Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
A charitable membership organisation protecting wildlife, habitats and nature reserves across south and west Wales.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) is a charitable membership organisation and one of the Wildlife Trusts operating across the United Kingdom. It works to protect wildlife, habitats and ecological systems in south and west Wales through reserve management, conservation advice, community involvement, volunteering, education and advocacy. The organisation traces its origins to a meeting held in Haverfordwest in February 1938. The meeting was convened by Welsh industrialist and Ramsey owner L. D. Whitehead and naturalist and author R. M. Lockley, who was then living on Skokholm. Seventy-eight people attended, and a motion proposed by Hugh Lloyd-Philipps of Dale Castle led to the establishment of the Pembrokeshire Bird Protection Society. This early organisation provided the institutional foundation for the later West Wales conservation movement. During the Second World War and its aftermath, the society broadened its ambitions. In 1943 it was encouraged to promote the creation of nature reserves in preparation for post-war conditions. A 1945 meeting considered requests to extend its work beyond Pembrokeshire into Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire and Merioneth. The organisation adopted the name West Wales Field Society to reflect this wider geographical and practical remit. It also became involved in important field-study and bird-observatory facilities. Dale Fort was acquired and leased to the Council for the Promotion of Field Studies in 1946, while an arrangement reached in 1947 enabled the Council to operate the bird observatory on Skokholm. Dale Fort was later sold to the Field Studies Council in 1959. In 1961 the organisation's executive council resolved that the society should be dissolved and reconstituted as West Wales Naturalists Trust Ltd. This change marked the development of a more formal trust structure focused on nature conservation and the management of protected sites. In April 2018, West Wales Naturalists Trust merged with Brecknock Wildlife Trust. The combined organisation became the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, bringing together conservation work across a larger area. WTSWW's geographic coverage includes the Welsh vice-counties of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire and Brecknockshire. Its portfolio includes more than 80 nature reserves and notable sites such as Melincwrt Waterfalls near Neath, Coed y Bwl near Cardiff, Teifi Marshes near Cardigan, Castle Woods in Llandeilo, and the islands of Skomer and Skokholm. Teifi Marshes includes the Welsh Wildlife Centre, with visitor facilities including a café and shop, and connects with the Cardigan–Cilgerran section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. The trust combines practical habitat and species management with planning consultation, environmental advice and public participation. It reviews planning applications, works with volunteers and local communities, and provides guidance to a range of groups. Its operating model is therefore broader than that of a visitor attraction: the organisation functions as a regional conservation charity whose public-facing identity encompasses reserves, wildlife centres, membership, volunteering and campaigns. It remains active as part of the wider Wildlife Trust movement.
History
The organisation's roots lie in the Pembrokeshire Bird Protection Society, established after a February 1938 meeting in Haverfordwest. The meeting was convened by L. D. Whitehead, a Welsh industrialist and owner of Ramsey, and R. M. Lockley, a naturalist and author living on Skokholm. Seventy-eight people attended, and Hugh Lloyd-Philipps of Dale Castle proposed the motion that created the society. In 1943, the society was encouraged to support the development of nature reserves in anticipation of post-war needs. Its remit expanded in 1945 after other counties requested inclusion. The enlarged territory covered Pembroke, Carmarthen, Cardigan and Merioneth, and members selected the name West Wales Field Society to signal the broader geographical scope. The society subsequently acquired Dale Fort and leased it to the Council for the Promotion of Field Studies in August 1946. In 1947, an arrangement allowed the Council to operate the bird observatory on Skokholm. Dale Fort was sold to the Field Studies Council in 1959. The organisation underwent a formal structural change in 1961, when its executive council resolved to recommend dissolution of the existing society and its reconstitution as West Wales Naturalists Trust Ltd. This trust structure became the basis for subsequent regional conservation work. In April 2018, West Wales Naturalists Trust merged with Brecknock Wildlife Trust. The merged body adopted its current name, Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. Today, WTSWW is a membership-based charity operating across the Welsh vice-counties of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire and Brecknockshire. It manages more than 80 reserves and works with volunteers, communities and other organisations to protect habitats and species. Its activities include ecological management, planning-application review, conservation advice, public engagement and visitor services. The trust's sites include Melincwrt Waterfalls near Neath, Coed y Bwl near Cardiff, Teifi Marshes near Cardigan, Castle Woods in Llandeilo, and the islands of Skomer and Skokholm. The Welsh Wildlife Centre at Teifi Marshes provides a public gateway to the reserve and includes a café and shop. The trust also manages conservation and visitor operations associated with some of Wales's most important island and wetland wildlife sites.
