Coal Spoil Connections Project

This event will follow an online talk given by Liam Olds on the biodiversity value of colliery spoil sites on 2nd July. It’s not essential to attend both events but you might find it useful.

Summary

This training session will aim to provide the knowledge, skills and confidence to appropriately assess colliery spoil habitats, including the identification of the Section 7 priority habitat ‘Open Mosaic Habitats on Previously Developed Land (OMHPDL)’ and its associated Section 7 species (with a focus on invertebrates).

Description

This event aims to increase awareness of the ecological value of colliery spoil sites among consultant ecologists.

Colliery spoil sites are often overlooked despite their ability to support both species and habitats of local, regional and national importance. Of particular significance are their open mosaic habitats and associated specialist flora and fauna, which can support a high proportion of rare, scarce and threatened species across multiple taxa (invertebrates, fungi, reptiles, etc). Like many brownfield sites, they are often subject to planning developments or reclamation schemes, and so adequate assessments of their biodiversity are needed to ensure that this biodiversity interest is retained.

Maerdy Colliery is a large colliery spoil site at the head of the Rhondda Fach in South Wales, infamous for its globally-exclusive population of the Maerdy Monster millipede (Turdulisoma cf helenreadae). The site supports a complex mosaic of habitats including bare ground, flower-rich grassland, wet heath, dry heath, marshland, calcaerous seepages, wet flushes, etc. These support a vast array of flora and fauna including Grayling and Wall butterflies, Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly, Stag’s-horn Clubmoss, Round-leaved Sundew, Twayblade orchid, and there are Water Vole in the area. Maerdy is also home to over 300 species of fungi including the first for Wales Helvella leucomelaen!


Liam Olds is an entomologist who has been actively surveying the colliery spoil sites of South Wales for over a decade. This has revealed an astonishing diversity of invertebrates and other wildlife, including numerous nationally rare, scarce and threatened species. Together with Liam’s community engagement and media work, he has helped to raise the profile of the ecological significance of these special but misunderstood places.

Tickets