Caring For The Canals

Cymdeithas Parc Bannau Brycheiniog
Brecon Beacons Park Society
www.breconbeaconsparksociety.org

John Sansom reports

It happened during one of those brief lulls in the restrictions to countryside access during the foot and mouth outbreak. A Park Society walk by canal towpath and country lanes discovered that over zealous canal contractors had mown down the colony of Early Purple Orchids (and all else besides) on the canal bank east of Llangynidr. Even before we had reached the canal a local resident had warned us of the depredations that we would witness.
It was of course a mistake but one that had happened before.
As soon as possible I rang the British Waterways to express my concern. David Wood, the Waterway Engineer, accepted my complaints, expressed his regrets and suggested that I attend a meeting to be called by British Waterways at which a comprehensive ecological survey of the Monmouthshire section of the canal would be unveiled. I had already spoken to Mike Porter, (the Plant Recorder for Breconshire) and he agreed to attend the meeting as well. The ecological survey of the southern end of the canal turned out to be a model of its kind. It is a most impressive undertaking and carried out as part of a multi million pound project to reopen the canal south of Pontypool down to Newport.
There seemed to be little chance of getting such a survey underway for the Brecknock end. Even if it were to be undertaken, several years would elapse before its completion and the implementation of any of the recommendations it contained.

But something had already been done. In 1985 Mike Porter had sent a letter (at the British Waterways’ request) defining which sections of the Brecknock end of the canal had habitats and species worth conserving. This letter was extracted from the archives and was found to be germane. It listed eight habitats requiring protection, and, although there had been some deterioration, those habitats were still worthy of special conservation measures.
At subsequent meetings called by British Waterways, involving also the National Park ecologist Paul Sinnadurai and volunteer co-ordinator Nigel Buck, it was agreed to establish, on a trial basis, two conservation areas drawn from this list. To be fair, David Wood suggested that more than two areas should be selected but it was felt that a smaller scale project might be easier to handle to start with.
There are very many threats to canal habitats. The most obvious arises from the too frequent and too enthusiastic mowing programme. The two sections selected as conservation areas were to be managed and mowed in an entirely different way to other sections of the canal. This meant in both cases less and later mowing. The problem with the canal bank is that canal path walkers and canal users do not like the path and the water’s edge to become too overgrown. However, there were no complaints this year about the canal path or its bank becoming overgrown.

Although, for a variety of reasons, all did not go exactly to plan (does it ever?), Mike Porter, who was consulted on the management, reports that he saw species that he had not seen in flower for many years. They had of course been there but had been mown before having a chance to flower and set seed.At a recent meeting to review the success of the trial it was agreed that, with certain modifications, the project would proceed and that, at a meeting scheduled for early 2003, other sections of the Brecknock end of the canal would be considered for similar treatment.
Paul Sinnadurai, who has been much involved in the discussions and meetings, will be devising procedures to objectively assess and measure the exact nature of the improvements brought about by the changes in canal bank management. We intend also to put up signs informing the public of these conservation areas to heighten public awareness of the programme.
It’s good to think that this whole initiative arose out of a Park Society walk lead by Jackie Wilson in those dark foot and mouth disease infected days.