- 2018
Merger with Brecknock Wildlife Trust
[1]West Wales Naturalists Trust merged with Brecknock Wildlife Trust and became the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.
- 1961
Reconstituted as West Wales Naturalists Trust Ltd
[1]The executive council resolved to replace the earlier society with a formal trust company structure.
- 1946
Dale Fort leased for field studies
[1]The society purchased Dale Fort and leased it to the Council for the Promotion of Field Studies.
- 1945
Regional remit expanded
[1]Requests from neighbouring counties led the society to widen its area and adopt the name West Wales Field Society.
- 1943
Nature-reserve development promoted
[1]The society was encouraged to promote nature reserves in preparation for post-war conditions.
- 1938
Pembrokeshire Bird Protection Society established
[1]A meeting in Haverfordwest founded the Pembrokeshire Bird Protection Society, the principal predecessor of the modern trust.
Products and positioning
A regional, community-oriented nature conservation charity combining protected-site management, species and habitat protection, environmental advice, volunteering and public engagement across south and west Wales.
Conservation sites
Nature reserves
WTSWW manages a portfolio of more than 80 reserves across south and west Wales. These sites protect varied habitats and species and provide locations for ecological management, public access, volunteering and environmental education. Examples include wetland, woodland, waterfall and island reserves.
Visitor and education facility
Welsh Wildlife Centre
Located at Teifi Marshes near Cardigan, the Welsh Wildlife Centre is a public-facing facility associated with the trust's conservation work. It provides access to the reserve and includes visitor amenities such as a café and shop, supporting public engagement with the wetland landscape.
Island conservation sites
Skomer and Skokholm
Skomer and Skokholm are prominent island sites within the trust's area of work. Their importance includes seabird and island habitat conservation, ecological monitoring and carefully managed public access. Skokholm also has a bird-observatory tradition dating back to the trust's predecessor organisations.
Environmental advisory service
Conservation advice and planning review
The trust reviews planning applications and provides advice to a wide variety of groups. This work extends its role beyond land ownership and reserve management into local environmental decision-making and habitat protection.
Controversies
2020
Vandalism at the Welsh Wildlife Centre
Vandals damaged a badger sculpture at the Welsh Wildlife Centre on New Year's Day 2020, following the previous year's fire attack on the site.
2019
Arson at the Welsh Wildlife Centre
A Kingfisher Hide at the Welsh Wildlife Centre was destroyed by arson in September 2019. The reported cost of the damage to the trust was approximately £20,000.
Brand decisions
2018
Merged with Brecknock Wildlife TrustM&ABackground
The merger combined two regional Wildlife Trust organisations serving parts of Wales.
Action taken
West Wales Naturalists Trust and Brecknock Wildlife Trust merged, creating the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.
Aftermath
The combined trust operates across a larger area encompassing south and west Wales.
1961
Reconstituted as a naturalists' trustStrategyBackground
The executive council considered the existing society's organisational form unsuitable for its continuing conservation work.
Action taken
It resolved to recommend dissolution and reconstitution as West Wales Naturalists Trust Ltd.
Aftermath
The trust structure became the institutional predecessor of the present WTSWW.
1945
Broadened regional remit and adopted a new nameStrategyBackground
Requests from additional Welsh counties prompted the predecessor society to expand beyond Pembrokeshire.
Action taken
The society extended its intended coverage to Pembroke, Carmarthen, Cardigan and Merioneth and favoured the name West Wales Field Society.
Aftermath
The change established a wider regional basis for subsequent conservation and reserve activities.
Sources1 sources
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