It's blag a blog month, where I shamelessly post somebody else's work. I've pinched an article by Rob Parry about the project, written for and published in the latest edition of Natur Cymru, the magazine of the Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru. You can find out more by clicking on this link Natur Cymru – Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru
Over to Rob ...
Cefn Garthenor: A Wilderness in the Making
For me and INCC, it started with a phone call from Derek Gow on a cold wet day in January back in 2021. I think every phone call I have ever had with Derek has been short, to the point and very very interesting. This one was no different. “Rob, can’t talk long. Can you join me on a site visit next month somewhere near Tregaron? There’s a guy who is thinking of buying some land.”
Luckily for me, I could make the site visit and the following three and half years have been some of the most rewarding and educational of my career. The guy referred to by Derek was Alistair Hughes, and the land, Cefn Garthenor.
Our role during the site visit was to advise Alistair on whether we thought the land had potential for nature and what things could be done to restore it for wildlife. Our thoughts and opinions would then form part of his decision making on whether to go ahead with the purchase.
In truth, I am not sure if I was the best, or at least, the most objective person for the job. You could literally show me around a concrete car park and all the time my head will be whirling with ideas on how to make it better for wildlife. So, show me a large farm in the Teifi Valley and there was only ever one answer I was going to give.
Luckily, Alistair did decide to go ahead with the purchase, and we have been helping him manage Cefn Garthenor for wildlife ever since.
First impressions
Cefn Garthenor is large, it’s around 85 hectares in total, and before being purchased it was managed as an intensive sheep farm. Many years ago, Cefn Garthenor was two smaller farms managed in two completely different ways. One was low input mixed cattle and sheep and the other an intensive sheep farm. The less intensive farm was purchased, cattle were removed, and sheep numbers allowed to increase.
The recent history of different farm practices at Cefn Garthenor shows on the habitats that remain. The lower northern half of the farm consists predominantly of marshy grassland, wet heath and woodland, whereas the upper southern half is dominated by sheep grazed pastures and managed hedgerows.
In nature conservation we often focus on the management and safeguarding of the already good wildlife friendly habitats in a landscape. This is for obvious reasons, but it can often result in not paying enough attention to the habitat potential of a landscape - what can be created and restored for wildlife from the more intensive, industrial farmed fields. With over 25ha of improved grassland at Cefn Garthenor, there was a lot of potential.
Getting the grazing right
The overall vision for Cefn Garthenor sounds a simple one, to create a haven for wildlife. Nature conservation is however more complicated than that, and with such a large site to manage, it can also be a bit daunting. Knowing where to start and what to do first is always tricky, but at Cefn Garthenor, it was an easy decision. Soon after the purchase of the land, the first big decision was made, all sheep were removed. This meant that there were no grazing animals present at Cefn Garthenor for those first few spring and summer months, and probably for the first time in decades.
This one decision must have had a huge impact on wildlife at the site and in the surrounding landscape. Important marshy grasslands and wet heaths down in the lower areas of Cefn Garthenor could finally get some respite from the nibbling sheep. Plants such as Devil’s-bit Scabious Succisa pratensis and Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre that were clinging on to the wetter, more inhospitable areas of the marsh could finally flower and set seed, signalling the beginning of their recolonisation across the site.
The argument for greater biomass in nature can often be overshadowed by the arguments for greater biodiversity. Both are essential of course, but letting things just grow from time to time shows you the importance of biomass, even for our commoner species. Grasses, albeit agricultural grasses of Cocksfoot Dactylis glomerata and Yorkshire Fog Holcus lanatus were allowed to grow long for the first time in decades. Common grassland butterflies such as Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina and Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus had a field day, as did countless other invertebrates and Field Voles Microtus agrestis.
With no prior surveys or monitoring undertaken at Cefn Garthenor it was hard to say whether the change in wildlife abundance was noticeable from previous years, but there was a definite sense that the land was rested, and grateful for it. Wildlife in turn, was simply allowed to take advantage.
Although this meant the end of sheep at Cefn Garthenor, it didn’t mean that all grazing animals were barred in future. In fact, getting the grazing right at Cefn Garthenor will be the foundation for its long-term management for wildlife. In September 2021, 10 Galloway cattle were brought to Cefn Garthenor and after a few weeks of getting used to Alistair and their new collars, they were allowed to roam through large areas of the site.
Cattle bring structure to grassland swards along with a little bit of chaos too, which is no bad thing in nature conservation. The marshy grassland components of Cefn Garthenor form part of the large (216ha) Rhosydd Bryn-maen Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the best way of managing the habitat is by summer grazing with cattle. However, getting the cattle to pay any attention to the marsh when they could wander far and wide across the site was another thing. Luckily, before being allowed to roam, the cattle were fitted with virtual collars, enabling better management of the grazing so that Alistair could target particular areas for grazing when needed.
