Common Connections

Project overview

From 2021-2023, we ran a nature recovery project called ‘Common Connections’ as part of a long-term plan to connect up wildlife habitat across the St Davids peninsula and turn The Bug Farm into a nature reserve. The project aimed to connect and protect a 200-hectare (ha) wildlife habitat corridor – an area equivalent to almost 500 international football pitches. Over 140ha of this land is the internationally important wildlife habitat of the North West Pembrokeshire Commons Special Area of Conservation (SAC), while 60 hectares is private farmland at Lower Harglodd, the Gwryd and Penweathers (together known as ‘The Bug Farm’) and Llanunwas.

We aimed to address as many of the threats to the habitat as possible within the course of a year and a half – it was a busy time!

• Ecological surveys – Collection of baseline ecological data (including eDNA) to help us build a more detailed picture of what is living here.
• Management and Monitoring Plans – Development of plans to identify threats and help site managers best manage the land for nature.
• Marsh fritillary butterfly habitat surveys – Survey to find out if there is sufficient suitable habitat to investigate the possibility of a species reintroduction of this locally-extinct butterfly.
• Practical nature recovery – Action to link up the SAC through private land – 4 ha of new wildflower meadows, 6ha of improved meadows, 6,000 native plug plants, 5.5ha of arable crops for wildlife, 2,000 trees as hedging/shelter belts and 8 ponds.
• Sustainable woodland creation – Researching ways to reduce herbicides and plastic in new woodland planting.
• Protecting nature forever – Agri Advisor Solicitors have drawn up templates, linked to our Wills, to protect the private sites for nature, forever after our days (and also to look after our animals after our days). These templates are available on our website for others to download and use to help them protect their land for nature, forever.​

To view the film with Welsh subtitles, please follow this link / I weld y ffilm gydag is-deitlau Cymraeg, dilynwch y ddolen hon.

This project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme. It is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government. The fund aims to strengthen the resilience of Wales’ network of protected land and marine sites, supporting a green recovery for nature and communities. Project partners are: Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm, the Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership, Rob Davies (Llanunwas/HabitatInfo), the National Trust, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.

The follow-on project is called ‘A Connected Peninsula’ and involves bringing other private landowners on-board to fully join up wildlife habitat across the St Davids peninsula. The project also involves building the Nature Recovery Centre at The Bug Farm and applying for a licence to reintroduce the marsh fritillary butterfly to the peninsula.

Trosolwg

Rhwng 2021 a 2023, fe wnaethom gynnal prosiect adfer natur o’r enw ‘Cysylltiadau Cyffredin’ a hynny fel rhan o gynllun hirdymor i gysylltu cynefinoedd bywyd gwyllt ar draws penrhyn Tyddewi a throi The Bug Farm yn warchodfa natur. Bwriad y prosiect oedd cysylltu a diogelu coridor cynefin bywyd gwyllt 200 hectar (ha) – ardal sy’n cyfateb i bron i 500 o gaeau pêl-droed rhyngwladol. Mae dros 140ha o’r tir hwn yn gynefin bywyd gwyllt o bwysigrwydd rhyngwladol yn Ardalaloedd Cadwraeth Arbennig (ACA) Comins Gogledd Orllewin Sir Benfro, tra bod 60 hectar yn dir fferm preifat yn Harglodd Isaf, y Gwryd a Penweathers (a elwir gyda’i gilydd yn ‘Bug Farm’) a Llanunwas.

O fewn blwyddyn a hanner, anelwyd at fynd i’r afael â chymaint o’r bygythiadau i’r cynefin â phosibl – roedd yn gyfnod prysur!

• Arolygon ecolegol  – Casglu data gwaelodlin ecolegol (gan gynnwys eDNA) i’n cynorthwyo i adeiladu darlun manylach o’r hyn sy’n byw yma.
• Cynlluniau Rheoli a Monitro – Datblygu cynlluniau i nodi bygythiadau a helpu rheolwyr safle i reoli’r tir yn y ffordd orau er lles natur.
• Arolygon cynefin iâr fach yr haf britheg y gors – Arolwg i ddarganfod a oes digon o gynefin addas i ymchwilio i’r posibilrwydd o ailgyflwyno rhywogaeth o’r iâr fach yr haf yma sydd wedi darfod yn lleol.
• Adfer natur yn ymarferol – Gweithredu i gysylltu’r ACA trwy dir preifat – 4ha o feysydd blodau gwyllt newydd, 6ha o feysydd wedi’u gwella, 6,000 o blanhigion plwg brodorol, 5.5ha o gnydau âr ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt, 2,000 o goed megis cloddiau/cysgod ac 8 pwll.
• Creu coetir cynaliadwy – Ymchwilio i ffyrdd o leihau chwynladdwyr a phlastig mewn plannu coetiroedd newydd.
• Gwarchod natur am byth – mae Cyfreithwyr Agri Advisor wedi llunio templedi, wedi’u cysylltu â’n Hewyllysiau, i ddiogelu’r safleoedd preifat ar gyfer byd natur, am byth ar ôl ein dyddiau (a hefyd i ofalu am ein hanifeiliaid yn dilyn ein dyddiau). Gweler y templedi hyn ar ein gwefan i eraill eu llwytho i lawr a’u defnyddio i’w helpu i warchod eu tir ar gyfer natur, am byth.

Ariennir y prosiect hwn gan y Rhaglen Rhwydweithiau Natur. Caiff ei ddarparu gan y Gronfa Dreftadaeth, ar ran Llywodraeth Cymru. Nod y gronfa yw cryfhau cydnerthedd rhwydwaith Cymru o safleoedd tir a morol gwarchodedig, gan gefnogi adferiad gwyrdd i natur a chymunedau.

Y partneriaid prosiect yw: Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm, Partneriaeth Natur Sir Benfro, Rob Davies (Llanunwas/HabitatInfo), yr Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol, Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro ac Ymddiriedolaeth Bywyd Gwyllt De a Gorllewin Cymru.

Enw’r prosiect dilynol yw ‘Penrhyn Cysylltiedig’ ac mae’n cynnwys dod â thirfeddianwyr preifat eraill at ei gilydd i gydgysylltu cynefinoedd bywyd gwyllt yn llawn ar draws penrhyn Tyddewi. Mae’r prosiect hefyd yn cynnwys adeiladu’r Ganolfan Adfer Natur yn The Bug Farm a gwneud cais am drwydded i ailgyflwyno iâr fach yr haf britheg y gors i’r penrhyn.

Linked conservation projects