Mynydd Waun Fawr Landscape Vision

A wide landscape view of an expansive upland area of grassland, blanket bog, lakes and small patches of scrub. There are a couple of sheep in the mid foreground. The sky is largely blue with some white clouds.

Mynydd Waun Fawr 13th September 2024 © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

Mynydd Waun Fawr Landscape Vision Project

About the Project

The Mynydd Waun Fawr Landscape Project set out to build a better understanding of this little‑known upland area and to work with the people who live and work here to shape a shared vision for its future. Over the life of the project, we combined ecological surveys, local knowledge, and wide‑ranging conversations with landowners, communities, and partner organisations to build a strong foundation for long‑term nature recovery.

Mynydd Waun Fawr Landscape Vision project boundary shown in read outline overlaid on an Ordnance Survey map at 1:250,000 scale

What We Did

1. Deepened knowledge of local wildlife and habitats

Ecological surveys—supported by local experts—mapped habitats and recorded priority species across the upland landscape. This revealed that the area is far richer in wildlife than previously understood.

Key achievements included:

Identifying several important habitat and species hotspots
Adding new biological records to strengthen the regional evidence base
Supporting the designation of seven new Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC), with more now under assessment

This improved knowledge will guide future conservation work and help protect sensitive sites from inappropriate development.

2. Created a shared Landscape Vision

Combining ecological data, community insights, and discussions with landowners and land managers, we developed a series of Landscape Vision maps. These maps:

Highlight opportunities for habitat restoration
Identify areas where habitat connectivity can be improved
Reflect local priorities gathered through workshops, pop‑up sessions, and an online survey

This collaborative approach ensures the Landscape Vision is rooted in both scientific evidence and the lived experience of people who know the area best.

3. Involved more people in shaping the future of the landscape

The project engaged a wider range of people than ever before in this part of Montgomeryshire. We:

Held bilingual community workshops across the project area
Offered pop‑up events to support people with limited digital access
Ran an online survey to gather views from individuals, groups, and organisations
Maintained ongoing conversations with landowners throughout the project

These activities helped raise the profile of the area’s wildlife and heritage, strengthen relationships with key stakeholders, and spark renewed interest in species like Curlew — which emerged as a priority for many participants.

Mynydd Waun Fawr Landscape Vision community consultation summary report

Why the Project Matters

Mynydd Waun Fawr is a distinctive and under‑recognised upland landscape.

Thanks to this project, we now have:

A far better understanding of its wildlife and habitats
Stronger protection for important sites
A shared vision to guide future nature‑recovery work
New and strengthened relationships with local communities, landowners, and partner organisations

The project has laid the groundwork for long‑term, landscape‑scale action that supports wildlife, cultural heritage, and the people connected to this special place.

A landscape view showing a blue lake with irregular banks and another in the distance behind. Around the lakes is green-yellow-orange vegetation (grassland, scrub and bog). There is a blue sky with some white clouds.

Llyn Newydd and Llyn Hir on the Mynydd Waun Fawr plateau near Llanerfyl, 10th August 2024 © Tamasine Stretton

A wide landscape view. There is green grassland in foreground with yellow flowers. In the middle distance is a wetland with a few small scattered willow trees. Beyond the view stretches towards a long level hill. The sky is grey clouds.

Bryn Mawr and Mynydd Waun Fawr 13th June 2024 © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

A small area of blanket bog (wetland), which is largely green vegetation, dotted with white cottongrass and hummocks of heathers. In the distance are a couple of small hills and some trees. The sky is grey clouds.

A small area of blanket bog with abundant cottongrass, 13th June 2024, © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

Looking over an area of blanket bog with dense patches of white cottongrass. The bottom two thirds of the image shows this largely green wetland, then there is a band of trees and a few wind turbines. The sky is scattered clouds with patches of blue sky.

An area of blanket bog rich in cottongrass at Carreg-y-Bîg, 25th June 2024, © MWT/Tamasine Stretton

A largely green view with light grey clouds. There are patches of brown and green gorse, long green rushes and short green grass, in the foreground. In the background is a mixture of wetland, trees and grassland. There is a small hill on the right which is a mixture of bracken and trees.

Pen Coed ffridd 23rd June 2024 © Tamasine Stretton

A wetland (bog) dominates this image. Areas of light green Sphagnum are interspersed by grasses, heathers and white cottongrass. In the distance on the right hand side is a bracken covered slope, and there are some distant hills and mountains beyond.

A wide landscape view. In the foreground, taking up two thirds of the image, is a tussocky wetland of green and brown grasses, with a few scattered small trees. In the distance is a green grassed hill with some trees and in the far distance is a long mountain range.

Three people in waterproofs carrying rucksacks looking out at a wide landscape view of fields and hedges and a mountain beyond.

An upland lake reflecting a sky of scattered clouds. The lake is surrounded by grassland and wetland habitats in hues of green and yellow-brown. In the foreground, is an area of gorse scrub covered in yellow flowers.

What Happens Next?

Although the project has now finished, its outputs will continue to inform future work.

The Landscape Vision maps are designed to be used by anyone with an interest in this area — land managers, public bodies, local groups, and charities like MWT — to guide nature and climate action across the landscape.

We are currently working on making the maps freely available and will post links here as soon as they are ready. Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust will also use the maps to help plan and deliver future projects and to support ongoing collaboration with the people who know and care about this landscape.