The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) is set to start a major Atlantic rainforest restoration project at a Pembrokeshire site.
Thanks to backing from insurance company Aviva, WTSWW will transform Trellwyn Fach, near Fishguard, Llanychaer, into a rainforest landscape.
Rainforests on the west coast of the UK were destroyed over hundreds of years, with just fragments remaining, but now there is a plan to recreate the Pembrokeshire one.
This renewal forms part of an extensive initiative aimed at eliminating carbon, boosting habitats and resuscitating nature, all financed by an Aviva donation.
Southern WTSWW director Sarah Kessell said: "We’re delighted this rainforest restoration project at Trellwyn Fach can get started.
"This site is ideally situated in the Gwaun valley, already connected to Celtic rainforest remnants and giving us the opportunity to buffer and extend this amazing habitat as well as improving access for the local community.
"These are exciting times!"
Aviva's environmental sustainability director Leah Ramoutar was also quick to show support, saying: "We’re proud to see the Wildlife Trust add another site to the rainforest restoration project, helping Wales become more climate ready.
"The site in Trellwyn Fach will connect with existing examples of this precious habitat, reestablishing natural corridors to benefit wildlife and add more natural beauty to this stunning part of Wales."
The Aviva-funded scheme maps a path for the future of Trellwyn Fach and promises a bright future for the area, including wildlife, resilience from flooding, and the creation of job and volunteering opportunities.
At 146 acres, the land stretches from Gwaun Valley woodland to Dinas Mountain moorland.
Most of these fields, previously used for sheep grazing, are bland, but the Trust aims to breathe life into them by introducing low-intensity grazing and monitoring biodiversity increase through various wildlife surveys.
Two-thirds of the area will be nurtured into broadleaved woodland, aimed at supporting the broader connectivity of Celtic rainforest remnants.
The woodland corridor flexes through the Gwaun Valley, linking up to Pengelli Forest, a WTSWW nature reserve.
A bridleway across the site and connections to walking trails up to Dinas mountain open the door for pedestrian access improvement possibilities from Llanychaer village.
WTSWW’s future conversations with adjacent village Llanychaer will explore the potential for these partnerships.
This is expected to bring much-needed resilience against flooding and lovely natural additions in the area.
WTSWW plans to convert much of the site, bar the dense woodland and steeper slopes, to worthier wildlife habitats; the conservation teams will preside over a set of surveys to track the changes in these habitats once the restoration gets underway.
A part of the land will see limited grazing, but most of the land will be converted to havens for wildlife.
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