Natur Cymru

Issue 39 Summer 2011

Ten years- where did it go?

NC 39 Iolo Williams (c) Paul Kay Despite the heroic efforts of many volunteers on the conservation front line, and some striking successes, nature in Wales has not had a good ten years. As well as present disappointments, there is the shadow of an ever increasing human population, concludes IOLO WILLIAMS.

Summaries

Puffin (c) Mike Alexander

Puffin Island revisited

In the very first edition of Natur Cymru (Summer 2001) John Ratcliffe and Wil Sandison described a challenging but successful operation to remove a large rat population from Puffin Island off the Anglesey coast. Ten years on, STEVE DODD and RACHEL TAYLOR describe how the island and its seabird colonies have changed in the absence of rats, and what it is like to run the gauntlet of Puffin Island’s gulls, guillemots and cormorants.

Shrill carder bee (c) David Harries

Welsh agri-environment schemes and biodiversity

DAVID HARRIES contributes a personal perspective from a small farm in west Wales on his experience of farming in the Tir Gofal agri-environment scheme and the challenges for the future.

Moelyci (c) John Harold

Fire Fighting

Winner of Natur Cymru's competition Inspired by Nature, JOHN HAROLD brings fire to the hills.

Red kite success (c) Gigrin Red Kite Centre

The first ten years

Natur Cymru – Nature of Wales magazine was launched in June 2001. To mark the milestone of its first ten years, Editor JAMES ROBERTSON reflects on a decade at the helm.

Early caravans (c) ACPE/SNPA

Snowdonia National Park 60th anniversary

Anniversaries are a good time to reminisce about the past but also to look forward to the future. TWM ELIAS summarises the history of the National Parks and evaluates Snowdonia National Park’s role and contribution. The challenges facing the Park have changed considerably over the past 60 years and the need to be progressive in the field of sustainable development requires vision and new procedures to integrate the environment and communities within the Park’s boundaries.

This article is written in Welsh. Read a translation here

Graig Goch (c) Frances Voelcker

Graig Goch

Runner up in Natur Cymru's writing competition Inspired by Nature, FRANCES VOELCKER writes arrestingly of the landscape of her childhood.

Horses at Blaen Bran (c) BBCW

Horses and community woodland

Managing a woodland near a new town has its challenges, one being how to extract timber in difficult conditions. The answer involved a traditional technique, some large animals, low environmental impact and a means of bringing the community together, as DAVID WILLIAMS explains.

Beetle bling: warriors of chaos

PAUL SINNADURAI was a runner-up in last year’s 'Inspired by Nature' competition. Here is his 'highly commended' account of his study of a fascinating group of carabid beetles.