Site Code
Country: United Kingdom
Central coordinates: 51.58o, -4.13o
Administrative region: Wales (Glamorgan)
Area: 3014 ha
Altitude: 0 - 193
Site Description
The Gower peninsula is justifiably famous for its landscape and wildlife and forms a natural IPA. Some 24 kilometres of limestone cliffs, caves, dunes and beaches form its southern boundary, while the northern edge follows the estuary of the River Loughor. The western edge of the peninsula runs from the spectacular rocks of Worm’s head to the vast sand-dune system at Whiteford Point. Inland, a mixed farming landscape gives way on higher ground to open acidic commons and moorland. Near the southern coast, the steep limestone valleys are home to important ash woodlands. Gower has been protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural beauty since 1956 and today includes or is part of 4 SACs, 3 NNRs and at least 20 SSSIs. The National Trust owns 12% of the peninsula and manages this land for biodiversity.
Botanical Significance
Gower qualifies as an IPA on all three criteria. For Criterion A, Liparis loeselii (Fen Orchid) is found in one of the sand-dune systems, along with Petalophyllum ralfsii (Petalwort, although not as a qualifying feature here). The exceptionally rich flora (Criterion B) is shown by hot-spots of threatened vascular species for coastal limestone cliffs and grasslands, lowland heaths and arable habitats.
Management guidance notes
Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the limestone cliffs, beaches and dunes of the Gower peninsula are incredibly diverse. Inland, acidic heaths and commons predominate, while ash woodlands and arable farms contribute further to the richness of the area, with over 700 vascular plant species recorded. The IPA covers the whole peninsula, including areas outside the existing SACs and many SSSIs, forming a coherent unit for protection.
Notes
33 per cent of the Gower peninsula falls within NNRs or a SSSIs, each with their own management plans. The IPA, however, links many of these unconnected sites and includes botanically rich sites that fall outside protected areas. 12% of the land is managed by the National Trust and much unprotected land is managed under agri-environment schemes
Habitat/Land use
Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the limestone cliffs, beaches and dunes of the Gower peninsula are incredibly diverse. Inland, acidic heaths and commons predominate, while ash woodlands and arable farms contribute further to the richness of the area.
Gower's status as an outstanding example of a habitat type of global or European plant importance comes from its designation as a SAC for Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix, European dry heaths, Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils, Tilio-Acerion forests of slopes, screes and ravines, Fixed dunes with herbaceous vegetation, Dunes with Salix repens ssp. argentea and its Humid dune slacks.
Fauna
This IPA appears to be in a Prime Butterfly Area, probably because of the Marsh Fritillary population which is on Gower
Protected Areas (text)
33 per cent of the Gower peninsula falls within NNRs or a SSSIs, each with their own management plans. The IPA, however, links many of these unconnected sites and includes botanically rich sites that fall outside protected areas. 12% of the land is managed by the National Trust and much unprotected land is managed under agri-environment schemes
Land use
| Land use | % Cover | Level |
|---|---|---|
| agriculture (animals) | Major | |
| agriculture (arable) | Major | |
| nature conservation and research | Major | |
| tourism/recreation | Major |
Protection
| Designation | Protected Area Name | Relationship with IPA | Overlap with IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | Gower | protected area contains IPA | 3014 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Sluxton Marsh | protected area is adjacent to IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Courthouse Grasslands | protected area is adjacent to IPA | 0 |
| Special Protection Area | Bae Caerfyrddin / Carmarthen Bay | protected area is adjacent to IPA | 1 |
| Special Protection Area | Burry Inlet and Loughor Estuary | protected area is adjacent to IPA | 107 |
| Ramsar Wetland Site | Burry Inlet | protected area is adjacent to IPA | 107 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Morfa a Chraig Cwm Ivy / Cwm Ivy Marsh and Tor | protected area is adjacent to IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Penrice Stables and Underhill Cottage | protected area is adjacent to IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Rhossili Down | protected area contained by IPA | 332 |
| National Nature Reserve | Oxwich Bay | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Cefn Bryn Common | protected area contained by IPA | 792 |
| Special Area of Conservation | Gower Ash Woods/ Coedydd Ynn Gwyr | protected area contained by IPA | 230 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Berrywood | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| National Nature Reserve | Gower Coast | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Cwm Ivy Marsh and Tor | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| National Nature Reserve | Whiteford Burrows | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Whiteford Burrows - Landimore Marsh | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Burry Inlet andLoughor Estuary | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Fairwood, Pengwern & Welshmoor Commons | protected area contained by IPA | 628 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Parkmill Woodlands and Llethrid Valley | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Ilston Quarry | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Pwll-du Head and Bishopston Valley | protected area contained by IPA | 159 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Caswell Bay | protected area contained by IPA | 62 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Langland Bay (Rotherslade) | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Bishop’s Wood | protected area contained by IPA | 7 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Orton, Eastern & Western Slade | protected area contained by IPA | 0 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Gower Coast; Rhossili to porteynon | protected area contained by IPA | 358 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Horton, eastern and western slade | protected area contained by IPA | 54 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Nicholaston Wood | protected area contained by IPA | 26 |