Since their arrival in autumn 2021, the cattle have played an essential role in Cefn Garthenor’s management. Without them, the marshy grasslands would become rank. Molinia caerulea and Juncus spp would be allowed to dominate which would in turn shade and outcompete other plants in the marsh. Their poaching helps to open the sward and sow seeds, whereas their dung provides habitat for fungi, flies and beetles. Every now and then, cattle will also take exception to some willow scrub, thrashing the scrub and open it up to allow other vegetation to get a foothold.
Habitat Assessment
Prior to the arrival of cattle, we were able to map all the different habitats at Cefn Garthenor and to undertake a baseline habitat assessment. The assessment enabled us to produce a series of broad long-term ambitions and recommendations for the site. Ecological surveys and monitoring undertaken in subsequent years would add to our understanding of the land and its wildlife so that plans could be tweaked.
Marshy grassland and improved grassland make up the two largest habitats present at Cefn Garthenor, covering just over 25ha each. The species composition of marshy grassland varies across the site with some fields being dominated with Whorled Caraway Carum verticillatum with patches of Betony Stachys officinalis, whilst other marshy grassland is dominated by Molina with scattered Devil’s-bit Scabious and Marsh Cinquefoil Comarum palustre. The wetter areas support species such as Valerian Valeriana officinalis, Marsh Violet Viola palustris and Brooklime Veronica beccabunga. Many of the grassland habitats intermingle with wet heathland, which supports species such as Heath-spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza maculate, Cross-leaved Heath Erica tetralix and Common Cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium.
These marshy grassland habitats represent the best opportunities for wildlife at Cefn Garthenor. As well as supporting a range of plant species, they provide habitat for Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene butterflies, whereas the shallow ditches and streams that meander through marshy areas are home to Water Voles Arvicola amphibius and Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii. In 2023 a pair of adult Otters Lutra lutra were seen on camera swimming together through the marsh. We had seen signs previously of Otter but didn’t imagine that the site would be used as a breeding area for them. Otters tend to be solitary animals, up until it’s time to mate. Seeing the pair foraging together in the ditch and marsh was a good sign that things at Cefn Garthenor were going in the right direction.
The ideal location for an Otter holt or even a natal den would be to the northeast of the site in a relatively small area of Willow carr which is crossed with linear ponds and bordered by woodland and marshy grassland. The carr habitat in only around 1ha in area, but its seclusion and Bramble Rubus fruticosa agg understory make it the perfect place for female Otters and their young. Time and future surveys will tell.
Woodland cover at Cefn Garthenor is limited to a relatively small 13ha including over mature hedgerows. The lower grazing inputs are encouraging oak and other tree saplings to venture further and further away from hedgerow boundaries, and it won’t be too long before scattered scrub and shrubs will be commonplace within many of the fields.
With 25ha of agriculturally improved grassland at Cefn Garthenor there is a great deal of opportunity to create habitats. Most of the improved fields are dominated by common species such as Yorkshire Fog, Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens and Marsh Thistle Cirsium palustre. However, every now and then a small patch of more interesting flora breaks through the sward and finer grasses such as Sweet Vernal are accompanied by Selfheal, Harebell or Heath Bedstraw. These small patches are scarce in number but gives us an exciting insight into what the fields might have looked like a long time ago, and what they may look like again in future.
Creating the Haven
Apart from cattle grazing the marshy grasslands, most of the habitat restoration and creation work so far has taken place over the agriculturally improved fields. Having seen how Cefn Garthenor bounced back after the removal of sheep in 2021, it was tempting to allow the fields to just ‘go’, with no management. This approach, coupled with light periodic cattle grazing will undoubtedly be the long-term plan for the habitat, but letting them ‘go’ straight away runs the risk of never being able to restore the grasslands to their former floristic diversity. So, a decision was made early on to reduce the nutrients in the soil for a good few years first before letting natural processes take over. This is currently being achieved by managing the fields as meadows, cutting and harvesting the grass early in spring (when weather and ground conditions permit) and then repeating the process in late summer. This is an excellent way of reducing nutrients in the soil and therefore the dominance of agricultural grasses in the sward, allowing the less robust vegetation to gain a foothold. It’s a bold decision for us because we know just how much the invertebrates and small mammals thrive in the long grass and the knock-on benefits for predatory birds, Foxes Vulpes vulpes and Polecats Mustela putorius which can be found across Cefn Garthenor. We try to offset the meadow management by leaving large uncut borders around the field edges.
