SUMMER 2011
breathing spaces newsletter of National Parks Wales Breathing Spaces this summer invites you to look back at some of the projects within Wales’ National Parks that have made them more beautiful (yes, that is still possible), greener and safer. Travel is featured – whether it is the transport used to get to a National Park, walking within one, or the information used while in one. We are also counting down to 60 years of Snowdonia National Park. Warmer weather and the summer holidays will also mean that more and more visitors will be drawn to the seas off the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Snowdonia National Park. Parents and children will cool down in the water and soak up the coastal beauty. Edward Holdaway of the Wales Landscape Partnership explains the efforts being taken to keep special seascapes special through the new marine planning system. Greg Pycroft Policy Officer National Parks Wales
From Open Space to Cyber Space The presence of the National Parks on the Internet continues to grow. Most of the UK National Park Authorities, including all three Welsh NPAs are engaging with social networking and are raising the online presence of National Parks. If you want to read their profiles, pages, tweets and channels, which all provide continual up to date information. The National Parks Portal contains a comprehensive selection of appropriate links. That page is accessed via this website address : http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/aboutus/ourwebsites.htm You can learn about National Parks Wales at www.nationalparkswales.gov.uk. Most of www.nationalparkswales.gov.uk. our work, including seminar materials, consultation responses and position statements are available on the site and comments are always welcome nationalparkswales@anpa.gov.uk. 1
Wonders of Snowdonia – Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Snowdonia National Park “60 Writers – 60 Wonders – 60 Words” On the 18th of October 2011 the Snowdonia National Park will be celebrating its 60th anniversary and as part of the celebrations the Authority are planning a “Wonders of Snowdonia” project. The aim of the project is to celebrate the diverse wonders within the National Park boundaries that make this area so special and unique.
The scope for nominations is wide and there’s only one rule; each wonder must be within the National Park boundary. The Snowdonia National Park Authority has secured the support of sixty of Wales’ most prominent writers who will interpret these wonders through the written form in order to tell a story and create a personal experience of each wonder. Alongside the literary element, a photographer has been commissioned to interpret the wonders through visual form. Keeping with the 60th anniversary theme, the writers will have to interpret the 60 wonders in 60 words within 60 days. The completed project will contribute to a new exhibition at the National Park Visitor Centre in Betws y Coed, on the Park’s communication platforms and as part of the 60th birthday celebrations.
The National Park Authority is appealing to the public to nominate their favourite wonders within Snowdonia. These wonders can include places, people, buildings, landscapes, views, species of wildlife, archaeological sites, rocks or cromlechs, The project is funded by Literature Wales and the Arts agricultural traditions, Welsh cultural traditions, Council for Wales events, poems, art, pieces of music and so on.
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Fighting wildfire crime from the air
Walkers coast into Poppit
After 14 consecutive days of steady footfall and near Dyfed Powys Police and Brecon Beacons National perfect walking weather, 21 intrepid walkers Park Authority took to the skies in their latest bid to completed the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park tackle wild fire crime in the National Park. Authority’s annual Coast Path walk in early June. Spectacular scenes unfolded in early July, a police helicopter took thermal image photographs of fire The annual walk, covering all 186 miles of the Coast damaged areas in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Path National Trail, is guided by the Authority’s Voluntary Wardens and this year was made up of In May, nearly 2000 acres of upland common and walkers from Switzerland, Britain and the US, as well as peat bog severely damaged by a fire near a number of Pembrokeshire residents. Brynaman in what National Park Wardens called the worst heath land fire in thirty years. The images will be The series of led walks covers every twist and turn of able to assist Wardens in the recovery process and the Coast Path from Amroth in the south to Poppit hopefully determine whether any peat continues to Sands in the north. burn. Thermal image photographs of the peat bog will also help the National Park understand the extent Walk Leader and Voluntary Warden Derek Rowland of the damage and what those long term effects will said: “It was an exceptionally good year this year in be. every way. This was my 15th and final walk so it is lovely to go out on such a high. I can’t speak highly enough of the Voluntary Wardens and drivers, who supported the walkers along the route.” Mona Bodenmann, from Zurich, walked a small section of the path last year on her own. She said: “I wanted to come back and complete the whole trail, but with other people. It was really nice to walk with the group, and so well organised. I’m staying on in the area for a few days to explore more of Pembrokeshire and will be taking all my photos back to Zurich to advertise the walk to everyone!” People are still being advised not to light BBQs and campfires in open countryside and not to release or light any Chinese lanterns, and to think responsibly about how to dispose of cigarette butts, lighters, glass bottles and matches. The Fire Severity Index in the Brecon Beacons National Park continues to remain at ‘ High’ and ‘Exceptional’.
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NEW CHALLENGES FOR COASTAL PROTECTED LANDSCAPES Edward Holdaway, Wales Landscape Partnership The seascapes and coastal landscapes of Wales are amongst the finest in the world – witness the recent National Geographic poll which put the Pembrokeshire Coast amongst the top 10 destinations in the world. It is well known that people care greatly for them and regard them as part of our national heritage. Access to and use of them is increasingly recognised as being important to nation’s health and well being; as is the contribution they make to our economy and culture. But, they are under pressure from both human activities and from changes in the natural world. An Alliance of NGOs* has drawn up a Manifesto addressed to all levels of government, including national park authorities. It stems from work undertaken by Europarc Atlantic Isles, the National Trust and the National Association for AONBs following a Workshop in May 2010**. It was born out of concern that: ·
seascapes are not seen as a key resource in the marine environment and that there is no means for defining the significance of their character or for identifying those which are of national importance; the significance and role of coastal protected landscapes in the marine environment is not recognised
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one cannot treat landscape and seascape as mutually exclusive entities, they form a continuum and should be treated as such.
