Issue 17

Sand lizards – back in Wales and liking it

Wales has some great examples of the sand dune habitat favoured by sand lizards, so it was a particularly sad loss that fifty years ago this handsome animal became extinct here. To put matters right, sand lizards were brought back to Meirionydd ten years ago, with surprising and exciting results. We are starting to find out much more about this rare reptile, and why it is thriving in Wales, as GRAHAM WILLIAMS reports.

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Monmouthshire Meadows

Flower-filled meadows were once a familiar and enchanting backdrop to rural life. A victim of intensive grassland management, their best hope may lie with landowners who are motivated by a love of nature. A large and diverse group of people who live in Monmouthshire have shown how rewarding it can be to work together to conserve this wonderful habitat, as CAROLINE HOWARD and DIANA BEVAN report.

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Time to fly the flag for the polecat

To "ferret about" implies a restless curiosity in search of something interesting, nicely bringing to mind the lithe domesticated rabbit catcher of that name. Its wild counter-part genetically so close that the two readily breed together, has a much lower profile, however sharp instincts and skills as a hunter and predator. With so few top cats amongst our fauna, we should take pride in the "poultry cat" which has survived in remote places in Wales to spread back across Britain, as KATE WILLIAMSON and JOHNNY BIRKS explain.

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Aberleri Fields - paradise regained

Past agricultural drainage and land "improvement" schemes which fought the grain of nature have often yielded modest gains in terms of agricultural production at high costs to biodiversity. But the era of inexorable habitat loss may be coming to an end. Thanks to a good deal of human sweat, nature has responded to the partial reversal of one such scheme. MIKE BAILEY describes how one group of fields is becoming a wildlife paradise.

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Practical issues in the restoration of woodlands in Snowdonia National Park

Broad-leaved woodlands are one of the most valuable habitats in Snowdonia National Park but they have recently seen some decline. The Park Authority wants to ensure not only an increase in these areas of woodland but also an improvement in their condition through appropriate management. Although agri-environmental schemes and other agreements are helping to achieve this, sometimes the Authority has an opportunity to show its commitment to this aim by buying woodland and undertaking the management of it. EFAN MILNER describes an example of this in Abergwynant Woods, on the Mawddach estuary.

This article is written in Welsh. A translation is available on request.

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Saving Wentwood: how the people of Newport helped save Wales' largest anciest forest

In May 2005 large "For Sale" signs appeared at Wentwood Forest. Here RORY FRANCIS and JON WINDER explain what happened next, and how the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw) came to buy a substantial piece of Wales' largest ancient woodland.

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Watching terns on Llanddwyn Island

The story of conservation in Wales reflects the history of wildlife, and the stories about it are often striking and mirror interesting aspects of our society. Here RICHARD FARMER tells the story of one of the Welsh sites – the people and birds – who were once prominent in the RSPB’s history.

This article is written in Welsh. A translation is available on request.

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