describe conservation in Snowdonia National Park

Question 1

describe steps taken in snowdonia national park

Answer 1

• attract walekrs and climbers
• footpaths are maintained to ensure that rare plants are not trodden on
• gutters take water from the paths but these can get blocked by rubbish dropped by walkers
• teams of workers clear the rubbish
• work with farmers to reduce sheep grazing on the mountain
• because they graze very low to the ground they can leave the landscape barren
• reducing sheep grazing gives the rare plants a better chance of survival
• feral goats are a problem for grazing and their numbers and locations are monitored each year - farmers are encouraged to plant hedges and conserve ancient woodland
• as well as mountain habitat there is morrland and bog in snowdonai, these habitats provide nesting sites for rare birds like the hen harrier, merlin and kestrel and are home to a number of rare butterflies

Question 2

impact by humans
- farmers dig open drainage ditches to dry the land, however this causes poor water quality in rivers and rain flows quickly through the habitat increasing flood risk

Answer 2

to mitigate the effect drainage ditches can be blocked by hay bales

Question 3

impact by humans
conifers are planted as cash crops, however this dries out the moorland as the trees absorb water, and roads have to be build to carry the wood away compacting the land

Answer 3

when trees are cut down branches are used to block drainage ditches to slow water flow and hence keep the land moist

Question 4

impact by humans
the moorland was burnt to provide a varied habitat for grouse but when sheep grazed the land, burning was stopped
old heather burns easily and so accidental fires can be a high risk
if the peats set on fire that can damage the habitat on a large scale tpo

Answer 4

burning controlled fires before heather gets too old and dry is important to prevent damage