Green Connections Powys in Brecknock have been inspired by the engagement with the project so far.
20+ landowners are creating traditional meadows, managing and creating woodlands and so much more. Many surveys have been completed adding hundreds of records to Biodiversity Information Service. We joined licensed aquatic ecologist, Val Bradely and small-holding owners to establish a previously recorded population of crayfish in their stream was still healthy, spotting evidence of otter activity in the process. Some exciting follow up work is planned for 2022 at several of these sites.
A similar number of community groups are managing community woodlands & orchards, wildflower areas or tackling non-native invasive species with our support. For example new community group, Friends of Diamond Park in Ystradgynlais, initially aimed to remove Himalayan Balsam from the small stream which runs through Diamond Park. They have pulled up well over 4000 square meters of Himalayan Balsam helping native plants to thrive again. They also asked Ystradgynlais Town Council, who manage the park, to cut more in other areas of the park. Green Connections provided training in identifying plants and invertebrates to enable biodiversity monitoring.
Swift action is spreading out from Brecon. The newly formed Brecon Swift Group is already attracting members from further afield. The group aims to raise awareness of the plight of swifts and their relatives, record and protect existing nest and feeding sites plus encourage the installation of new boxes on buildings. We would love to see several groups throughout Brecknock, particularly around Builth Wells, Crickhowell, Talgarth, Glasbury and Hay-on-Wye or perhaps you know of a group who can make boxes.
If you are interested in swifts, or any other aspect of Green Connections Powys please contact Pauline at p.hill@welshwildlife.org. We would particularly like to engage with more businesses, including rural tourism.
This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.
