NATUR CYMRU TANYSGRIFIADAU • SUBSCRIPTIONS Cyhoeddir Natur Cymru bedair gwaith y flwyddyn, mis Mawrth, mis Mehefin, mis Medi a mis Rhagfyr. Cyhoeddir erthyglau yn yr iaith wreiddiol. Costau yn cynnwys tâl post o fewn y DU. • Unigolion £16.00 • Debyd Uniongyrchol £15.00 - holwch • Corfforaethol £30.00 • Ôl-rifynnau £3.00 Cynnig arbennig i danysgrifwyr yn unig - 5 neu fwy o ôl-rifynnau am £1.00 yr un Mae’r RHWYMWYR yn dal 10 rhifyn, a cheir mynegai. 1: £8.95 • 2: £16.95 • 3: £24.95 • 4: £31.95 Sieciau’n daladwy i Natur Cymru Cyf. I dalu gyda cherdyn ffoniwch 01248 387373 neu ewch i www.naturcymru.org.uk Natur Cymru is published four times per year, in March, June, September and December. Articles are published in the language in which they are submitted. All prices include UK P&P. • lndividual £16.00 • Direct Debit £1 5.00 - please enquire • Corporate £30.00 • Back issues £3.00 Special offer to subscribers only - 5 or more back issues for only £1.00 each BINDERS hold 10 issues, complete with index: 1: £8.95 • 2: £16.95 • 3: £24.95 • 4: £31.95 Cheques payable to Natur Cymru Ltd. Card payments 01248 387373 or www.naturcymru.org.uk Cwmni Cyfyngedig trwy Warant yw Natur Cymru Ltd. Golygydd / Editor: Natur Cymru Cyfyngedig, ac nid yw'n Maes y Ffynnon, James Robertson gwmni sy'n gwneud elw. Mae wedi ei Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, [email protected] gofrestru yng Nghymru a Lloegr, rhif 01248 422223 Gwynedd LL57 2DW, UK. 5636217. Nid barn Natur Cymru Cyfyngedig neu'r Golygyddion a leisir yn 01248 387373 Rheolwr Marchnata / Marketing y cylchgrawn hwn o angenrheidrwydd. Manager: [email protected] Huw Jenkins Natur Cymru Limited is a non-profit Rheolwr Cynhyrchu / [email protected] making Company Limited by Production Manager: 07943 576275 Guarantee, registered in England and Mandy Marsh Wales, no. 5636217. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Natur Cymru Limited or of the Editors. Argraffwyd yn y DU gan Cambrian Printers Ltd. Achrediad ISO-14001 a Systemau Rheoli Amgylcheddol blaenllaw. Argraffwyd ar bapur ffynonellau cymysg yr FSC Mwydion o Llun y clawr/Front cover: goedwig a ardystir gan yr FSC. Ffynonellau a reolir, heb gynnwys coedwigoedd annerbyniol. Rhif cadwyn gwarchodaeth TT-COC-2200. www.fsc-uk.org 'Standing in it' by Gerald Dewsbury. Trapped in Tre'r Ddol Printed in the UK by Cambrian Printers Ltd. ISO-14001 accredited with award winning by floodwater, Gerald took the Environmental Management Systems. Printed on FSC mixed sources paper. Pulp from chance to sketch the effects of the an FSC-certified forest. Controlled sources, whích exclude unacceptable forestry. Chain of floods on wildlife. His work can be custody number seen at Ffin y Parc, Betws y Coed; TT-COC-2200. www.fsc-uk.org the Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy; the Rooywood Gallery, ISSN 1742-3740 Cardiff; and the Twenty Twenty Gallery, Much Wenlock. Lluniau eraill/Other illustrations: Mandy Marsh, Alastair Robertson Dylunio gan/Design by: Mel Parry Design, [email protected] CYNNWYS • CONTENTS Golygyddol / Editorial. James Robertson Natural history • Mariiyn Lewis. Bridging the gap between the historic and natural environment Hydro-electric schemes • Kyle Young. 8 12 - Producing renewable energy without destroying ecosystems Weather extremes in Wales - a historical perspective • Sarah Davies and Cerys Jones 13 - 17 What can we learn from the weather of the past? Pearls in Peril • Elain Gwilym . 18-21 Afon Eden and the ongoing battle to save the freshwater pearl mussel Monitoring Wales's only Marine Nature Reserve • Blaise Bullimore . 22 - 27 The value of long term monitoring Y Tywyddiadur • Duncan Brown a Twm Elias. 28 - 31 Yn cofnodi tywydd a ffenoleg yng Nghymru "The Professionals" - the rise of the modern ecologist • Fred Slater. 32 - 35 The journey from the eccentric amateur to the Chartered Ecologist People and pine martens • David Bavin . 36 - 39 The feasibility of reintroduction In pine marten footsteps - gathering the evidence • Tom Fairfieid . 40 - 42 Tunnels and tracking boards, papers and prints NODWEDDION ARFEROL / RECULAR FEATURES Woods and forests • Rebecca Good and Ky!ie Jones Mattock . 43 Bryophytes in the Woodland Trust’s ancient woodland Nature at large • lvy Denham. 44 - 45 Habitat management at Pistyll Gwyn Discoveries in science • Cindy Howells . 46 New species of fossil crinoid discovered in south Wales 47 Plants at large • Simon Goodenough . Wild daffodils 48 - 49 Teyrnged i Morgan Parry / Tribute to Morgan Parry • Duncan Brown a Jane Davidson Islands round-up • Geoff Gibbs . 50 News from Flat Holm, Ramsey, Skokholm and Skomer Life lines • Catherine Duigan, Nicola Rimington, Paul Brazier and Raymond Roberts ... 