- In 2008 a list was produced of the most important habitats for conservation in the Wales– it included 35 terrestrial habitats. In Carmarthenshire we have 27 of them including upland oakwoods, ancient hedgerows, saltmarsh and sand dunes!
- We have the only known example in Great Britain of a ‘Turlough’ – a lake that empties and fills from underground water. Pant-y-Llyn near Carmel usually empties by June–July filling again in the autumn.
- We have at least 10 of the 17 species of bats that occur in the UK in Carmarthenshire – however bats are under threat due to loss of feeding habitats and their roosting sites in buildings and trees.
- We are custodian of more marshy grassland than any other county in Wales – about one-third of the total, concentrated mostly in the Cross Hands area. This important habitat is home to a number of scarce and declining species, including the Marsh Fritillary butterfly and the meadow thistle
- Carmarthen Bay has recently been recognised as probably the most important UK area for the Leatherback Turtle, which arrives here in the summer to feed on the jellyfish blooms that occur. The largest living turtle, the leatherback can reach a total length of 2.1 m and weigh 365 kg. So important is Carmarthen bay for its wildlife it is a Special Area of Conservation.
- The Brownhairstreak Butterfly only lays its eggs on 2–3-year-old blackthorn branches. Carmarthenshire has important populations of this scarce butterfly, having roughly 60% of the recently recorded sites in Wales, but we need to manage our hedgerows appropriately to ensure its survival
- The RAF at Pembrey manage the grassland for the rare Dune Gentian – we now have about one-third of the UK population growing there and as you can imagine – they are well protected!! It is an annual plant that in the UK grows amongst short vegetation in dunes.
- Despite steep declines throughout the country our native Red Squirrel still occurs in the county, living in the coniferous forest in north Carmarthenshire, where they feed on a variety of seeds, fruits, buds, shoot tips, bark and lichen. A project is underway to find out more about them in these forests
- Some of our best places for wildlife in the county are our churches, chapels and cemeteries. Bats, swallows, swifts and house martins use the buildings and unimproved grassland hosts once common plants. These places can be especially important for many scare lichens and fungi.
- The tree sparrow population in Carmarthenshire appears to be the only significant one remaining in west Wales, amounting to possibly 20% or more of the whole Welsh population. In the UK they have declined by 96% between 1968 and 1999. Here tree sparrows are centred on the Tywi Valley between Llangadog and Carmarthen.
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