Conservation Team Report 2015-2016
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Conservation Team Report 2015Wildlife Trust - of2016 South and West Wales 1 www.welshwildlife.org Conservation Team report 2015-2016 Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Members of the conservation team ......................................................................... 4 1.2 Our assets .............................................................................................................. 8 1.3 Our funders ............................................................................................................. 9 2. Nature Reserves ............................................................................................................ 9 2.1 Introduction to our work on our nature reserves ...................................................... 9 2.2 Habitat management ............................................................................................. 13 2.3 Research .............................................................................................................. 17 2.4 Recording and monitoring ..................................................................................... 19 2.5 Volunteers ............................................................................................................ 22 2.6 Access management ............................................................................................ 26 2.7 Interpretation ......................................................................................................... 29 3. Wider Countryside ....................................................................................................... 30 3.1 Introduction to our wider countryside work ............................................................ 30 3.2 Partnerships.......................................................................................................... 31 3.3 Representation on committees.............................................................................. 33 3.4 Planning ................................................................................................................ 36 3.5 Consultation responses ........................................................................................ 37 3.6 Wider Countryside Projects ................................................................................... 38 3.6.1 The Co-operative: Woodland Wanderers - Lizzie Wilberforce ....................... 38 3.6.2 Mid Wales Red Squirrel Project – Becky Hulme ............................................. 39 3.6.3 Biffa Award: Pwll Waun Cynon – Carys Solman ............................................ 41 3.6.4 Swansea SUDS – Rose Revera .................................................................... 42 3.6.5 Working in the Rhondda – Sarah Woodcock .................................................. 43 3.6.6 West Glamorgan’s Wild Woodlands – Tara Daniels ....................................... 44 4. Marine Conservation .................................................................................................... 45 4.1 Future Fisheries - Sarah Perry ......................................................................... 45 4.2 Marine Research Summary – Sarah Perry ........................................................ 47 4.3 Living Seas, outreach & awareness raising – Natalie Brown ............................. 48 4.4 Living Seas, volunteers – Laura Evans .............................................................. 49 5. Campaigns ................................................................................................................... 51 5.1 Badgers and bovine TB ........................................................................................ 51 6. Media and public awareness ........................................................................................ 51 6.1 Media work ........................................................................................................... 52 6.2 Talks and presentations ........................................................................................ 52 2 6.3 Events ................................................................................................................... 52 6.4 Wildlife queries ..................................................................................................... 54 7. Consultancy and contracts ........................................................................................... 54 7.1 Consultancy .......................................................................................................... 54 7.2 Contracting ........................................................................................................... 56 8. Education ..................................................................................................................... 57 9. Plans for 2016-17 ......................................................................................................... 59 3 1. Introduction This report covers the work delivered by the Conservation Team of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) during the financial year 2015-2016. It covers the full breadth of work undertaken by the team, including both core funded activities and fixed-term grant funded projects. Many of these projects produce reports of their own, and more detail on any area of work included in this report is available on request from the member of staff involved. Contact details for all the team members are available below. Detail of work delivered on our reserves can also be found on BARS, the online biodiversity action reporting system, http://ukbars.defra.gov.uk/ . The maintenance of this database of our work is undertaken by Nigel Ajax-Lewis. This report is written by all the members of the Conservation Team and their volunteers, and compiled and edited by Conservation Managers Lizzie Wilberforce and Rob Parry. 1.1 Members of the conservation team This year saw a number of changes to our team, with the end of some fixed-term funded projects, and the beginning of some new initiatives. We waved a sad goodbye to long-standing member of staff James Davies, our estates worker on Gower who joined us as an apprentice in 2006; we plan to replace this post in the coming year. We welcomed Alexandra Kinsey and Megan Howells as our 2015-16 placements from the Cardiff University Professional Training Year scheme, based in Parc Slip. We also welcomed Lorna Baggett back to the team; Lorna had previously worked with WTSWW as a Cardiff placement herself, but joined the staff team permanently in June 2015 as People and Wildlife Officer based in Tondu. September 2015 also saw the start of the WREN-funded, three year West Glamorgan’s Wild Woodlands project, and Tara Daniels joined the Swansea, Neath & Port Talbot team in the project officer role. Sarah Woodcock joined the staff at Tondu in August 2015 as the Wildlife Sites officer working on the NRW-funded Healthy Hillsides project in the Rhondda valleys. Seasonal contracts issued during 2015 included the Skomer Assistant Warden (Jason Moss, returning for a second year), Skomer Field Worker (Elisa Miquel Riera) and Skomer Seal Assistant (Alex Dodds). At Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, Sarah Perry was joined by two new staff members: Living Seas Awareness Officer Natalie Brown (supported by funding from Natural Resources Wales (NRW)) and Living Seas Volunteer Co-ordinator Laura Evans (supported by funding from the WCVA). Other staff changes included a period of maternity leave for Rebecca Killa from December 2015, with maternity cover being provided in Carmarthenshire by Ceri Evans. Fixed term funding remains the greatest driver of staff turnover in our team. The contact details for each team member are given below. 4 Conservation Team Staff April 2015 – March 2016 inclusive Rob Parry Conservation Manager 07989 478176 [email protected] Lizzie Conservation Manager Wilberforce [email protected] 07970 780553 Lorna Baggett People and Wildlife Officer 07812 063444 [email protected] Natalie Brown Living Seas Awareness Officer 01545 560224 [email protected] Richard Brown Skokholm Observatory Warden 07971 114303 [email protected] Bee Büche Skomer Warden 07971 114302 [email protected] Tara Daniels West Glamorgan’s Wild Woodlands Project Officer 07855 009622 [email protected] James Davies Estate Worker, Swansea Neath & Port Talbot (until January 2016) Alex Dodds Skomer Island Grey Seal Monitoring Assistant (October 2015) 5 Laura Evans Living Seas Volunteer Co-ordinator 01545 560224 [email protected] Em Foot Wildlife Trust Officer, Ceredigion 07980 932332 [email protected] Giselle Eagle Skokholm Island Warden 07971 114303 [email protected] Ceri Evans Wildlife Trust Officer, Carmarthenshire (maternity cover) 07970 780558 Megan Howells Cardiff University placement (Professional Training Year) 01656 724100 Becky Hulme Mid Wales Red Squirrel Officer 07972 201202 [email protected] Tim Jones Wildlife Trust Officer, Bridgend & Vale 07811 117140 [email protected] Rebecca Killa Wildlife Trust Officer, Carmarthenshire 07970 780558 [email protected] Alexandra Cardiff University placement (Professional Training Year) Kinsey 01656 724100 6 Catherine Education Officer Lewis [email protected] 07972 176963 Vaughn Conservation Officer Matthews [email protected]