Partnership launched to protect rare Welsh rainforest

A major partnership has been launched to protect and restore internationally important woodlands in Eryri.

The project, Coetiroedd Mawddach, will bring organisations together across the Mawddach Catchment to safeguard wildlife, improve public access and help more woodland sites become part of the National Forest for Wales.

The Mawddach oakwoods are recognised as some of the most important in Europe, forming part of a Special Area of Conservation.

As part of Wales’ rare temperate rainforest zone, the oakwoods are home to a wide variety of mosses and lichens, including species rarely found elsewhere in the UK.

The woodlands are also a much-loved destination for walkers, mountain bikers and local communities seeking time in nature.

With funding from the Welsh Government’s Local Places for Nature: National Forest for Wales Landscape Scheme, partners will work together at a landscape scale to strengthen biodiversity and future-proof the woodlands.

Over the next year, work will include planting and managing trees; repairing woodland boundaries; clearing storm-damaged trees; improving paths and public access; surveying rare species and hosting community volunteer days and workshops.

Partners include Eryri National Park Authority, Coed cadw, Cofnod, Natural Resources Wales, Plantlife, Llais y Goedwig, National Trust, Snowdonia Society and RSPB Cymru, with plans to engage more private landowners and additional organisations as the project develops.

Jenny Crouch, National Forest Liaison Officer (North-West), said: “The Mawddach Landscape Scheme Project is a really exciting collaborative project which supports the Welsh Government’s ambitions to create a National Forest in Wales, particularly in the face of the Climate and Nature emergencies.

“It brings multiple landowner agencies, environmental and community focussed organisations together to carry out work to bring multiple sites into the National Forest and to work together to plan for the best future outcome for all the sites on a landscape scale.

“Our forests and woodlands are fantastic spaces, and they provide us with multiple benefits for our communities, recreation and wildlife across Wales, as well as supporting the economy, which is why it’s so important that we look after them for future generations.”

The Local Places for Nature: National Forest for Wales Landscape Scheme is administered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and runs until March 2027.

It is led by the Local Nature Partnership at Eryri National Park Authority, with RSPB Cymru leading delivery.