Managing the fields as meadows has also proven to be a good means of working with neighbouring farms and the wider farming community. When I first suggested managing the fields as meadows, Alistair quite rightly pointed out, “why do I need several hundred bales of hay for over winter”. There are no sheep, and the small herd of cattle happily forage for themselves outdoors through the winter months, with only a small amount of supplementary feeding. In the short-term however, the cutting and baling of the fields are done by the neighbouring farmer, Robert. Robert has the machinery and knowledge to help us achieve our aim of reducing nutrients in the soil, and as a thank you, helps himself to the bales needed for his farm and livestock. Robert is an invaluable source of knowledge and information about farming and the land, not just the bigger picture stuff, but the smaller, yet essential details too, the everyday experiences you learn over decades of farming yourself. Without Robert and that link to farming the land, creating a wildlife haven at Cefn Garthenor would be a lot harder.
To give some of the agriculturally improved grasslands a bit of a boost we enlisted the aid of some wildflower seeds from Waun Las meadow at the National Botanic Gardens of Wales. Just one small field at Cefn Garthenor was chosen for reseeding as we wanted to see what naturally came back with the new management. Robert, cut and baled the field as normal and then went over it again with an even shorter cut, churning up areas and exposing the soil. Once this was done the wildflower seeds were broadcast over the ground by hand and trampled in by foot. The wildflower seeds have done incredibly well in the small field, especially the Yellow Rattle Rhinanthus minor which has suppressed the grasslands vigour and allowed other wildflowers to take hold. The recent discovery of the Small Yellow Underwing Panemeria tenebrata in the newly created wildflower rich grassland is a hopeful sign of things to come.
We will continue to reduce the nutrients in the fields for a year or two more before moving the management over to light grazing. The aim is to create species rich grasslands with a mosaic of scrub, shrubs and trees across Cefn Garthenor, breaking up the usual field patterns and structure. Some areas will be more open grassland and other areas scrub and scattered trees. It will take a while to create, but hopefully worth it in the end.
One habitat we are keen to create more of at Cefn Garthenor is open water. Most of the wetland habitat present is already ecologically significant and designated as part of the SSSI. However, one relatively flat field adjacent to the SSSI was suitable for wetland creation and has now been converted into a series of scrapes and ponds, interlinked by Rush and other wetland vegetation. Cattle are allowed to roam through the scrapes field to lightly graze and wallow where they like. A few months after their creation in 2022, the scrapes were already supporting amphibians and a host of freshwater invertebrates including 11 species of dragonfly and damselfly – Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa), Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella and Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator to name just a few.
In May 2023 a survey of the scrapes revealed that Water Voles had moved away from the ditch running adjacent to the field where the scrapes were created and were now found throughout the new wetland habitat, making use of at least three of the scrapes and the rushy wetland margins that now link them.
In time, more scrapes and ponds will be created and more of the extensive ditch network will be dammed to increase water levels.
I Quite Like Pigs
As of August 2022, Cefn Garthenor became the proud home for two Tamworth pigs, Cagney and Lacey, a mother and daughter duo. When Alistair first asked me about introducing some pigs to the land, my initial thoughts would have been similar to many conservationists – sceptical. However, if INCC and time at Cefn Garthenor has taught me anything over the past few years, it is the importance of doing things a bit differently if we are going to make the change that is so desperately needed for wildlife. This means being open to new ideas and practices.
Pigs, at this low density have the capacity to change a grassland structure and particularly its profile. We have become used to thinking that grassland profiles, particularly in grazed pastures should be flat and level, with vegetation on the surface sitting above a thin layer of organic matter, then top soil, sub soil and so on. However, pigs have an amazing ability to turn all that upside down, quite literally. Through their routing and foraging, pigs can create incredibly diverse grassland structures. Mounds of soil up to 40cm high litter the grasslands, as does their opposing pools and wallowing puddles. The mounds are made up of nutrient poor soil dug up from below the organic matter and provide refuges for wildflowers trying to escape the close grass sward. The longer the mounds are in place, the drier they become, creating further niches for a different cohort of wildflower species. The mounds also break up the wind shear across the grassland, providing shelter for invertebrates. In addition to all that, they also provide the ideal vantage points for Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe. Seeing Wheatears and Stonechats Saxicola rubicola using the mounds as display posts and vantage points is just one of many delights of the work being done at Cefn Garthenor.
I have always had a love for nature but over the years have become increasingly despondent with how humankind has treated it and, despite our understanding of how important it is to our very existence, continued to destroy it. Our words and actions seem to me to be so contradictory when it comes to our relationship with nature and our planet, yet I could not see a real way to do anything about it. However, five or six years ago, I became inspired by projects such as Knepp and began to see that I could do something, albeit on a small scale. So began the journey with Cefn Garthenor … and let’s be honest, it is not hard to love doing it, so it is in part a selfish act. I feel very lucky and privileged to have this opportunity. I could not have started this project without a lot of help and support. Rob Parry and the team at INCC have been incredible and their dedication to the natural world is truly inspiring. Alistair Hughes |
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