Brecon Beacons – a volume of natural riches
Regional volumes in the New Naturalist Library are few and far between, and each one is a landmark for its locality. It is ten years since a volume was devoted to a National Park, and eight years since this author’s volume on Gower. Regular contributor JONATHAN MULLARD describes the realisation of his major new work up, and the rules that guided him in its writing.
Wentwood: an ancient forest back from the brink
Restoring a large area of a once-great forest from commercial plantation to a continuous canopy of native broad-leaves, ensuring that the rich assemblage of plants and animals associated with ancient woodland can once more thrive, is an ambitious task. It is also one likely to catch the public imagination. And, as BARRY EMBLING explains, it could help to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of a different, environmentally sensitive approach to forest management.
A riddle in the cliffs
Walking the coast offers the chance to wonder at the close connections between land and sea which once characterised earlier human society. One puzzle which intrigued IVOR and JANE REES were the ramps which had been constructed in remote places; as they describe here, the people who built them were winning prosperity from the sea.
A green coastline – too green?
IWAN EDGAR on changes to the landscape in his native Llŷn that agricultural policy has encouraged farmers to implement.
Gobies: a guide
Photographs showing diagnostic characteristics are at last making identification of the full range of gobies found in Welsh waters possible. This guide will help anyone interested in these attractive small fishes put a name to a species, although there is still much to find out about Welsh gobies, as PAUL KAY and LIN BALDOCK explain.
Waters from the deep: Taff’s Well thermal spring
After a chequered past, the Welsh natural wonder that is Taff’s Well is again attracting scientists, historians and the general public. It is a geological-cum-hydrological curiosity, with an intriguing social history, as GARETH FARR explains.
Shakespeare’s Meadow: enhancing Radnorshire’s Willow Globe Theatre
In rural mid-Wales there exists a remarkable theatre, in a magical setting, made of willow, and staging Shakespeare plays. Yet the wild meadow flowers that the playwright would have been familiar with more than four centuries ago were missing. So a community project was started to enrich the theatre’s surroundings with a meadow, as URSULA BOWEN explains.
Turning tides and turbulence – a sea-change is needed
Earlier this year the 5th Marine Energy seminar was held in Pembrokeshire, followed by the annual Cymru Renewable UK conference in Cardiff City Hall. These conferences were packed out and generated a buzz, as they discussed technical solutions to deliver renewable energy. Can this be done without harming our environment? VICKY MOLLER argues that this is a challenge that environmentalists must engage with.