North Gower farmland to return to saltmarsh habitat

Land that has been farmed for centuries will be allowed to return to saltmarsh

A new saltmarsh will be grown on the north Gower coast over 2015 as part of a project to provide a new habitat for wildlife.

It comes after the sea wall at Cwm Ivy, which is thought to have been built in medieval times, became damaged.

It was originally there to keep the sea from the land so that it could be farmed with livestock.

Natural Resources Wales and the National Trust hope the new saltmarsh will attract birds of prey to roost.

Coastal manager for the National Trust in Gower, Alan Kearsley Evans, said the work would see about 39 hectares (96 acres) of land near Whiteford returned to its natural state, and become a rare habitat for wildlife.

He said: "It's still in the really early stages. The plants in the freshwater marsh have died back and silt is building up.

"It looks very different but it's a temporary phase until the salt water plants move in."

The land has yet to see saltmarsh plants established

At high tide - completely covered by the sea