Projects
Flagship
Project - From Wheat to Heath (cont.)
|
| Although
the sulphur spreading is the most radical part of the project,
there are other interesting features. The topsoil on these fields had
been enriched by fertiliser application over many decades, and the
levels of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous were too high for wild
plants used to naturally infertile soils. The fields were stripped of
topsoil – about 16000m3 in all – and this was used
on site
to put back over a mile of hedge-banks, following the field boundary
lines marked on the old maps. |
Spreading Sulphur on the
fields to acidify the soil. (Copyright Martin Cavaney) |
These have become important
visual and
wildlife features in their own right. Lots of interesting plants came
up where we removed the soil, providing an instant link back to the
historical flora of these fields.
Elsewhere, we’re restoring herb-rich grasslands, using
seed-rich
hay from nearby meadows to bring back the lost species. We’ve
broken up field drains and restored ponds, and left field corners to
develop naturally into rough grassland and scrub. We’re
keeping
arable crops in some fields but making them more attractive to
wildlife. This means leaving the edges uncultivated and unsprayed for
uncommon weeds like Weasel’s Snout, and leaving the ground
unploughed for the whole winter following harvest so flocks of birds
can pick over the spilt grain. There are benefits to the important Iron
Age fort on the site, and the adjoining wetland is being better
protected against fertiliser and pesticide run-off. The public benefits
include 20 hectares of new permissive access along the coastal belt,
and the project is providing both direct and indirect assistance to the
local economy.
Matt Sutton –
Countryside Council for Wales
Pembrokeshire
Jointly Wins the Wales Biodiversity Award 2004
|
| The
Marloes Coast Project was presented with the first Wales
Biodiversity Award in September, for its linking of conservation,
farming and industry in a radical and innovative fashion. Pete Smithies
from Trehill Farm, Marloes, won prize money of £250 which he
is
planning on donating to further work benefiting the local
community. |
Volunteers building a
traditional Hedgebank at Trehill Farm, Marloes |
| Matt
Sutton, from CCW, worked with Pete - conceiving, planning and
delivering this project. Few conservation projects manage to blend
farming, industry and biodiversity as skilfully as Matt has done here,
and we hope that it stimulates more exciting projects and partnerships
in Pembrokeshire and beyond. |
