Gweunydd Blaencleddau is a large wetland complex in a shallow south-west valley around the headwaters of the
Eastern Cleddau river. It is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (''SSSI'') and a
Special Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...
(SAC) situated in
Pembrokeshire, South Wales
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The county is home to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Park occu ...
.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Gweunydd Blaencleddau is situated at the head of the Eastern Cleddau river, south-west of
Crymych
Crymych () is a village of around 800 inhabitants and a community (population 1,739) in the northeast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated approximately above sea level at the eastern end of the Preseli Mountains, on the old Tenby to Cardigan ...
and covers an area of of shallow south-west trending valley between 190 m and 275 m above sea-level. The site was designated an SSSI in 2000 for its biological qualities. It is a mixture of wet
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
and damp grassland and has significant populations of the
marsh fritillary
The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...
(''Euphydryas aurinia'') and the southern damselfly (''Coenagrion mercuriale'').
Special Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation has also been established around this north-eastern tributary of the Eastern Cleddau river.
The site is designated for habitats including
calcium
Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...
-rich springwater-fed
fen
A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich Groundwater, ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as ...
s -
Alkaline fens; the
southern damselfly
''Coenagrion mercuriale'', the southern damselfly, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in Algeria, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, S ...
(''Coenagrion mercuriale'');
marsh fritillary butterfly ''Euphydryas (Eurodryas, Hypodryas) aurinia''; purple moor-grass meadows -
molinia
''Molinia'', or moor grass, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the grass family, native to damp moorland in Eurasia and northern Africa. They are both herbaceous perennial grasses.
The genus is named after Juan Ignacio Molina, ...
meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils (''Molinion caeruleae''); wet
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
land with cross-leaved heath ''Rhostiroedd gwlyb'' - Northern Atlantic wet heaths with ''Erica tetralix''; very wet
mire
A mire, peatland, or quagmire is a wetland area dominated by living peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia. All types ...
s often identified by an unstable 'quaking' surface - transition mires and quaking bogs; and blanket bogs.
See also
*
References
{{reflist
External links
*SSSI & SAC links from
Natural Resources Wales
Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Coun ...
SAC entrySAC mapSSSI citationSSSI mapSSSI management plan