National nature reserves in Wales
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National nature reserves in Wales are selected and designated by
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 ...
(NRW) (formerly the
Countryside Council for Wales The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW; cy, Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru (CCGC)) was a Welsh Assembly sponsored body responsible for wildlife conservation, landscape and countryside access authority for Wales. It was merged with Forestry Commis ...
). There are 76 reserves all of which are also SSSIs, they cover , or less than 1.5% of the land area of Wales. They range in size from Dan yr Ogof at to Berwyn which covers . A national nature reserve is designated because of its special biological, geological, habitat or landscape value and most in Wales are open to the public. They include upland and lowland areas, several offshore islands and in some cases
estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...
and
intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...
s.


Management

Although the majority of sites are managed by NRW, a number are managed by other bodies, mainly in the public and wildlife charity sectors, including:


List of national nature reserves in Wales

{, , {, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! scope="col" , Name ! scope="col" , Region/area ! scope="col" , Reserve manager , - , Aberbargoed Grasslands , , Southeast , , Caerphilly , - , Allt Rhyd y Groes , , Southwest , , NRW , - , Allt y Benglog , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Berwyn , , Northeast , , NRW , - ,
Cadair Idris Cadair Idris or Cader Idris is a mountain in the Meirionnydd area of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park near the town of Dolgellau. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers and hik ...
, , Northwest , , NRW , - , Carmel , , Southwest , , NRW , - , Ceunant Cynfal , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Ceunant Llennyrch , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Claerwen , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Coed Camlyn , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Coed Cymerau , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Coed Dolgarrog , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Coed Ganllwyd , , Northwest , , National Trust , - , Coed Gorswen , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Coed Rheidol , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Coed Tremadog , , Northwest , , NRW , - ,
Coed y Cerrig Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
, , Southeast , , NRW , - , Coed y Rhygen , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Coedmor , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - ,
Coedydd Aber Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve lies tucked away in a steep valley on the northern flanks of the Carneddau mountains, roughly midway between Bangor and Llanfairfechan in Gwynedd, Wales. Water cascades over a hard shelf of volcanic rock a ...
, , Northwest , , NRW , - , Coedydd Maentwrog , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Cors Bodeilio , , Northwest , , NRW , - ,
Cors Caron Cors Caron is a raised bog in Ceredigion, Wales. Cors is the Welsh word for "bog". Cors Caron covers an area of approximately .The Ramsar site is 874 ha. Cors Caron represents the most intact surviving example of a raised bog landscape in the Un ...
, , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Cors Erddreiniog , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Cors Geirch , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Cors Goch , , Northwest , , North Wales Wildlife Trust , - , Cors Goch Llanllwch , , Southwest , , Wildlife Trust South and West Wales , - , Cors Gyfelog , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Cors y Llyn , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - ,
Corsydd Llangloffan Corsydd Llangloffan is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (or ''SSSI'') in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since February 1992 in an attempt to protect its fragile biological elemen ...
, , Southwest , , NRW , - , Craig Cerrig Gleisiad a Fan Frynych , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Craig y Cilau , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Crymlyn Bog & Pant y Sais , , Southwest , , NRW , - ,
Cwm Cadlan Cwm Cadlan is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Glamorgan, south Wales. It is made up of a series of wet grassland fields in a small valley to the north west of Merthyr Tydfil. It is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) ...
, , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Cwm Clydach , , Southeast , , NRW , - , Cwm Glas Crafnant , , Northwest , , NRW , - ,
Cwm Idwal Cwm Idwal is a cirque (or corrie) in the Glyderau range of mountains in northern Snowdonia, the national park in the mountainous region of North Wales. Its main interest is to hill walkers and rock climbers, but it is also of interest to geologist ...
, , Northwest , , NRW , - ,
Dan yr Ogof Dan yr Ogof (), at the National Showcaves Centre for Wales, is a long cave system in south Wales, about north of Ystradgynlais and southwest of Brecon, in the Brecon Beacons National Park. It is the main feature of a show cave complex, which i ...
, , Mid Wales , , The National Showcaves Centre , - ,
Dinefwr Park Dinefwr Park National Nature Reserve is an estate about a mile (1.5 kilometres) from the centre of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire owned by the National Trust, with a mansion in the centre. The highest point is occupied by the ruined Dinefwr Castle ...
, , Southwest , , National Trust , - , Dyfi , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Fenn's,Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses , , Northeast , , Joan Daniels (Natural England) , - , Fiddlers Elbow , , Southeast , , Woodland Trust , - , Gower Coast , , Southwest , , National Trust , - ,
Grassholm Island Grassholm ( cy, Gwales or ) or Grassholm Island is a small uninhabited island situated off the southwestern Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, lying west of Skomer, in the community of Marloes and St Brides. It is the westernmost point in Wales oth ...
