MYNYDD FFOESIDOES
Written by Jenny Chryss
We are very fortunate to have been given permission to reproduce an article from Radnorshire Wildlife Trust’s Summer 2021 Newsletter by Jenny Chryss, their current chairperson. Mynydd Ffoesidoes reserve lies near the very top of the Radnor Forest and is a wonderful example of the fruits of the labour of the trust. We urge you to join the trust, and support their good work.
Trust News
Jenny Chryss, RWT Chair.
I am beginning this article after a wonderful morning spent high up in Radnor Forest visiting RWT’s stunning Mynydd Ffoesidoes nature reserve. It’s a breathtaking place -33 hectares rising over six hundred meters to give some of the best views in Radnorshire. As we walked, the cry of Meadow Pipits was the only sound to break the silence. With luck one might also see rarer birds such as the Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Merlin and Peregrine Falcon, although we were not so fortunate today.
Hen Harrier
However, it’s beneath your feet that the true magic of the place can be found. Dominated by Heather, Crowberry and Cowberry, speckled with the white of Cotton Grass and tiny Bedstraws, it is perhaps the finest area of dwarf shrub heath vegetation in Wales. As we walked, a Common Lizard crept out of the shrub at our feet, and hidden below the dense foliage we uncovered tiny boggy pools, home to insects tolerant of the acidic, peaty water.
I was there with our new Chief Executive, James Hitchcock, and we were lucky enough to have guiding us RWT’s Reserves Officer Jonathan Stone and Estates Worker Rob Podmore. Rob was carrying his trademark long stick, which rather disconcertingly disappeared almost entirely into the terrain when he gently pushed it in. But actually, this is really good news as it demonstrates how biodiversity can thrive when it is not threatened by over-grazing or fire.
Mynydd Ffoesidoes is one of 18 reserves owned or managed by RWT, all with their own unique characteristics. They each provide five-star accommodation for wildlife thanks to the hard work of Jonathan and his colleagues. Summer is a brilliant time to visit all our reserves so do come and see for yourselves. Spending time in nature is known to make us humans happier and healthier, and who knows what you might spot!
We have reached our magic milestone of a thousand members. This is excellent news and a real testament to all the hard work staff, volunteers and members put in asking people to join our wonderful Wildlife Trust. We need to keep up this momentum, so please don’t stop asking people to join!
The Trust has continued to expand in terms of staff, grant funding and areas of work. We have welcomed a number of new employees who, together with the existing team, are adding new impetus to our efforts through a range of important and exciting projects. Trust NewsJenny Chryss, RWT ChairCovid still makes some things awkward, but absolutely everyone at RWT has done their best without complaint. Thank you again one and all.
June ended with the Senedd declaring a nature emergency in Wales, linking the loss of biodiversity with the climate change emergency declared by the Welsh Government two years ago. Senedd Members heard that 73 species have disappeared from Wales over the past half century and many more are under threat. Ministers are now called upon to introduce legally binding targets to reverse biodiversity loss. It’s a big step forward, but there is a long way to go and the devil will be in the detail.
We must now consider the direction that RWT should take in coming years, given this critical loss of biodiversity confronting us. Our commitment, like that of the wider Wildlife Trust movement, is to see active recovery for nature happening over at least 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, plus one in four people taking action for wildlife. We need as many local people as possible to help by providing action, support and, hopefully, a little time and money as well. This recovery is for humans too, and it’s in everyone’s interests to get involved. So, what can we do?
Mynydd Ffoesidoes and our other richly biodiverse reserves are critical to the survival of many species. But in isolation their benefits are limited. To stand a chance of success, nature’s recovery cannot be siloed into specific locations, it must spread out across the landscape. Our vision is for wildlife-friendly corridors which allow all types of species to travel from one safe habitat to another. The Wildlife Trusts call it a Nature Recovery Network, and everyone can help to build it. Think of the toads who each year are helped across the road by RWT and volunteers on their trek to Llandrindod Lake for breeding. Thousands of amphibians survive only because of this work.
Everyone can make a difference. Planting up our gardens or even a window box to attract butterflies and bees would be a great start. But how much better it would be if we could persuade our neighbours to do the same. Butterflies and bees flitting and buzzing down the road, with a service station at every home. Not so much a wildlife corridor, more a motorway!
