Gower
Maps best viewed on a tablet.A definitive natural history of the Gower Peninsula, from its heritage coast and its appeal to the naturalist, to the geology, geomorphology, conservation and ecological history of this diverse area.Located to the south west of Swansea and often described as Wales in miniature, Gower Peninsula was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in May 1956. The area is unique in terms of the variety of the habitats and species that occur within its 188 square kms. As a result, it has a greater diversity of conservation designations than almost anywhere else in the UK.The natural history of Gower is like most parts of the British Isles – inextricably linked to the activities of man across many thousand years. New Naturalist Gower Peninsula uses the evolving landscape and the effect that the associated changes have had on species and habitats as its core approach. It provides a detailed examination of:• The integration of the archaeological and historic landscape with the natural landscape and its associated species• The geological creation of the peninsula• Man’s influence on the natural environment over the centuries• The coast and channel, including the limestone cliffs, beaches, caves and saltwater marsh• The environmental impact of the Sea Empress oil disaster in 1996, which discharged 72,000 tonnes of oil into the sea off Gower• The ongoing conservation of the area and the contribution that naturalists can makeMullard also looks at notable plants species and the over-wintering bird populations on the estuary, which are of international importance. The culmination of years of research and rich with the latest information and full colour illustrations, New Naturalist Gower Peninsula is a valuable source of information on this diverse and fascinating area.
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Published by William Collins
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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2006
© Jonathan Mullard, 2006
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Source ISBN: 9780007160679
Ebook Edition © SEPTEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780007402533
Version: 2014-10-28
EDITORS
SARAH A. CORBET, ScD
PROF. RICHARD WEST, ScD, FRS, FGS
DAVID STREETER, FIBIOL
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, fauna and fungi, 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.
To Gower naturalists, past, present and future.
And it would seem a weird and unnatural thing for a man to pursue what is called âTruthâ, either by strictly scientific, or by the more imaginative philosophical method if this pursuit was not in itself attended by happiness or at least presumed to result in happiness.
John Cowper Powys, The Art of Happiness
Contents
Authorâs Foreword and Acknowledgements
Part I: A Separate and Special Place
Part II: The Evolving Landscape
8 The Worm, the Holms and the Mumbles
1 The Gower Flora of Isaac Hamon
2 Local Names of Plants and Animals
4 Geological Conservation Review Sites
Regional volumes have long been an important and distinctive element of the New Naturalist library. Most of these have focused on the National Parks, from Snowdonia by F. J. North, Bruce Campbell and Richenda Scott, published in the early days of the series 57 years ago (in the very same year that the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act created our first National Parks), to the most recent, Angus Lunnâs Northumberland, which appeared in 2004. With Gower, however, we break new ground in that this famous part of South Wales is not a National Park but an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. AONBS were established by the same far-sighted piece of post-war legislation that set up the National Parks â but seemingly as not much more than an afterthought, as they are buried right at the end in the section headed âGeneral, Financial and Supplementaryâ!
Gower was the first AONB to be created and 2006 is its fiftieth birthday. We are proud to present this new addition to the New Naturalist series to mark both its jubilee year and half a century of designation of some of the most beautiful landscapes in England and Wales. Gower has long been famed among naturalists for its geology and wildlife. Protruding into the Bristol Channel from the belly of South Wales and bounded by Carmarthen Bay to the west and Swansea Bay to the east, it is a land of astonishing diversity and rich cultural history that has withstood the advance of industry and development that have been such a marked feature of neighbouring parts of South Wales over the last two hundred years.
Jonathan Mullard is especially well qualified to present this account of the natural history of Gower. A professional ecologist and all-round naturalist, he was appointed Gower Countryside Officer in 1990, the first senior AONB officer to be appointed in the UK. For ten years he was responsible for the policy and management of the AONB, during which time he developed a unique insight into the complex interactions between the land and its people that have crafted this beautiful and special place. Although he has since moved northwards and is currently Director of Park Management for the Northumberland National Park Authority, he is still researching and recording the wildlife of the peninsula.
