A new partnership has been launched to protect and restore the internationally important woodlands of the Mawddach area.

The project, Coetiroedd Mawddach, will bring organisations together to safeguard wildlife, improve public access and help more woodland sites become part of the National Forest for Wales.

The Mawddach oakwoods are recognised as some of the finest in Europe and form part of a Special Area of Conservation. As part of Wales’ rare temperate rainforest zone, they are home to an extraordinary variety of mosses and lichens, including species found in very few other places in the UK.

The woodlands are also a much-loved destination for walkers, mountain bikers and local communities seeking time in nature.

Now, thanks to funding from the Welsh Government’s Local Places for Nature: National Forest for Wales Landscape Scheme, partners will work together at a landscape scale to strengthen biodiversity and future-proof these woodlands.

Over the next year, work will include planting and managing trees; repairing woodland boundaries; clearing storm-damaged trees; improving paths and public access; surveying rare species and hosting community volunteer days and workshops.

Jenny Crouch, National Forest Liaison Officer (North-West) said: “The Mawddach Landscape Scheme Project is a really exciting collaborative project which supports the Welsh Government’s ambitions to create a National Forest in Wales, particularly in the face of the Climate and Nature emergencies.

“It brings multiple landowner agencies, environmental and community focussed organisations together to carry out work to bring multiple sites into the National Forest and to work together to plan for the best future outcome for all the sites on a landscape scale.

“Our forests and woodlands are fantastic spaces, and they provide us with multiple benefits for our communities, recreation and wildlife across Wales, as well as supporting the economy, which is why it’s so important we look after them for future generations.”