Preserving the local environment and creating wildlife-friendly habitats is important to Mumbles Community Council...

Executive Summary

Preserving the local environment and creating wildlife-friendly habitats is important to Mumbles Community Council and we are constantly striving to make positive and sustainable changes within our community. In 2019, we declared a Climate Emergency stating our long-term biodiversity and climate action goals as a Community Council. We are presented with a unique opportunity to lead by example within the Mumbles Community, to improve the state of our local biodiversity and encourage initiatives that work in harmony with nature, not against it.

The biodiversity and climate crisis calls for innovative and ecosystem-based approaches and projects. On both a large and small scale to build resilience for the natural world and encourage connectivity of landscapes and the community. By creating new habitats, restoring native biodiversity and linking diverse landscapes, we can provide invaluable physical solutions to aid in biodiversity enhancement and resilience.

Restoring wildflowers in roadside verges has the potential to completely reverse insect declines [1] and given the urgency of pollinator decline, we propose a new way of managing our roadside verges in Mumbles. This project encompasses a sustainable management approach to wildflowers and roadside verges and incorporates an ecosystem-based approach to restore, encourage and enhance biodiversity.

We propose to plant native pollinator-specific wildflowers across 6 sites over 2 years, adopt a specific sustainable mowing management protocol and ban the use of weed killers across all sites. This proposal states the aims, objectives and terms of the 2-year long project, but primarily focusses on Phase 1. Phase 1 features the verges adjacent to Jubilee Gardens and at the bottom of Fairwood Road and this proposal details mowing management (frequency and type) and terms and conditions for weed killer.
Mumbles Community Council are asking for no funds for this project. But rather, support and permission for the project with the aim to expand to further areas and for permanent implementation. In addition, Mumbles Community Council are asking for complete support from Swansea City Council for the stated terms on mowing management and the ban of glyphosate on all areas proposed across the 2 years.

Mumbles Community Council will run a communications campaign alongside the project and will set up a ‘Friends of Mumbles WILD Verges’ group to help prepare, plant and promote the scheme.

View MCC Wild Verge Project and Campaign Proposal »