Wales: How we help Welsh wildlife & habitats

Learn more about RSPB Cymru’s vital work to restore wildlife, help people connect with nature and spread the word about nature friendly farming.  

We work across Wales to give wildlife a home. RSPB Cymru manages 18 reserves across the country, ranging from offshore islands to mountain tops, from wetlands to woodlands. We’re safeguarding diverse habitats for the species that live in them, so wild spaces and wild creatures are around for generations to come.  

In a country where Choughs swoop above steep cliffs, Red Kites soar over rugged hillsides and Grey Seals laze along the coast, it can be hard to believe that nature is in trouble. But it is. Wales is now one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, with populations of wild birds, mammals, amphibians, insects and invertebrates under serious pressure. That’s why our efforts matter more than ever.  

We’re working to protect Wales’ special habitats and wildlife. With diverse habitats and strongholds for some of the UK’s most threatened wildlife, we’re kept very busy. 

Around 90 per cent of Welsh land is managed for farming. For centuries, the traditional and mixed farming systems in Wales had provided habitats for a wide range of wildlife. Sadly, these iconic farmland sights and sounds are declining.  

Farmers are under pressure to produce ever more food, and this has brought problems for farmland wildlife and the habitats they depend on.  

Some of Wales’ farmland birds, like the Lapwing and Yellowhammer, have suffered severe declines. These species have traditionally relied upon farming systems that provided a patchwork of habitat for nesting, food sources and cover for chicks. Understanding and addressing the factors leading to these declines, and how to rectify them, could help prevent them in the future.  

Farmers are not the enemy in nature’s decline. They have a major part to play in its restoration. 

Policies and schemes must enable Welsh farmers to farm in a nature friendly way. In turn, this will allow us to provide food security for future generations. 

There are farmers doing just this through nature friendly farming and have seen the benefits this type of farming can bring to their farm’s resilience and business. We’re working closely with them so we can understand and share the wider benefits of farming in harmony with nature.

RSPB Cymru looks after 18 nature reserves covering mountains, coastlines, forest, farmland and everything in between. They're places of protection for wildlife, as well as peaceful havens where people can explore and connect with nature. 

There’s Ynys-hir – set between the peaks of Snowdonia to the North and the Cambrian mountains to the South – where wading birds take to the skies in spectacular display flights during mating seasons and Hen Harriers send wintering wildfowl scarpering. Or the sweeping Lake Vyrnwy, ringed by woodland and rolling hills where Peregrine Falcons hunt and Wood Warblers sing from the trees. At South Stack Cliffs, our Ynys Cybi reserve, you can spot seabirds ducking and diving and keep an eye out for the rare red-beaked member of the crow family – the Chough. Down by the lagoons at Conwy, you can look out for long-legged Black-tailed Godwits in spring and the bold black and white plumage of Lapwings in winter. There’s so much to be discovered at all our sites.  

Our work at reserves includes managing the habitat we’ve already got to keep it in good condition for wildlife. We also create new habitats. For example, at our Cors Ddyga reserve on Anglesey we’ve established reedbeds, marshes, wet grassland and small pools out of an area of farmland. 

Our reserves receive around 350,000 visitors each year. Whether you’re after a wander among the wildlife, fancy a yoga session in a scenic spot, want to take the kids on a bug hunt or for a sleepout under the stars – there’s something for everyone.