Project Resources - General Resources

This field guide contains detailed information on how to find and survey for the Welsh Clearwing Moth (Synanthedon scoliaeformis), using references from the Gilfach Nature Reserve.

This extensive document covers the criteria for the selection of Local Wildlife Sites in Powys, and also includes an example LWS report of the Cors Porffor site near Llangammarch.

Designed for farmers and landowners, this helpful app works as a quick hedgerow health survey tool, using a few simple questions to place any hedge in its natural lifecycle, and giving you instant management options and tips.

Check out their website here!

For more information on other hedgerow survey options on offer, then please access the link below:

Click here to learn more

This well-illustrated poster, courtesy of Plantlife, give a brief but excellent guide to either improving or creating a new meadow, with recommendations on when to mow and how to encourage new growth.

Courtesy of the Center for Ecology & Hydrology, this extensive and comprehensive guide to habitat creation and management for pollinators provides a wealth of information, and is freely available to read via the link below. 

Click here for the full guide

Our meadows are a critical and rapidly declining resource.  Luckily, the good people at Plantlife have put together a fantastic resource for anyone interested in creating and/or looking after meadows, with a wealth of information on offer.  If you have any interest in this subject, then please check out the link below to learn more:

Click here to go to their web page

With the prevalence and importance of road verge habitats in our County, it's important to maintain these spaces correctly.  The following guide, created by Plantlife, goes into incredible detail on creating and maintaining road verge habitats, providing easy to understand management guidelines and suggestions.  

If you are interested, please click the link below to read more:

Plantlife - Road Verge Guide

This extensive report by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) contains analysis and recommendations on how best to conserve the rich examples of unimproved meadows and other mesotrophic grasslands in the Elan Valley.

For detailed information on the subject, please click the link to the report below:

NRW - Elan Valley Report

This helpful information note from Natural England covers general interpretation of the results of soil analysis in a clear and succinct manner, and is a useful reference for anyone interested in the subject.  

Click below to read the full document:

Wood pasture, while a broad term, is one of our richest habitats in the UK.  This toolkit, put together by the National Trust, goes into great detail on the cultural and environmental significance of this habitat, and recommendations and considerations to help people create high quality wood pasture.

Click below to read the full document:

To encourage new Swifts and to give them a home to nest in, the construction of dedicated Swift nest boxes is essential.  Designed with their size and need in mind, they give them a safe nesting space while often also deterring competing bird species from using them.  While pre-built kits can be purchased, there are a number of simple patterns available to be able to create your own.  

We have included several examples below, courtesy of Swift-Conservation.org:

For more examples, as well as detailed advice and support, please visit their page below: 

Swift Conservation - Nest Boxes

Wild About Gardens, a collaboration between the Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, have created a booklet with helpful information on our high flyers: Swift, Swallows and House Martins.  With information on both threats to their existence, and how you can personally assist by adjusting your garden or creating nest boxes, there is a wealth of information to be had.

Click here to view the Wild About High Flyers booklet

The Natural Resources Wales (NRW) area statement page for Mid Wales contains a large amount of information on their discussions on the management of Mid Wales's natural resources, as well as many helpful links and other documentation.  

NRW Mid Wales area statement home page

This link contains explorable and interactive pages mapping out a number of factors across Wales, from invasive species to pollution incidents.  In addition, there is a series of interactive maps detailing the work of the Welsh Information for Nature-based Solutions (WINS) project, as well as a great deal of other helpful information to be found.

Click here to be taken to the NRW Environmental Information Portal

The Wales Biodiversity Partnership contributes to the delivery of Global, European and national targets for biodiversity and ecosystems. 

The Environment (Wales) Act from 2016 is important as it sets out the out the requirement for the sustainable management of natural resources, as well as ways to achieve this.  For more information on the act, and the partnership as a whole, visit their website below:

 WBP - Environment Act

The Wales Biodiversity Partnership contributes to the delivery of Global, European and national targets for biodiversity and ecosystems. 

The Powys Nature Partnership is a group of organisations and individuals aiming to halt and reverse the decline of wildlife across Powys.  For more information on the groups aims and how they plan to achieve them, or if you wish to help out directly, please take a look at their website using the link below.

WBP - Powys Nature Partnership

For Towns and Community Councils, managing green spaces effectively is always a challenge.  This helpful leaflet contains a great deal of useful information on this subject, from tips on managing hedgerow, tree and grassland areas, to advice for formal areas and for managing protected and invasive species.  Also contained within are a number of relevant links to other websites for additional information. 

To access this, please click the link below:

Through the Wellbeing of Future Generations act in 2015, and the Environment act in 2016, it is the duty of local authorities to maintain and enhance a diverse natural environment, and Powys is no exception.  On their website which will be linked below, you can find more information on what Powys County Council is doing to support biodiversity in our area, from details on action plans, to information on the Powys Nature Partnership.

Check out their website here

With over 5500km of surfaced roads in Powys, it's no surprise that road verges form a valuable habitat for many species across the county.  The Powys County Council's web page on road verges contains a wealth of information on the subject, from management details, to helpful leaflet and infographics, and even information on how you can help to support these important habitats.  For more information, please take a look at the link below.

Click here to visit their website and learn more

The Powys Nature Recovery Action Plan (or PNRAP for short) was created alongside the Powys Nature Partnership and seeks to create a partnership of organisations and individuals committed to reversing biodiversity declines across Powys, and to guide and stimulate the work of this group to help achieve national objectives through local action.

To examine the PNRAP in more detail, please click the link below to be directed to the Powys County Council website, where you can download and view the various sections of the action plan individually.
 

Click here to learn more!

See the links below for a selection of useful wildlife gardening leaflets covering a variety of topics from the Wild about Gardens page, from hedgehog habitat guides to bat protection advice. 

The RHS have a wealth of information, leaflets and other resources on aiding pollinators through their Plants for Pollinators project, encouraging people to plant more pollinator-friendly plants in their gardens as well as make their green spaces more pollinator-friendly .  Take a look at their website to learn more:

RHS - Plants for Pollinators 

The following documents contain lists of garden plants and native wildflowers that the RHS considers to be pollinator-friendly, broken up into various categories such as flowering time and ground type.