, , Southwest , , RSPB , - ,
Gregynog Gregynog () is a large country mansion in the village of Tregynon, northwest of Newtown in the old county of Montgomeryshire, now Powys in mid Wales. There has been a settlement on the site since the twelfth century. From the fifteenth to t ...
, , Mid Wales , , University of Wales , - , Hafod Elwy , , Northeast , , NRW , - , Hafod Garregog , , Northwest , , National Trust , - , Kenfig Pool and Dunes , , South Central , , NRW , - ,
Lady Park Wood Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve () is a nature reserve straddling the borders of Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in Wales. Most of the wood is in Wales – where it forms Wales' easternmost point – but it is managed under ...
(EN) , , Southeast , , Forestry Commission (England) , - , Llyn Eiddwen , , Mid Wales , , Wildlife Trust South and West Wales , - , Maes-y-Facrell, Pen y Gogarth , , Northwest , , NRW , - , Merthyr Mawr Warren , , South Central , , NRW , - ,
Morfa Dyffryn Morfa Dyffryn beach is on the west coast of Wales, between Barmouth and Harlech in Gwynedd. This sandy beach is several miles long and is chiefly known for having an officially recognised naturist area, in length. The beach is very clean and is ...
, , Northwest , , NRW , - , Morfa Harlech , , Northwest , , NRW , - ,
Nant Irfon Nant Irfon National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve located high in the hills above the Afon Irfon valley near the village of Abergwesyn in Powys, Wales. It is surrounded by vast moorlands and striking conifer forests. Its steep slo ...
, , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Newborough Warren &
Ynys Llanddwyn Ynys Llanddwyn (also known as Llanddwyn Island) is a small tidal island off the west coast of Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn), northwest Wales. The nearest settlement is the village of Newborough. Geology and geography The island is of geological ...
, , Northwest , , NRW , - ,
Newport Wetlands Newport Wetlands is a wildlife reserve covering parts of Uskmouth, Nash and Goldcliff, in the south-east of the city of Newport, South Wales. History The reserve was established in 2000 to mitigate losses of wildlife habitat when the Cardi ...
, , Southeast , , NRW , - ,
Ogof Ffynnon Ddu Ogof Ffynnon Ddu ( Welsh for ''cave of the black spring''), also known informally as OFD, is a cave under a hillside in the area surrounding Penwyllt in the Upper Swansea Valley in South Wales. It is the second longest cave in Wales and the de ...
, , Mid Wales , , NRW , - ,
Oxwich Oxwich is a village on the Gower Peninsula, in the city and county of Swansea in south Wales. Oxwich is part of the small community of Penrice which extends from the village of Horton to Oxwich Bay, and as of 2001 recorded a population of 454 in ...
, , Southwest , , NRW , - , Pengelli Forest , , Southwest , , Wildlife Trust South and West Wales , - , Penhow Woodlands , , Southeast , , NRW , - ,
Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...
, , Southwest , , RSPB , - ,
Rhinog The Rhinogydd (a Welsh plural form, often anglicised as Rhinogs and also known by the alternative Welsh plural Rhinogau) are a range of mountains located east of Harlech in North Wales. The name ''Rhinogydd'' derives from the names of two of t ...
, , Northwest , , NRW , - , Rhos Goch , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Rhos Llawr Cwrt , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Roundton Hill , , Mid Wales , , Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust , - ,
Skokholm Skokholm () or Skokholm Island is an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, south of the neighbouring island of Skomer. The surrounding waters are a marine reserve and all are part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Both islands ...
, , Southwest , , Wildlife Trust South and West Wales , - ,
Skomer Skomer () or Skomer Island is an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, in the community of Marloes and St Brides in west Wales. It is well known for its wildlife: around half the world's population of Manx shearwaters nest on the island, the A ...
, , Southwest , , Wildlife Trust South and West Wales , - ,
Stackpole The Stackpole Estate ( cy, Ystad Ystagbwll) is located between the villages of Stackpole ( cy, Ystagbwll) and Bosherston ( cy, Llanfihangel-clogwyn-gofan) in Pembrokeshire, Wales, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. It is situated w ...
, , Southwest , , NRW and National Trust , - , Stanner Rocks , , Mid Wales , , NRW , - , Tŷ Canol , , Southwest , , NRW , - , , Waun Las , , Southwest , , National Botanic Garden of Wales , - , Whiteford , , Southwest , , NRW and National Trust , - ,
Ynys Enlli Bardsey Island ( cy, Ynys Enlli), known as the legendary "Island of 20,000 Saints", is located off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", while its English name refers to the "Isl ...
, , Northwest , , Bardsey Island Trust , - , Yr Eifl , , Northwest , , NRW , - ,
Yr Wyddfa Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...
, , Northwest , , NRW , -


See also

*
National nature reserves in England National nature reserves in England are designated by Natural England as key places for wildlife and natural features in England. They were established to protect the most significant areas of habitat and of geological formations. NNRs are manag ...
*
Nature reserves in Northern Ireland Nature reserves in Northern Ireland, are designated and maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. There are 47 national nature reserves in Northern Ireland. County Antrim * Belshaw's Quarry Nature Reserve, grid ref: J229 671 * Breen O ...
* National nature reserve (Scotland)


References


External links


Interactive map of designations in Wales
- includes National Nature Reserves boundaries (select 'Nature Reserves' in UK Map Layers).
Natural Resources Wales / National Nature Reserves

Official map
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of National Nature Reserves In Wales National Nature Reserves in Wales