51 After the storm - counting the wildlife cost NATUR CYMRU SPRING/GWANWYN 2014 fl GOLYGYDDOL EDITORIAL M ae drycinoedd y gaeaf diwethaf yn awgrymu’r gleision perlog dŵr croyw), sy’n dibynnu ar newid hinsawdd y bydd angen inni ymaddasu ddyfrffosydd iach, naturiol, ac yn helpu eu glanhau ar iddo. Mae dwy erthygl yn edrych ar effeithiau’r gyfer eogiaid: ac un arall ar effaith cynlluniau trydan tywydd, fel y’u hadlewyrchwyd mewn dyddiaduron ac dŵr ar adeiledd a gweithrediad ecosystemau afonol, y’u profwyd yng nghymunedau gwledig. Edrych un a sut mae cysoni’r angen am ynni adnewyddadwy ag y arall at ymdrechion i achub cregyn dilyw (cregyn afonydd iach wrth ystyried cynlluniau newydd. h p a gr o ot h P y Parr Mel 2 NATUR CYMRU SPRING/GWANWYN 2014 Rhoddwn sylw i esblygiad proffesiwn eang ecoleg, ac Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd, gynt. Mae’r her yn eglur, edrychwn eto ar hanes y chwilio am y bele’r coed fel y mae’r gwobrwyon. Dwi’n meddwl y dylwn roi’r swil. Cawn gipolwg, hefyd, ar y byd o dan y tonnau, gair olaf iddo ef. canlyniadau deng mlynedd ar hugain o arolygu bywydegol manwl yng Ngwarchodfa Natur Forol Gan ysgrifennu yn British Wildlife (Rhagfyr 2011), Sgomer. Mae gan ecoleg ac archeoleg cymaint yn gan ymateb i’r cyhuddiad nad oedd yn gweld angen gyffredin: mae yna gydadwaith cyfoethog rhwng mawr am Warchodfeydd Natur Cenedlaethol, dyma datgelu hanes preswyliad dynol ar y tir hwn, a natur. fo’n cywiro’r gwall. “Yn fy marn i, gan eu bod nhw Mae’n dda iawn gennyf gynnwys erthygl sy’n [GNQ yn gydrannau hanfodol gweithrediad ecolegol ymhyfrydu yng nghyfoeth naturiol safleoedd hanesy- mewn planed sydd wedi’i gor-ecsbloetio, bydd ddol gwerthfawr. wastad eu hangen.” Yna datblygodd y dadleuon dros gorff amgylcheddol unigol yng Nghymru, ond I gloi, dwi wedi rhoi gofod i deyrnged i Morgan ychwanegodd: “Mae creu corff newydd yn Parry. Bu gan Morgan gysylltiad agos â’r cylchgrawn strategaeth fentrus iawn, serch hynny: bydd rhaid hwn, yn sylfaenydd, yn gyfrannwr, ac yn gefnogwr. Yr inni sicrhau sylfaen gadarn ar wyddor naturiol (â oedd hefyd yn hyrwyddo agwedd gwell, mwy digon o adnoddau) a thystiolaeth, a sicrhau na cydgysylltiedig at yr amgylchedd. Ac yr oedd yn chollir bywyd gwyllt ymysg y swyddogaethau benderfynol na foddid achos natur Cymru a dyfodol rheoleiddiol mawrion. Ond gall mentro llawer esgor cynaliadwy yng nghyfrifoldebau rheoleiddiol ar ennill llawer.” T he storms of last winter Finally, I have devoted space to a tribute to Morgan provide intimations of Parry. Morgan had a close association with this climatic change to which we magazine, as a founder, contributor and supporter. will need to adjust. Two Fle also championed a better, joined-up statutory articles look at the impacts of approach to the environment, and was determined weather as reflected in diaries that the cause of Welsh nature and a sustainable and experienced in rural future would not be submerged in the former communities. Another looks at Environment Agency’s regulatory responsibilities. attempts to save freshwater pearl mussels, which The challenge is clear, as are the rewards. I think I depend on healthy, natural watercourses, and help should give him the final word. to clean them up for salmon; while another examines the impact of hydro-electric schemes on the Writing in British Wildlife (December 2011), in reply structure and function of river ecosystems, and how to the accusation that he saw no great need for to resolve the need for renewable energy but also for National Nature Reserves, he put the record healthy rivers when considering new schemes. straight. “My view is that, since they (NNRs) are core components of ecological function in an over- We cover the evolution of the wide-ranging exploited planet, they are always going to be profession of ecology, and revisit the story of the needed.” Fle then developed the arguments for a search for the elusive pine marten. We also get a single environmental body in Wales, but added: glimpse of a world beneath the waves, the results of “Creating a new body is still a high risk strategy, 30 years of detailed biological monitoring at Skomer though: we will have to ensure a well-resourced Marine Nature Reserve. Ecology and archaeology natural science and evidence base and make sure share so much: there is a rich interplay between the wildlife is not lost amongst the big regulatory unfolding story of human occupation of this land and functions. But taking risks can bring big rewards.” nature. I am delighted to include an article celebrating the natural riches of precious historic sites. James Robertson NATUR CYMRU SPRING/GWANWYN 2014 fl mj Natural History Bridging the gap between the historic and natural environment A What does a dormouse t first glance it can be difficult to draw comparisons between the historic and natural environments but look closer and the have in common with an connections are there. Take a Cadw historic monument and dormice for ancient fort? The answer is example. Both have been around for thousands of years and both are probably more than you’d protected by law. think, as CADW’s Director, MARILYN LEWIS, explains. Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, cares for 129 historic sites. These include castles, burial chambers, abbeys and pre-Roman fortifications, and some of these sites are ruins that were left to nature for hundreds of years. It’s inevitable that over that length of time they will have received some new visitors and residents and it’s therefore no surprise that many Cadw sites are now home to a wide variety of natural species. Historic and natural environments go hand in hand in a country like Wales, yet tend to be treated separately. No part of the Welsh landscape is D NATUR CYMRU SPRING/GWANWYN 2014 truly natural, because the distinctive remains of a native Welsh castle, people have lived and probably begun by Prince Llywelyn ab lorwerth ('the worked on every part of it. Great') around 1221. It is also part of a stunningly No heritage site is without beautiful landscape, surrounded and occupied by its natural inhabitants and wildlife. many of our historical assets are starting to be Another great example is Llanmelin Hillfort, near appreciated as important Caerwent. The Iron Age hillfort was originally wildlife habitats too. constructed around 300BC and was a stronghold of the local tribe, the Silures. Cadw acquired it for one The custodians and reason, which was to protect its heritage value - and conservation teams in 201 2 it was the subject of a community working at Cadw excavation project we led with assistance from monuments are very aware Archaeology Wales. The team unearthed a wealth of of wildlife law and clues about life at Llanmelin, with evidence of copper biodiversity issues. We are smelting and antler carving. Large quantities of now also starting to work animal bone revealed the presence of cattle, sheep, with wildlife experts to give pigs and red deer. During our investigations most of us a better understanding the site was not disturbed, but visitors could not of the wildlife at our sites help but notice the wild flowers and the bird song. and how we can manage them to improve their wildlife value without compromising monument dw Ca conservation or visitor safety. While wildlife considerations can mean that some activity on sites is regulated, we see our wild residents as an asset. Visitors are always surprised and delighted to discover wildlife at Cadw sites. Most people have a leap of excitement if they spot an owl or an otter on a visit to one of our monuments, although these encounters are rare. Our staff, opening and closing the sites at dawn and dusk, get the best sightings of their non-paying visitors. There is a huge opportunity for us to capitalise on the interest of our human visitors in the natural as well as heritage merits of our sites. Living proof At Castell y Bere (right), you will see how closely linked the natural and historic environment are in Wales. The site is of great historical importance; it is Q NATUR CYMRU SPRING/GWANWYN 2014 site and its natural assets, which clearly included badgers and many kinds of birds, and they are very hopeful that it also provides a home for bats, something which we will be testing in a survey evening later this year. Our archaeologists were thrilled to see how much they valued the site. The enthusiasm from both ‘sides’ is infectious and inspiring. We had noticed that, in the w past, dormouse boxes had d Ca been positioned around the site, although there was no record of any monitoring Llanmelin is a stunning site, and when you visit you having taken place. In early 2013 Dave and I, with appreciate its essential character. Despite no on-site the support of Keith Allen, relocated 60 boxes parking facilities and a steep hill to climb, it is worth around the whole site and, armed with our new the effort! It is surrounded by woodland which has licences, we registered the site with the National been in situ for hundreds of years. Because of its Dormouse Monitoring Scheme and spent the rest of location and access limitations the land hasn’t been the year visiting the site once a month, peering ‘improved’ and hasn’t been grazed for many years, hopefully into each box. so there has been very little fertilisation of the soil. Because of all these factors the site is now probably During our visits we spotted plenty of animals in the just as interesting for its natural heritage as it is