Llyn Llech Owain Country Park, near the village of Gorslas, has long been recognised as a special site. The lake is a focal point in the local landscapeand for centuries has been an attraction to the local population for informal recreation and for more formal gatherings such as public meetings and for worship. As a natural feature it is of interest to geologists, being a lake formed in a natural basin on the top of a hill, a rare example of a 'perched water table'. For naturalists the surrounding acid peat bog with its specialist plant and animal communities is an attraction. In 1993 the special nature of the site was formally recognised by the Countryside Council for Wales with its designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Recently more light has been shed on the natural history of Llyn Llech Owain. A core sample consisting of peat and earlier deposits was taken from the bog to the east of the lake. The pollen within the peat could then be analysed. The work has been carried out by a team from the University of Wales, Lampeter, led by Professor Mike Walker, commissioned by Carmarthenshire County Council with funding from Heritage Lottery fund and European Objective 1.

The team were delighted with the quality of the sample. It revealed 8m of sediments below the surface and this proved to be an intact record from 19,000 years ago to the present day. Only two other sites in Wales have revealed such a complete record. Moreover the quality of preservation of organic matter within the core was good.

An initial study took samples of pollen from various layers within the core. These were examined under the microscope and the species identified. This provided a picture of vegetation change from the lower, earlier parts of the sample tothose taken from the higher and therefore later parts of the core. Some of these could be compared with other samples of known date from other Welsh sites and a generalhistory of vegetation change was revealed. A further study sent selected samples of organic sediment from the core for radiocarbon dating, and provided a more detailed reconstruction of the vegetation record.

5,800 years ago. Elm disappears from the Llyn Llech Owain record. This corresponds to a massive decline in the species recorded right across Western Europe. A disease, possibly similar to the Dutch elm disease of recent times, is believed tobe the most likely cause. In later samples hazel and alder decline significantly and thereis a corresponding rise in grasses. This almost certainly reflects the clearance of woodland by humans during the late Neolithic and into the Bronze Age. Following the elm decline ribwort plantain appears, characteristic of short grazed grassland, and suggesting the rise of pastoral farming. In the later, upper metre or so of the profile (undated) the presence of tormentil and buttercup are characteristic of grassland, and the presence of chamomile, sorrel, goosefoot and pinks, characteristic of bare ground suggest arable fields. It is thought likely this human activity occurred during the Iron Age and possibly into the Romano-British period. 

Significant in the record is the presence of charcoal which appears from before the alder rise and is more or less constant thereafter. Whilst this could occur naturally from lightning strikes, it seems more likely to be the result of human activity, e.g. cooking fires, or burning associated with land management or hunting strategy.

This study has provided a fascinating insight into the natural history of Llyn Llech Owain. It has also highlighted the importance of the site as an historical and environmental archive, not only regionally, but as part of a much larger picture in a national and international context.