{"id":578,"date":"2018-08-03T11:58:59","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T10:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cwmidwal.cymru\/?page_id=578"},"modified":"2025-04-22T10:13:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T09:13:03","slug":"managing-the-reserve","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cwmidwal.cymru\/en\/managing-the-reserve\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing the Reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t<\/span>\n\tCwm Idwal National Nature Reserve<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The reserve is managed through a partnership that includes Natural Resources Wales, Snowdonia National Park and the National Trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An officer is employed through the partnership.
Several designations on the Cwm Idwal site influence the site\u2019s management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These designations are listed below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Nature Reserve<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special Area of Conservation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RAMSAR Site <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cwm Idwal was designated as a National Nature Reserve in 1954, but its management has changed a great deal since then, and as a result, the landscape has also changed significantly. Sheep and cattle grazing was abolished in Cwm Idwal around 1998, but during the 1960s and 70s experimental plots were fenced out to prevent grazing. These were used to observe and measure the speed at which the natural habitat returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can see from the pictures below that the habitats have transformed from grassland to dry heathland, and in the biggest plot, and the northernmost plot in Cwm Idwal, trees such as holly and rowan have returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t