Fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yma
Recently I heard the saying “from sea to summit, is something to see” which stands true in its every sense. Imagine a long walk from Wales’ numerous seaside locations to one of our many mountain peaks. Picture the scenes on offer along the way; crashing waves, lush fields, mesmerising woodlands and charming lakes. Still these scenes could be much, much more.
A new partnership* initiative, Summit to Sea / O’r Mynydd i’r Môr, now offers a chance to show there can be a sustainable future for the land and sea in mid-Wales. This future would work for both people and nature, by setting out to restore flourishing ecosystems and a resilient local economy, on a scale never experienced in Wales.
This has been made possible following a successful bid to the Endangered Landscapes Programme, resulting in £3.4 million of new funding for the Summit to Sea initiative over the course of the next five years. This is new money, from outside Wales, which will support a significant effort to create new opportunities to deliver change for the future.
One of our sites, RSPB Ynys-hir, and the surrounding Dyfi estuary stands to benefit from the new funding. It will allow us to further help species such as pied flycatcher, Greenland white-fronted geese and lapwing, but the initiative spreads much further than the boundaries of RSPB Ynys-hir and the shores of the Dyfi. The potential for change, thanks to Summit to Sea, is truly outstanding.
The initiative will go about restoring nature – the nature we all depend upon. In doing so, the initiative will bring communities from across mid-Wales together to create a shared vision for the future. A future where people and wildlife thrive in tandem, by also supporting the local economy to enable sustainable farming and new nature-based enterprises.
In achieving this, more opportunities will be on hand for communities and visitors to mid-Wales, offering the public a chance to reconnect with the rich natural and cultural heritage of the area. Summit to Sea is an opportunity for our communities to find a new sense of balance, between human enterprise and the rest of nature.
I hear you ask, ‘why now for this initiative?’, but we would answer, ‘if not now, when?’
RSPB Ynys-hir, Jenny Hibbert rspbp-images.com
As the most recently published State of Nature Wales report highlighted, one in 14 species in Wales are at risk of extinction. While the average forest cover in the rest of Europe is 37%, Wales has just 14%. The global 2020 target to reduce biodiversity loss is likely to be missed by a wide margin. Nature is calling out and we need to answer before it is too late.
The Summit to Sea initiative may be at the very beginning of its journey, but by working collaboratively and creatively – a long-term difference will provide opportunity for nature and local communities to flourish. A Wales richer in wildlife and wonder could become a reality.
Please find more information at summit2sea.wales or contact info@summit2sea.wales.
*Rewilding Britain is leading the formation of the project with The Woodland Trust. Other partners include: RSPB Cymru, ecodyfi, Marine Conservation Society, Natural Resources Wales, PLAS Marine Special Area of Conservation, The Waterloo Foundation, Wales Wild Land Foundation and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. The Endangered Landscapes Programme is funded by Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin