The Wildlife Trusts, between them, look after more than 2,300 nature reserves, covering around 98,500 hectares. As of 2020, the Trusts have a combined membership of over 870,000 members.
This page gives an overview of the complex structure of environmental and cultural conservation in the United Kingdom.
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, often called the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, is a designated National Trail in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Established in 1970, it is a 186-mile (299 km) long-distance walking route, mostly at cliff-top level, with a total of 35,000 feet (11,000 m) of ascent and descent. At its highest point – Pen yr afr, on Cemaes Head – it reaches a height of 574 feet (175 m), and at its lowest point – Sandy Haven crossing, near Milford Haven – it is just 6 feet (2 m) above low water. Whilst most of the coastline faces west, it offers – at varying points – coastal views in every direction of the compass.
Skokholm or Skokholm Island is an island 2.5 miles (4.0 km) off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, south of the neighbouring island of Skomer. The surrounding waters are a marine reserve and all are part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Both islands are listed as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Skomer or Skomer Island is an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, in the community of Marloes and St Brides in west Wales. It is well known for its wildlife: around half the world's population of Manx shearwaters nest on the island, the Atlantic puffin colony is the largest in southern Britain, and the Skomer vole is unique to the island. Skomer is a national nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area. It is surrounded by a marine nature reserve and is managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.
The North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT) is the Wildlife Trust for North Wales. Established in 1962, it covers the vice counties of Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, Merionethshire, Denbighshire and Flintshire with over 4,500 members. It is a registered charity and a member of the Wildlife Trusts Partnership with the head office being located in Bangor and its eastern office located at Aberduna nature reserve, Flintshire.
Dale is both a small village and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, located on the peninsula which forms the northern side of the entrance to the Milford Haven Waterway. The village has 205 inhabitants according to the 2001 census, increasing to 225 at the 2011 Census.
Ronald Mathias Lockley was a Welsh ornithologist and naturalist. He wrote over fifty books on natural history, including a major study of shearwaters, and many articles. He is perhaps best known for his book The Private Life of the Rabbit.
Iolo Tudur Williams is a Welsh ornithologist, nature observer, television presenter and author, best known for his BBC and S4C nature programmes, working in both English and his first language of Welsh. After a 14-year career with the RSPB, in 1999 Williams became a full-time TV presenter. He has written a number of books about the natural world.
Mary Eleanor Gillham MBE was a British naturalist, university lecturer, and writer, who was resident for many years in Gwaelod y Garth and then Radyr, in Cardiff, Wales until her death.
Brecknock Wildlife Trust is a former wildlife trust covering the vice county of Brecknockshire in Wales. The Trust was founded in 1964, with a network of volunteers carrying out most of its work. No full-time conservation officers were in post until 1987. Heritage Lottery funding helped the Trust to expand and a bequest of £1,000,000 in 2003 resulted in the appointment of a Reserves Officer. In April 2018 it merged with The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.
Nature in Wales was a quarterly scientific journal, mainly written in English but with some Welsh-language content, containing academic and general articles and book reviews, published from 1955 to 1987. From 1955 to 1981 it was published by West Wales Field Society; a new series was started when the National Museum of Wales took over in 1982.
John Henry Barrett was a pioneering conservationist, author and broadcaster, who was the first Warden at Dale Fort Field Centre in Pembrokeshire.
Wales, a country that is part of the United Kingdom, contains protected areas under various designations. The largest designation by land area is Wales' three national parks, followed by the five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Wales Coast Path is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales.
The biodiversity of Wales refers to the wide variety of ecosystems, living organisms, and the genetic makeups found in Wales.
Wildlife law in England and Wales is the law relating to the protection of wildlife in England and Wales. Much of existing UK law dates from pre-Victorian times. Wildlife was viewed as a resource to be used; phrases such as "game" or "sporting rights" appear. Public opinion is now much more in favour of protection of birds and mammals rather than the landowners’ interests.
Cemaes Head is a headland and nature reserve in north Pembrokeshire. It lies in the community of St Dogmaels, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. To the west and north it overlooks Cardigan Bay, and to the east Cardigan Island and the estuary of the River Teifi.
The Welsh Wildlife Centre is a wildlife reserve covering Teifi Marshes, near Cilgerran on the Pembrokeshire/Ceredigion border, Wales. The site is located close to the Cardigan-Cilgerran Offshoot of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.
The coastline of Wales extends from the English border at Chepstow westwards to Pembrokeshire then north to Anglesey and back eastwards to the English border once again near Flint. Its character is determined by multiple factors, including the local geology and geological processes active during and subsequent to the last ice age, its relative exposure to or shelter from waves, tidal variation and the history of human settlement and development which varies considerably from one place to another. The majority of the coast east of Cardiff in the south, and of Llandudno in the north, is flat whilst that to the west is more typically backed by cliffs. The cliffs are a mix of sandstones, shales and limestones, the erosion of which provides material for beach deposits. Of the twenty-two principal areas which deliver local government in Wales, sixteen have a coastline, though that of Powys consists only of a short section of tidal river some distance from the open sea. Its length has been estimated at 1,680 miles (2,700 km).