| Special Area of Conservation | Gower Commons/ Tiroedd Comin Gwyr | protected area contained by IPA | 1751 |
| National Nature Reserve | Gower Coast | protected area contained by IPA | 91 |
| Local Nature Reserve | Pwlldu Cliffs | protected area contained by IPA | 18 |
| Special Area of Conservation | Limestone Coast of South West Wales | protected area overlaps with IPA | 504 |
| Special Area of Conservation | Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries | protected area overlaps with IPA | 4 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Pennard Valley | protected area overlaps with IPA | 10 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Oxwich Bay | protected area overlaps with IPA | 120 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Twyni Chwitffordd, Morf a Landim | protected area overlaps with IPA | 123 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Coedydd Park mill a CWM Llethind | protected area overlaps with IPA | 83 |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | Minchin Hole | protected area overlaps with IPA | 1 |
| National Nature Reserve | Oxwich | protected area overlaps with IPA | 66 |
| National Nature Reserve | Whiteford Burrows | protected area overlaps with IPA | 104 |
| Local Nature Reserve | Bishop’s Wood | protected area overlaps with IPA | 7 |
| Special Area of Conservation | Carmathen Bay Dunes / Twyni Bae Caerfyrddin | unknown | 122 |
Management
| Type | Description | Year started | Year finishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat Management Plan | Gower SSSI | ||
| Habitat Management Plan | Blanket bog (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Cereal field margins (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Coastal saltmarsh (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Coastal sand dunes (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Coastal vegetated shingle (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Eutrophic standing waters (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Fens (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Lowland beech and yew woodland (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Lowland calcareous grassland (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Lowland dry acid grassland (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Lowland heathland (UK BAP | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Lowland meadows (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Lowland wood-pasture and parkland (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Maritime cliff and slopes (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Mesotrophic lakes (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Mudflats (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Purple moor grass and rush pastures (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Reedbeds (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Seagrass beds (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Upland oakwood (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Wet woodland (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Habitat Management Plan | Lowland mixed deciduous woodland (LBAP) | 2008 | |
| Protected Area Management Plan | Lowland Heathland (UK BAP) | ||
| Protected Area Management Plan | |||
| Species Management Plan | Ranunculus tripartitus (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Species Management Plan | Petalophyllum ralfsii (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Species Management Plan | Asparagus officinalis ssp. prostratus (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Species Management Plan | Galeopsis angustifolius (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Species Management Plan | Gentianella uliginosa (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Species Management Plan | Liparis loeselii (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Species Management Plan | Valerianella rimosa (UK BAP) | 2008 | |
| Species Management Plan | Aster linosyris (LBAP) | 2005 | |
| Species Management Plan | Gastridium ventricosum (LBAP) | 2005 | |
| Species Management Plan | Mattriola sinuata (LBAP) | 2005 | |
| Species Management Plan | Ononis reclinata (LBAP) | 2005 | |
| Species Management Plan | Draba aizoides (LBAP) | 2005 | |
| Species Management Plan | Scorozonera humilis (LBAP) | 2005 |
Threats
| Threat | Importance |
|---|---|
| burning of vegetation | high |
| eutrophication | high |
| habitat fragmentation/isolation | high |
| intrinsic species factors (slow growth, density) | high |
| agricultural intensification/expansion (arable) | medium |
| agricultural intensification/expansion (grazing) | medium |
| climate change/ sea level rise | low |
| consequences of invasive species (plant) | low |
Threatened Species
| Species Name | IPA Assess. | Species Assess. | Abundance | Data quality | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liparis loeselii (L.) Rich. | 2007 | 2007 | <1% | poor | A(ii) |
Botanical Richness
| EUNIS level 2 code & name | IPA Assess. | Habitat Assess. | % of indicator species | No. Species | National Biotope | Data quality | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B3 Rock cliffs, ledges & shores, including the supralittoral | 2007 | 2007 | 0 | 0 | unknown | B | |
| F4 Temperate shrub heathland | 2007 | 2007 | 0 | 0 | unknown | B | |
| I1 Arable land & market gardens | 2012 | 2012 | 0 | 0 | unknown | B | |
| E1 Dry Grasslands | 2016 | 2016 | 0 | 0 | unknown | B |
Threatened Habitats
| IPA Habitat code & name | IPA Assess. | Habitat Assess. | Area | Data quality | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4010 Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix | 2007 | 2007 | 0 | unknown | Cii |
| 4030 European dry heaths | 2007 | 2007 | 0 | unknown | Cii |
| 6410 Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils (Molinion caeruleae) | 2007 | 2007 | 0 | unknown | Cii |
| 9180* Tilio-Acerion forests of slopes, screes and ravines* | 2007 | 2007 | 0 | unknown | Ci |
References
Contact Information
| Contact | Contact Type |
|---|---|
| Trevor Dines | Site report compiler |
| Cath Shellswell | Site report compiler |