The new 43-acre reserve, known as Cartersford, is located in Gower National Landscape. The woodland on site was illegally felled in 2019, putting the wildlife on site at risk. 

The land was bought by The Gower Society and is being leased at a peppercorn rent to The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales (WTSWW). This partnership will ensure the future protection of the site and its wildlife, and support work to restore its habitats and species. 

“The Gower Society is delighted to be working closely with The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales in establishing this new nature reserve in the heart of beautiful Gower. It is The Gower Society’s first ever land purchase and is the culmination of 75 years of helping other charities to buy land in Gower for conservation purposes. It is a privilege to share our vision with The Wildlife Trust.” said Malcolm Ridge, a trustee and former Chairman of The Gower Society. 

The Trust will be working to restore the grassland on site and create new broadleaf woodland and hedgerows to replace those that were destroyed. The grasslands on site represent a type of habitat that’s been lost from much of Wales - over 90% in the last half of the 20th century – so the work to enhance this important habitat will benefit a huge array species. The reserve will be managed with wildlife as the priority so will not open to the public, but there will be opportunities for people to visit with events and volunteer days.

This reserve will also help to improve habitat connectivity in the wider area by linking the Trust’s Gelli Hir and The Elizabeth and Rowe Harding Nature Reserves to Pengwern and Fairwood Common. This will provide more opportunities for wildlife populations to grow and expand their range. With the recent re-discovery of Dormice at Gelli Hir, this land purchase could have a pivotal role in the recovery of this vulnerable species.

“The opportunities for nature recovery at Cartersford are huge. We hope that with sensitive management, the land could become an important part of the habitat mosaic on Gower, and offer a refuge for a wide range of important species from wetland plants to insects, breeding birds, and potentially Dormice.” said Paul Thornton, WTSWW Reserves Manager for Swansea, Neath-Port Talbot & Carmarthenshire. 

This new nature reserve means The Wildlife Trust is one step closer to achieving their vision of 30% of land connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030, an ambitious but necessary target to address the current climate and biodiversity crises.