Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries/Bae Caerfyrddin ac Aberoedd European Marine Site Advice provided by Natural Resources Wales in fulfilment of Regulation 37 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. March 2018 Contents Contents .............................................................................................................................. 2 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 4 Crynodeb ............................................................................................................................. 6 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 8 2. Purpose and format of information provided under Regulation 37 ................................ 9 2.1 Conservation Objectives Background ..................................................................... 9 2.2 Operations which may cause deterioration or disturbance ................................... 12 3. Site Description........................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Carmarthen Bay Estuaries SAC ........................................................................... 14 3.2 Site Description ..................................................................................................... 15 3.3 Burry Inlet SPA and Ramsar site .......................................................................... 18 3.4 Carmarthen Bay SPA ........................................................................................... 19 3.5 Operations within the EMS ................................................................................... 20 3.6 Modifications as a result of human activity ........................................................... 21 4. Feature Descriptions ................................................................................................... 23 4.1 Estuaries ............................................................................................................... 23 4.2 Mudflats and Sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide ................................ 28 4.3 Atlantic Salt Meadows .......................................................................................... 32 4.4 Salicornia and other annual colonising mud and sand .......................................... 36 4.5 Large Shallow Inlets and Bays.............................................................................. 38 4.6 Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time .......................... 42 4.7 Allis shad Alosa alosa and twaite shad Alosa fallax .............................................. 46 4.8 River lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) ....... 47 4.9 Otter (Lutra lutra) .................................................................................................. 49 5. Conservation Objectives ............................................................................................. 52 5.1 Vision statement for Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries European marine site ......... 52 5.2 Conservation objectives for the Carmarthen Bay Special Area of Conservation .. 52 5.3 Conservation objectives for the Burry Inlet and Carmarthen Bay special protection areas. ............................................................................................................................. 55 5.4 Understanding the Conservation Objectives ......................................................... 56 6. Advice as to operation which may cause deterioration or disturbance to the features 59 7. Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 99 Annexes ........................................................................................................................... 104 Annex 1 Carmarthen Bay & Estuaries EMS feature map: interpretation guide ....... 104 Annex 2 Glossary of Terms ..................................................................................... 106 Page 2 of 116 www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Annex 3 List of SSSIs and SPAs partly or wholly with the SAC .............................. 109 Annex 4 Elements of favourable conservation status ............................................. 110 Page 3 of 116 www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Summary This document contains Natural Resources Wales’s advice issued under Regulation 37 of the Conservation Regulations 2017, for the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation namely conservation objectives and advice on operations. It also includes an explanation of the purpose and format of NRW’s “Regulation 37 advice”. This latest version of the Regulation 37 package has been revised to improve accessibility of conservation objectives and to update the legislative context. The intent of the conservation objectives and of the advice on operations which may cause deterioration or disturbance to the feature is the same as in previous versions. The Conservation Objectives are now more accessible but there has been no change in what is considered to represent Favourable Conservation Status. Table 1 summaries the features for the site and provides a direct link to the Conservation Objectives but it is important that all sections are read in full. This report is divided into a series of sections as follows: Section 1 is a brief introduction to the legal context for Regulation 37 advice. Section 2 explains in more detail the legal basis and practical requirements for setting conservation objectives for Natura 2000 sites, as understood by NRW. It also explains the legal and practical basis of the operations advice. Section 3 contains a brief overall description of Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries SAC, Carmarthen Bay SPA and Burry Inlet SPA and Ramsar site, current operations taking place with the SAC and information on modifications as a result of human activity. Section 4 describes habitats and species for which the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation has been selected as a SAC as well as why they are considered important. The information is presented using the same headings as those used to describe the conservation objectives so that useful underpinning information in support of these objectives can easily be referenced. Section 5 contains NRW's advice as to the conservation objectives (Regulation 37(3)(a)) for the features for which the site has been designated as a SAC or SPA. This includes a vision statement which is a descriptive overview of what needs to be achieved for conservation on the site. It brings together and summarises the Conservation Objectives into a single, integrated statement about the site. Section 6 contains NRW’s advice as to the operations which may cause deterioration or disturbance of the habitats and species for which the sites has been selected (Regulation 37(3)(b)). This is provided to assist the relevant authorities and others in understanding the implications of the designation of the sites and the requirements of the Habitats Regulations and government policy towards it. Page 4 of 116 www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Table 1: Summary of site features and link to Conservation Objectives. Link to Conservation Site Name Designated Features Objectives Habitats: • Large shallow inlets and bays • Sandbanks which are slightly covered by seawater all the time Conservation objectives • Estuaries • Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide • Atlantic salt meadows Carmarthen Bay • Salicornia and other annuals colonising & Estuaries SAC mud and sand Species: • Otter Lutra lutra • Allis shad Alosa alosa • Twaite shad Alosa fallax • River lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis • Sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus Burry Inlet SPA • Curlew Numenius arquata • Dunlin Calidris alpina • Grey plover Pluvialis squatarola • Knot Calidris canutus • Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus • Pintail Anas acuta Burry Inlet and • Redshank Tringa totanus Carmarthen Bay Conservation objectives SPAs • Shelduck Tadorna tadorna • Shoveler Anas clypeata • Teal Anas crecca • Turnstone Arenaria interpres • Wigeon Anas penelope Carmarthen Bay SPA • Common scoter Melanitta nigra Page 5 of 116 www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk Crynodeb Mae’r ddogfen hon yn cynnwys cyngor gan CNC a roddwyd dan Reoliad 37 Rheoliadau Cadwraeth 2017, ar gyfer Ardal Cadwraeth Arbennig Bae Caerfyrddin ac Aberoedd, sef amcanion cadwraethol a chyngor ynghylch gweithrediadau. Mae hefyd yn cynnwys esboniad o bwrpas a fformat “cyngor Rheoliad 37” CNC. Mae fersiwn ddiweddaraf y pecyn Rheoliad 37 wedi’i ddiwygio er mwyn gwella’r modd y gellir asesu amcanion cadwraethol a diweddaru’r cyd-destun deddfwriaethol. Mae diben yr amcanion cadwraethol a’r cyngor ynghylch gweithrediadau a allai ddirywio neu amharu ar y nodweddion yr un fath ag yn y fersiynau blaenorol. Yn awr mae’r Amcanion Cadwraethol yn fwy hygyrch, ond ni chyflwynir unrhyw newid o ran yr hyn a ystyrir fel Statws Cadwraethol Ffafriol. Mae Tabl 1 yn rhestru’r nodweddion ar gyfer y safle a hefyd cynhwysir dolen sy’n arwain yn syth at yr Amcanion Cadwraethol, ond mae’n bwysig i’r holl adrannau gael eu darllen yn llwyr. Caiff yr adroddiad hwn ei rannu’n gyfres o adrannau, fel a ganlyn: Yn Adran 1 ceir cyflwyniad byr i gyd-destun cyfreithiol cyngor Rheoliad 37. Mae Adran 2 yn esbonio’n fwy manwl y sylfaen gyfreithiol a’r gofynion ymarferol wrth bennu