for boxes - nesting blue tits and great tits; the more its historical significance. common woodmice and yellow necked mice; even a nest of wild honey bees, but unfortunately as the Hands-on experience year rolled on, still no sign of the elusive dormouse! Personally, I have a very keen interest in nature. My husband, Dave, and I have been members of the w RSPB throughout our married life and we’ve recently d Ca obtained our dormouse handling licences, thanks to training provided by Gwent Wildlife Trust (GWT) and in particular their volunteer co-ordinator Keith Allen, who knows everything there is to know about dormice. I invited Keith and other GWT volunteers and specialists to Llanmelin, and as soon as he saw it he could see the wildlife value of the site, but he was also struck by the hillfort itself. Volunteers from GWT had spent years working very close to Llanmelin with no idea of its existence. They were amazed by the NATUR CYMRU SPRING/GWANWYN 2014 Therefore during our routine visit to Llanmelin in October last year we were very surprised to open otongee othf etrh e- bito wxeass alinkde fwinindn tiwngo tlhitetl elo dttoerrmy!i cWe es nhoaodz ing Generic the pleasurable task of weighing them and checking 2.0 to see if they were male or female before posting on them carefully back in their box. For the record, they buti were both males - an adult and a juvenile. Attri ns o m It’s not easy work. The boxes need to be hidden m o C away in the undergrowth, which often means walking ve wtBhuerota utwhgeeh r l ebcfarta nLm mlabnalemksee lotihvn eewr giutohni nebvgie gen v gegrnirno smu noodnr,e oacunhrda fllatehcneeg si nthga. t Vicki: Creati morning and have high hopes for 2014. It was a great find and fantastic to know that our protected Cadw site is home to this protected species. It’s also an added bonus for Cadw staff to know the site is of a great natural importance, as well as a historical gem. Our monuments are the perfect home for many species. Mammals, birds and enthusiasts. Cadw would hope to work with other reptiles wriggle into the cracks in the stone wildlife bodies on similar projects across Wales. structures, and sleep in arrow slits in castles or undercrofts in abbeys. Marilyn Lewis has been Director at Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, since And it’s not just animals. Because our buildings have 2005. She has overall responsibility for leading been standing for so long, and because they are Cadw, which sits within John Griffiths, Minister for protected and relatively undisturbed, you also find Culture and Sport’s portfolio within the Welsh that they home to rare plants and lichens. Llanmelin, Government. You can find out more about Cadw by for example, has important rare plant species such as visiting http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/ and about Gwent wild liquorice. In 2014 Gwent Wildlife Trust is running Wildlife Trust’s 2014 events programme at a wildflowers identification day for us at the site, and http.Y/gwentwildlife. org has already provided advice on how we can manage the site for the benefit of nature as well as history net peel. ke mi w. w w Peel ke Mi Capturing energy from the flow of water and the force of gravity is potentially a benign, carbon-free technology, as the An abstraction point located at the top of a bedrock cascade restoration of an early M scheme at Plas Tan y ountains and rain: Wales has plenty of both. As well as a beautiful Bwlch (see NC 48) landscape, this geoclimatic coupling provides Wales with countless illustrated. But upland kilometres of small, steep streams. These streams are important hydropower schemes carry habitats for numerous plants and animals, including salmonids (salmon environmental risks to and trout) which attract hopeful anglers from around the world. They stream ecosystems. Here can provide something else: energy. Where mountains, rain and gravity meet, energy results. This energy erodes banks, transports gravel KYLE YOUNG considers downstream, and deposits sediment on floodplains. It creates and the mechanisms which are destroys aquatic habitats as it slowly moves our mountains to the sea. It in place to balance can also be harnessed to generate electricity through hydropower. benefits and costs, and the challenges which need to Green power, clean profit, murky water be met to ensure that this There are over a hundred hydropower schemes producing electricity in source of renewable Wales. The vast majority are ‘high-head’ schemes: water is impounded by energy is truly sustainable. a weir, removed from the stream, and run downhill through a pipe to a turbine, where mechanical energy is transformed into electricity that is B NATUR CYMRU SPRING/GWANWYN 2014