Conservation Team Report 2016-2017
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Conservation Team Report 2016 - 2017 1 www.welshwildlife.org Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales Conservation Team report 2016-2017 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 .............................................................................................................. 22 2.4 Recording and monitoring ..................................................................................... 23 2.5 Volunteers ............................................................................................................ 28 2.6 Access management ............................................................................................ 35 2.7 Interpretation ......................................................................................................... 39 3. Wider Countryside ....................................................................................................... 40 3.1 Introduction to our wider countryside work ............................................................ 40 3.2 Partnerships.......................................................................................................... 41 3.3 Representation on external committees ................................................................ 43 3.4 Planning ................................................................................................................ 44 3.5 Consultation responses ........................................................................................ 45 3.6 Wider Countryside Projects ................................................................................... 46 3.6.1 Welsh Beaver Project – Carys Solman .......................................................... 46 3.6.2 Landscape Projects to a Living Landscape – Sarah Woodcock and Rob Parry .. ...................................................................................................................... 47 4. Marine Conservation .................................................................................................... 49 4.1 Living Seas consultations - Sarah Perry ........................................................... 49 4.2 Living Seas, outreach & awareness raising – Emma Lowe ................................ 51 5. Campaigns ................................................................................................................... 52 5.1 Badgers and bovine TB ........................................................................................ 52 6. Media and public awareness ........................................................................................ 53 6.1 Media work ........................................................................................................... 53 6.2 Talks and presentations ........................................................................................ 54 6.3 Events ................................................................................................................... 54 6.4 Wildlife queries ..................................................................................................... 57 7. Consultancy and contracts ........................................................................................... 57 7.1 Consultancy .......................................................................................................... 57 2 7.2 Contracting ........................................................................................................... 58 8. Education ..................................................................................................................... 60 9. Plans for 2017-18 ......................................................................................................... 61 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 2016 - 2017. It covers the full breadth of work undertaken by the team, including both core funded activities and fixed-term grant funded projects. It aims to capture and celebrate the ongoing work that is done every year, and recognise, for example, the huge effort made by the team in simply maintaining the present condition of our many and glorious nature reserves, as well as the new and innovative projects. Neither would succeed without the other, but so often, that which is routine is neglected, when we speak and write about our work. In addition, 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. This report is written by all the members of the Conservation Team and their volunteers, and compiled and edited by Conservation Managers Lizzie Wilberforce, Rob Parry (to April 2017), Carys Solman and Sarah Woodcock (May 2017 onwards). 1.1 Members of the conservation team This year saw a few changes to our team. Alexandra Kinsey and Megan Howells, our previous year’s placement students from Cardiff University, finished their work with WTSWW and returned to their final year of study, with our grateful thanks for the huge amount of energy, work and passion that they brought to the Trust. At the start of the new academic year we welcomed Kate Gwynn as our 2016-17 placement, from Aberystwyth University; Kate has been based in Parc Slip for the year. Seasonal contracts issued during 2016 included the Skomer Assistant Warden (Jason Moss, returning for a third and final year), Skomer Field Worker (Elisa Miquel Riera, back for her second season working with seabirds, and staying on to assist with the seal monitoring contract in October). At Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC), Living Seas Awareness Officer Natalie Brown moved on to pastures new, and we are delighted to have been joined by her successor, Emma Lowe, who was already familiar with the Centre’s work having previously volunteered there herself. Rebecca Killa, our Carmarthenshire Wildlife Trust Officer, returned from maternity leave in the new year in 2017, at four days a week. Ceri Evans, who had joined the team as her maternity cover, has remained with WTSWW, making up the fifth day in our Carmarthenshire patch and with three additional days in Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot as Reserves Officer, filling the vacancy left by the departure of James Davies the previous year. In September 2016 we also welcomed Ben Allen to the red squirrel project as part of a new UK-wide lottery funded initiative, working with Becky Hulme in mid Wales. The contact details for each team member are given below. 4 Conservation Team Staff April 2016 – March 2017 inclusive Rob Parry Conservation Manager [left WTSWW in April 2017] Lizzie Conservation Manager Wilberforce [email protected] 07970 780553 Ben Allen Mid Wales Grey Squirrel Control Officer 07980 928733 [email protected] Lorna Baggett People and Wildlife Officer 07812 063444 [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] Laura Evans Living Seas Volunteer Co-ordinator 01545 560224 [email protected] 5 Giselle Eagle Skokholm Island Warden 07971 114303 [email protected] Ceri Evans Wildlife Trust Officer, Carmarthenshire, subsequently 07497 006612 Reserves Officer (Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot) [email protected] Em Foot Wildlife Trust Officer, Ceredigion 07980 932332 [email protected] Kate Gwynn Aberystwyth University placement 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] Catherine Education Officer Lewis [email protected] 07972 176963 Emma Lowe Living Seas Awareness Officer 01545 560224 [email protected] 6 Vaughn Conservation Officer Matthews [email protected] 01656 724100 Jason Moss Skomer Island Assistant Warden (March-Nov 2016) Leighton Skomer Visitor Officer Newman [email protected] 07530 796150 Rose Revera People and Wildlife Officer 01656 724100 [email protected] Elisa Miquel Skomer Field Worker and Seal Assistant (April – October Riera 2016) Sarah Perry Living Seas Science Officer 01545 560224 [email protected] Carys Solman Wildlife Trust Officer, Valleys, subsequently Conservation 07896 798371