Habitats
Wales has an impressive array of
terrestrial habitats teeming with life. However, many
habitats have been lost through exploitation
and neglect and will be further threatened by climate
change
Habitats in Wales can be divided into three
main groups:
- Sand-dunes, sea cliffs and estuaries down by
the coast.
- Broadleaved woodland, raised bogs, heath,
fens and grasslands in lowland agricultural areas.
- Heather moorland, blanket bogs, crags and
screes in the uplands.
Wales is where you’ll find the most southerly point of Britain’s
major upland areas, home to northern montane species at the edge of
their UK range.
Industrial development in the Valleys and in
north east Wales has left its mark on our habitats, but much of our
wildlife-rich areas have developed hand in hand over the centuries
with livestock farming – in particular sheep and cattle
grazing.
Challenges for biodiversity conservation
Over-intensive exploitation and management
neglect of habitats has led to many challenges. These include
habitat fragmentation – small and isolated pockets of woodlands,
heaths and grasslands – which reduces the likelihood of
re-colonisation as species become extinct locally.
New schemes to meet such challenges need to
take climate change and atmospheric pollution into account. CCW and
its partners are using information on the natural environment to
plot likely future trends and to suggest the most effective
approaches to long-term biodiversity conservation.