Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons are one of the most impressive upland areas in Wales, a multi-layered landscape with an astonishing variety of habitats ranging from extensive cave systems to limestone crags and rich meadows. This variety supports thousands of species, some of which are found nowhere else on Earth.This is the first comprehensive book to be published about the wildlife of the Brecon Beacons, and a much-anticipated addition to the New Naturalist series. Although a large number of people visit the area every year, comparatively few are aware of the flora and fauna that exists in this seemingly wild and inhospitable mountain landscape and its surroundings.In his latest New Naturalist volume, Jonathan Mullard recognises that the Beacons, more so than many other landscapes, represent a possibility for change and the creation of a new countryside. This could and should be much richer in wildlife than the current landscape but one in which the essence of the mountains remain. To achieve this successfully there needs to be a wider appreciation of the present and potential distribution of species in the area and their interactions with people.The natural history of the Brecon Beacons is like most parts of the British Isles – inextricably linked to the activities of man across many thousand years. The author uses the evolving landscape and the effect that the associated changes have had on species and habitats as his core approach. He provides a detailed examination of the geology and scenery of the region and the integration of the archaeological and historic landscape with the natural landscape and its associated species. Covering the vast diversity of its mountains and moorlands, rivers and waterfalls, caves, woodlands, wetlands and farmland, he equally provides an overview of man’s influence on the natural environment over the centuries and the ongoing conservation of the area.A landscape rich in legends, the Brecon Beacons play host to a number of myths involving, among others, King Arthur. Mullard explores these rich tales alongside other cultural landmarks of historical interest, such as the churches and chapels of the area. The culmination of years of research, New Naturalist Brecon Beacons is an inspiring exploration of this diverse and fascinating area.
Читать Brecon Beacons онлайн беплатно
EDITORS
SARAH A. CORBET, SCD DAVID STREETER, MBE, FIBIOL JIM FLEGG, OBE, FIHORT PROF. JONATHAN SILVERTOWN
*
The aim of this series is to interest the general
reader in the wildlife of Britain by recapturing the enquiring spirit of the old naturalists. The editors believe that the natural pride of the British public in the native flora and fauna, to which must be added concern for their conservation, is best fostered by maintaining a high standard of accuracy combined with clarity of exposition in presenting the results of modern scientific research.
In memory of Alfred Russel Wallace, who developed his skillsas a naturalist in the Brecon Beacons.
There are many facts in this volume â but already I have forgotten most of them. I couldnât pass an examination on them. That doesnât worry me; it is merely a question of memory â which can be refreshed at any minute. The point is I have grasped the facts (and of course I do remember the chief ones). Having grasped them, then thought followed, and emotion followed, and I drew nearer to the mystery.
John Stewart Collis, Down to Earth
Contents
Authorâs Foreword and Acknowledgements
Appendix 1 Designated Sites and Nature Reserves
Appendix 2 Organisations and Contacts
References and Further Reading
Indexes
Copyright
RECENT YEARS HAVE SEEN A number of regional volumes added to The New Naturalist Library, not the least of which is Jonathan Mullardâs Gower, published in 2006. With Brecon Beacons we reach another landmark, as it is ten years since we last published a wholly new account of a national park, that being Angus Lunnâs Northumberland, which appeared in 2004, although Dartmoor has since been revisited. In 1957, the Brecon Beacons became the last of the clutch of ten English and Welsh national parks to be set up following the passing of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, and the third and last of the three Welsh parks. This famous mountainous landscape of South Wales forms an important biogeographical link between Dartmoor and Exmoor to the south and the main mass of the Welsh mountains and Snowdonia to the north. At 886 m, Pen y Fan is the highest point in southern Britain.
On first acquaintance the Brecon Beacons can give the impression of a rather uniform area of upland moorland, but these initial perceptions are misleading since a more intimate familiarity will reveal a countryside of remarkable variety and diversity, full of unexpected revelations. For ten years Jonathan Mullard was a senior countryside officer in South Wales, during which time he developed a deep understanding of and empathy for this unique landscape to which he returns as often as his current responsibilities allow.
The regional volumes pose a particular challenge to the author, as at one level there is a need for a broad overarching approach that unravels the character of the landscape whilst at the same time the text must provide a balanced story of its detailed natural history. In Brecon Beacons Jonathan Mullard achieves a seamless marriage between these two approaches. The major habitats are set in the context of climate, geology and scenery whilst his remarkable facility as an all-round naturalist is revealed in accounts like that of Britainâs rarest woodlouse lurking under stones on the slopes of Tarren yr Esgob and the story of the moss new to Britain that had been completely overlooked until its discovery in 2006. The ffridd, that uniquely Welsh interface between upland and lowland, gets its own special treatment, and there is a fascinating account of the invertebrate fauna of the famous caves. The importance of churchyards as wildlife habitats is increasingly being recognised but few can match the story of the blind ghost slug discovered new to science in the churchyard of Brecon Cathedral!
As one might expect from a professional planner and countryside manager, the final chapter is a particularly authoritative look into the future, although we are told at the outset where the Beaconsâ true destiny lies: â[King] Arthur now lies asleep with his knights in a cave under Dinas Rock, near Pontneddfechan, waiting for a call to defend Britainâ.
THIS IS THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE BOOK to be published about the wildlife of the Brecon Beacons. I have written it because although a large number of people visit the area comparatively few are aware of the flora and fauna that exist in this seemingly wild and inhospitable mountain landscape and its immediate surroundings. I have also taken the opportunity to describe the area because I believe the Beacons, more so than many other landscapes, represent a possibility â the possibility for change and the creation of a new countryside. Given the right circumstances, the landscape could be richer in wildlife than it is at present, while still retaining the essence of the mountains. To achieve this successfully there needs to be a wider appreciation of the present and potential distribution of species in the area, and of their interactions with people.
