After a two-year battle with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) the wildlife charity The Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC) has forced Wales’ statutory environmental body to use their own legal powers to safeguard one of South Wales’ most important grassland habitats.
The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which cannot be named for legal reasons, was once described as one of the most significant wildlife sites in Rhondda Cynon Taf. It had an amazing array of rare habitats, including marshy grassland, species-rich neutral grassland and wet heath which used to cover 25 hectares of the site. These habitats were home to some of our rarest species, including the beautiful Marsh Fritillary, a butterfly which is endangered in Europe. This butterfly’s population in the area was once thought to be one of the most important remaining in Wales.
However, since the site was designated as a SSSI some 18 years ago, it has been left unmanaged, resulting in the loss of important grassland habitat, and with it the rare and specialist wildlife that relied on it. It is believed that the Marsh Fritillary butterfly became extinct at the site in around 2014.
In a letter to INCC, dated 25th October 2022, NRW acknowledge that the site in question is not in suitable condition and requires appropriate habitat management works. Furthermore, NRW also acknowledged that they had yet to enter into a management agreement with the landowner which would have established a regime of suitable habitat management works to be undertaken.
Although the site continues to decline, there is hope. Due to the pressure exerted on NRW by INCC, and their solicitors Leigh Day, formal action has now been finally instigated by NRW to use their own statutory powers to restore the species-rich grassland habitat within the site.
Chief Executive of INCC, Rob Parry said, “Its great news to finally see the SSSI being managed in a way that it was designated for all those years ago. Hopefully this case shows the importance of INCC’s work and holding environmental decision makers to account. NRW’s purpose is to ensure that the environment and natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained and used, now and in the future. Although this good news for wildlife, it shouldn’t have taken NRW, and its predecessor, the Countryside Council for Wales, eighteen years to act”.
According to NRW in their letter to INCC (25th October 2022), a key reason for taking action to ensure suitable management was due to INCC’s recent Marsh Fritillary butterfly reintroduction.
A spokesperson for NRW said “We acknowledge, that given the recent re-introduction of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly at Llantrisant Common SSSI by INCC, the matter of ensuring that there is as much suitable habitat in the wider landscape available for this species is more important than ever”.
Chief Executive of INCC, Rob Parry said, “There are so many other sites like this in Wales. Our most important refuges for wildlife are being neglected by NRW, the one government body that wildlife should be able to rely on to be on their side”.
I am sad that NRW have taken little interest in protecting wild life. Over the years I have seen a decline in virtually all wild life especially due to modern farming and development. For example there have been numerous slurry pollution incidents on the river Tywi over the years and the number of prosecutions by the NRW is virtually nil. Furthermore when there are prosecutions the fines meted out are no deterrent for such behaviour. I wish the NRW was abolished and replaced by a body with more teeth and a greater supporter of wild life.
I commend the work done by the INCC