World Wetlands Day came around again in February and focus has been placed on highlighting the importance of conserving our wetland habitats and the benefits this has not only for the wildlife they support but for us – including helping to counter climate change and adapting to it.

In Carmarthenshire wetland habitats include rivers, ponds, lakes, fens, bogs, reedbeds and coastal and floodplain grazing marsh habitats.

Wetlands are one of our most important natural resources. They support many native wildlife species including invertebrates and mammals that depend on these habitats to survive, e.g. dragonflies, otters and water voles. They form part of a healthy and functional landscape that helps make Carmarthenshire the diverse county it is today.

Wetlands are also important for people. They provide us with fresh water by filtering out pollution and can act as water storage areas that reduce flood risk. They help our economy – fishing is a major source of income in the county. However, wetland habitats have declined greatly: fens have been drained, grazing marshes ploughed and reseeded, reedbeds polluted, and lowland bogs damaged through peat extraction.

Today wetland habitats are recognised for the benefits that they can provide us, including helping buffer the extremes associated with climate change. Managing our wetland habitats appropriately and recreating them in the right places could bring great benefits within the county through the restoration of a resilient wetland network of habitats, which will be able to cope better with the effects of climate change whilst still helping us to live sustainably in the county.

Along the coast especially keep and eye out for our important wetland habitats.

Reedbeds can occur as small areas of habitat on the fringes of waterbodies and therefore are often quite fragmented. Along the coastline from Bynea to Kidwelly there are a number of small examples of reedbed. However, Witchett Pool at Laugharne Burrows and Ffrwd Fen near Pinged have large areas of reedbed. Our estuaries also support areas of reedbed such as the extensive area at Llangennech, overlooking the Loughor estuary.

Significant areas of grazing marsh occur around the Burry Inlet and Carmarthen Bay area and floodplain grazing marsh along the lower reaches of the major river valleys, especially the Gwendraeth, Taf and Tywi valleys. This is part of a once more extensive area within the county which is now greatly declined.  The most important areas of coastal grazing marsh occur in the lower Gwendraeth and Pendine areas. Here the marshes are relatively intact and retain significant wildlife interest – Pendine is important for wintering golden plover. Both areas are of landscape significance.

The Llanelli Levels (south-east of Llanelli) was a former area of coastal grazing marsh. Most of this now is degraded through urban and industrial development. However the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Penclacwydd has undertaken a significant amount of habitat creation. Why not visit this interesting site to  learn more about our wetlands and to see all the wildlife that uses them.

We should consider our impacts on our wetland habitats from the upland catchments, where our rivers start, right down to the sea, where our coastal floodplains, reed beds and fens help deal with flooding and water management – by helping our wetlands we help ourselves.