Dyfi Valley becomes Wales’ first biosphere

Dyfi Valley Biosphere

Dyfi Valley Biosphere

The Dyfi Valley has joined the ranks of world-famous sites including Mount Olympus in Greece and Ayres Rock in Australia as the first biosphere in Wales.

Biosphere reserves are sites recognised by UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation – which demonstrate successful approaches to conservation and sustainable development.

There are 553 Biosphere sites in the world, including well know ones such as the Central Amazon in Brazil and the Everglades in Florida. The Dyfi (where we live) is the only one in Wales and only the second in the whole of the UK, after North Devon.

I’ve always enjoyed its backdrop of rugged and unspoilt mountains, beautiful beaches and open farmland but now its been recognised and given speical staus because the area centred around the River Dyfi hosts some of the finest examples of special landscapes and wildlife areas in Europe.

As far as the wildlife goes, the Dyfi Estuary is a vital nursery area for juvenile sea-bass and mullet species, and helps support other important migratory fish, including salmon populations. It is also an importnat wildfowl refuge and qualifies as a Special Protected Area (SPA) under the EU Birds Directive because the saltmarshes and wet grasslands of the estuary support a small flock of the greenland white-fronted geese.

The sand dunes (in our front garden) are nationally important for fungi, mosses, liverworts and invertebrates and Cors Fochno (Borth bog) is one of the largest lowland bog areas in Britain.

Mammals in the Dyfi biosphere include the pygmy shrew, water shrew, harvest mouse and otter.

Breeding birds feature the cuckoo, curlew, grasshopper warbler, lapwing and skylark,

Wintering birds include the hen harrier, merlin, peregrine falcon and short-eared owl.

Reptiles include adder, grass snake, slow-worm and common lizard .

The Dyfi Valley was first designated a biosphere in the 1970s but rule changes in the 1990s meant sites had to reapply under new criteria and has now once again been designated as a biosphere reserve meaning the whole of the Dyfi Valley, the area bounded from Aberystwyth, Llanbrynmair, Llanymawddwy, Corris Uchaf and Aberdyfi, will now be part of a new “Biosffer Dyfi Biosphere”.

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.