The National Lottery Heritage Fund have announced that they are to give £247,194 towards protecting an area of temperate rain forest in the Elan Valley. The project is part of The Woodland Investment Grant (TWIG) sees Dŵr Cymru and RSPB Cymru co-operating with each other and receiving support from Natural Resources Wales and the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust to help the woodlands prosper.
The project has many aims and objectives, including:
- Regenerating the woodlands by preventing sheep from grazing where there are fragile ecosystems present.
- Improve access for the public by installing benches and providing access to forestry tracks.
- Installing information boards for visitors.
- Creating an open-air educational program for local schools.
- Organizing a festival to raise awareness about the project and rain forests in Wales more generally.
In a statement, Jennifer Newman Visitor Experience Manager for Elan Valley, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water said: ‘We are so excited to be able to work in partnership with RSPB Cymru to safeguard Elan’s internationally important Atlantic oak woodlands, known as Celtic rainforests, into the future. This funding will allow us to deliver new volunteering and educational opportunities for the local community and to protect our special wildlife and biodiversity unique to the Elan Valley.’
You can find more information about the project and the woodland funding scheme on The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s website.