Fulfilment of the Manifesto necessitates action to ensure: that they are treated as a key resource in the marine plan process; that seascape character assessment provides the basis for understanding them; that a basis for recognising and conserving nationally important seascapes is developed; and that coastal AONBs and National Parks are actively encouraged to address marine issues. Engagement with marine planning will present significant challenges for coastal protected landscapes, as they will need to:
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· make sure that their management plans identify the special qualities derived from the marine environment and their association with it · review their partnerships to ensure that marine interests are represented and establish working relationships with stakeholders in the marine environment play an active role in securing the integrated management of land and sea, for example through local coastal fora and the preparation of joint management plans with European Marine Sites
Marine planning offers a major opportunity for our coastal national parks – Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia – to ensure · the conservation of those special qualities they derive from the marine environment. There is also an opportunity for national parks to work with our coastal AONBs – Anglesey, Gower and LlNn - and with our two Heritage Coasts – The Manifesto is based on two premises that Ceredigion and Glamorgan – which lie outside protected · our seascapes are more than just a view – they landscapes. have natural, cultural/social and perceptual/ * CPRE, CPRW, CNP, Europarc Atlantic Isles, NAAONB and National Trust aesthetic dimensions; ** The Manifesto and the Workshop report can be viewed in full at www.europarc-ai.org
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Snowdonia National Park break new ground and launch their bilingual iPhone App – ‘Enjoy Snowdonia’ The much-anticipated ‘Enjoy Snowdonia’ iPhone App is now available. Developed by the Snowdonia National Park, the App is an interactive mobile guide to explore the National Park. Whether you’re in Snowdonia for the walking opportunities or want to explore the area at your leisure, the App has all you need for a great time. Plan activities before you arrive or use it whilst you’re in the National Park to learn about attractions and activities in the vicinity. You can use the App’s map-based technology to navigate safely should you wish to undertake some of Snowdonia’s mountain walks, though a paper map backup in your backpack is always recommended. The App has been designed for a specific purpose – to help visitors and locals experience Snowdonia at its best. Using the latest mapping technology that includes map based navigation, Ordnance Survey and Google maps with satellite imagery, you’ll be best placed when out walking in Snowdonia. The built-in Ordnance Survey maps means you can view walks even when your phone is out of signal. ‘Enjoy Snowdonia’ is fully bilingual, so whether you speak Welsh or would like to learn more about Snowdonia through the native language, then this App is for you!
Ratty returns to messing about in boats on Llangors Lake Thanks to a series of re-introduction schemes organised by Environment Agency Wales, Brecknock Wildlife Trust and Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, around 400 water voles have been released in the last year alone near Llangors Lake, with an additional 100 water voles aiming to be released in the next few months as part of an ongoing programme to save one of the UK’s favourite mammals. The release of the water voles around Llangors Lake aims to establish small colonies which will eventually spread and repopulate the surrounding lakeside, reeds and riverbeds. Some of the released water voles were bred at the Cynrig Hatchery which is run by Environment Agency Wales but many of the water voles have been reared for the project at a specialised breeding facility in Devon. 5
Schoolchildren help launch The Secret Marsh, a hidden National Park gem A previously hidden part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park was officially revealed recently with the help of budding conservationists. The opening of The Secret Marsh, a previously inaccessible area of wetland at Freshwater East Burrows, the only Local Nature Reserve in the National Park, has created a new educational resource for local schoolchildren. The Local Nature Reserve (LNR) was designated in 2007. It consists of sand dunes, grassland, scrub, woodland and marshland. It is a varied and special place that is home to scores of species which thrive alongside each other, including slow worms, glow worms and adders and rabbits (which gave The Burrows its name).
Plenty to smile about when you visit the Brecon Beacons
Children from the nearby Lamphey Primary School attended the launch and erected wildlife sculptures they Expect plenty to smile about if you’re planning on had made using willow from their school grounds. The project, funded by grants from Planed and the Environment Agency, is an example of the National Park Authority working with other organisations and community groups to help conserve the unique qualities of the National Park.
visiting the Brecon Beacons this summer. A new Green Travel Challenge competition is giving people the chance to win a fantastic holiday break in the Brecon Beacons just by giving their car a holiday – so you may be visiting us again before you know it!
The Travel Challenge invites everyone to think about how they travel in the Brecon Beacons and gives them ideas about how to try and give their cars a well earned break during their time in the National Park. There will be prize draws at the end of each month (from May until September). All people have to do is either travel to enjoy the National Park by public transport or try travelling without their car (travelling to and from work is not included). All entries to the competition must be accompanied by proof of travel, in the form of a receipt, ticket or photograph and travel must take place between the 1st May and the 30th September 2011. Entries can be made online www.travelbreconbeacons.info or via the Travel Challenge competition leaflet.
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National Park beauty spot pioneers underground cables scheme
Park Authority, has moved its cables underground. BT’s local network business Openreach has also An iconic beauty spot in the Pembrokeshire Coast removed 18 poles and placed 600m of overhead National Park has become even more beautiful, cabling underground. thanks to the removal of overhead power lines. Phil Davies, WPD’s Network Services Manager for Strumble Head, with its picturesque lighthouse, is a Wales said: “A key theme of our consultations with a prime location for bird and porpoise watching and range of interested parties in recent months has been attracts wildlife-loving visitors all year round. But their the undergrounding of power lines at iconic sites. views have long been affected by the presence of Talks led to the creation of a steering group consisting overhead electricity and phone cables. of representatives from various National Park Authorities and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Now Western Power Distribution (WPD), following (AONBs) who have suggested sites for consideration. consultation with the Pembrokeshire Coast National
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