and the Taff outlet. This was previously an area of raised salt marsh until the closure of the Cardiff Bay Barrage in April of 2001.

The construction of the man-made features of the Reserve include a large reed-fringed pond in the northern area of the site which is aimed at attracting a diversity of invertebrates and other wildlife and is utilised by school groups for pond dipping. Active, adaptive management of the reserve has been necessary to maintain a mosaic of habitat types. At times, this may involve coppicing trees, cutting back reed, or treating invasive non-native species.

A reen or ‘moat’ which runs the entire length of the reserve has been constructed to separate the public open-space and the wildlife-orientated part of the reserve. The reserve south of the reen consists of lagoons, scrapes, islands and floating bird refuges. An excellent place for observing birds in these scrapes and lagoons is from the viewpoint by St David’s Hotel.

To the south of the reserve, within the waters of the Bay is a 360 metre long stone bund which runs the entire length of the Reserve shoreline and is intended to reduce erosion via wave action. In addition to the stone bund, a reed bund has been created which will also prevent erosion whilst offering habitat to birds and invertebrates. Beyond the bund is a purpose built boom to prevent the wetlands being inundated with water-borne debris during periods of high water levels.

It is easy to view the reserve from the gravel walkway which runs from the car park adjacent to St. David’s Hotel, between the reservoir and the reen, to the west end of the reserve where there is a 105 metre long board-walk. The board-walk viewing area is a great spot for bird watching in the wetlands reserve. Sometimes during the warmer months, fish can be seen shoaling around the piles of the board-walk.

Since the closure of the barrage in 2001, the reserve has been undergoing steady succession, in terms of both flora and fauna, from the previously estuarine habitat. At present the vegetation is characterised by willow and alder carr, reed beds, tall herb fen , grasses and sedges; it has already attracted a great diversity of invertebrates and vertebrates, of both terrestrial and aquatic origin. Although the wetlands are still undergoing succession, there is markedly less dominance by typical saline vegetation, such as sea couch or hemlock water dropwort, with a shift towards a more freshwater based diversity of grasses and herbs.

The current management plan for the wetlands is available here. In this plan, a monitoring programme has been designed specifically for the unique array of wildlife and plants that inhabit the Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve.

In 2007 the Wetlands Management Plan was updated to reflect changes which have occurred in the wetlands as well as to bring the management and monitoring of the area up to date. Floral and faunal monitoring is one of the primary aims of the Wetlands management plan. A comprehensive monitoring plan has been developed to adapt management to the dynamic nature of the area. Birds, bats, amphibians, vegetation, adult dragonflies and other aquatic invertebrates were surveyed in 2007. This data, along with data which was collected during the PhD, is entered into a database specifically designed to monitor the ecology of Cardiff Bay.

Bird surveys:
 
Bird surveysare conducted year-round. Each month a count is taken, and in the spring months, April – June, a breeding bird survey is conducted which involves mapping out the territories used by different species. Data are available here, for recent surveys.

Bat surveys:

Bat surveys were conducted in April, July and October. The first two surveys were conducted by the Cardiff Harbour Authority with assistance from Cardiff Council’s Ecologist, and the last survey was conducted by the Cardiff Bat Group.

Amphibian surveys:

An amphibian survey was conducted in April, and the presence of amphibians was noted during other surveys.

Adult Odonata Surveys:

Adult Odonata were surveyed on three occasions in 2007, and their presence was noted during other surveys. Here is a link to the compilation of the amphibian, bat, and Odonata surveys in the wetlands.

Aquatic invertebrate Sampling:

Aquatic invertebrate sampling has been undertaken on two occasions in the wetlands habitat. These samples have not been sorted or identified yet (as of 12/2007).

Vegetation mapping:

Vegetation mapping – an inventory of the plants found in the wetlands, accompanied by the spatial location (by compartment) - was completed in 2007. The list of species observed is given in the Draft Wetlands Management Plan. Additionally, invasive species monitoring is carried out whilst completing surveys. Monitoring the change in types of vegetation, saltwater or freshwater-tolerant, will continue in 2008.

All of the above Wetlands Reserve surveys are planned to continue in 2008.