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BIODIVERSITY

How can we look after our environment? A clear understanding is essential - HABITAT MATTERS can help in several ways:

  • Creation of new habitat (eg: haymeadow, woodland, wetland) with advice on management and recommendation on plant / tree species
  • Assistance with funding applications
  • Whole-farm plans to identify key habitats & species and provide recommendations on the ideal management
  • Identification of existing habitats and recommendations on how they can be managed for educational / visitor benefit

 

Biodiversity is the variety and abundance of life on Earth. It encompasses all species of plants & animals, ranging from bacteria & fungi, flowering plants & large trees to insects, amphibians & reptiles, fish, birds & mammals - humans too! It includes all the plants & animals that are typical of the range of habitats that we are familiar with - be it hay meadow, wetland, coastal heath, woodland, hedgerow and many more.

Biodiversity is closely linked to economics in obvious and less obvious ways. Food sources, raw materials and many medicines depend on a variety of plant and animal species, both directly and indirectly through pollination of crops, pest control and the complex, little understood inter-dependence of species on each other. Clean, healthy soils & water are more productive and ensure a healthy environment for people and wildlife. Biodiversity also produces a wealth of landscape and natural images and experiences that promote spiritual and social well-being for many people and are often a source of artistic inspiration and commercial enterprise.

The sense of well-being that landscapes rich in biodiversity provide for many people also sustains lucrative tourism industries. A good example is the clean, green environment of West Wales, where biodiversity is important for tourism; many visitors are attracted by the wildflowers of Pembrokeshire, the birdlife (including Red Kites & Chough) and by the landscape of hedges, woodland, rivers and farmland of the area. The income they bring to the area is crucial, whether to the farmhouse bed-and-breakfast or to the large visitor attractions. Apart from accommodation, holidaymakers also need food, entertainment, souvenirs......the list is endless....and the opportunities for the local economy are huge.

Many farms throughout Wales are actively participating in Tir Gofal, an agri-environmental scheme, run by the Countryside Council for Wales, which helps to pay for the management and creation of different habitats in the recognition that farming and a healthy environment are closely linked. Schemes such as this, are essential to the green economy - a simple example is hedgerow management; by looking after the field boundaries using traditional hedge-laying skills, coppicing and planting with local provenance species and then fencing to protect the hedge from livestock, it provides employment for local contractors & tree nurseries....it encourages small, local businesses to set-up and the local economy to become more sustainable.