A new report launched today (4 November 2014) highlights the importance of ffridd - also known as coedcae in south Wales – within the Welsh countryside, and hopes to raise awareness of its value for wildlife, people and farming.
This joint publication between RSPB Cymru and Natural Resources Wales – which is funded by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) - is the first time such a report has been produced where this habitat is recognised for its ecological, cultural and land-use benefits.
Ffridd is an important home to wildlife like the Welsh clearwing moth, birds such as yellowhammer and chough, rare plants such as the lesser butterfly orchid, and important groups of grassland fungi and lichens. The majority of this wildlife are protected species, and rely heavily on the mosaic of scattered trees, gorse and bracken that is characteristic of ffridd for food, shelter and breeding.
Lying beteen the managed lowlands and uplands in Wales, Ffridd is an important habitat and is increadibly diverse. However, protecting it is difficult due to it occurring in small patches in scattered places, with very little of it found in our protected site network. Ffridd is a threatened habitat and on the edge of disappearing altogether from the Welsh countryside. Pressures like fragmentation, agricultural pressures and lack of data present a serious threat.
This report will help land owners, managers and decision makers in the Welsh Government to improve their knowledge of this important habitat in Wales. It is important to recognise that appropriate management is vital in conserving ffridd, and it is essential that this unique habitat is managed sustainably now and safeguarded for future generations.
To read the report in full or download a PDF copy of it in Welsh or English please click here