Conservation and SWCC

By the SWCC Conservation Officer, with thanks to the previous incumbents.

Conservation has been a key word at SWCC for a very long time. Initially, because of the national threat to access, it was recognised by all the national caving bodies that a responsible attitude towards conservation had to be presented in order to prevent land owners simply barring all access. The SWCC adopts and supports the National Cave Conservation Policy as developed by the National Caving Association and more recently, by the British Caving Association.

In many regions cavers are still viewed with considerable suspicion. Currently, SWCC has very good relations with the owners of the land in the areas over which we operate. These relations have been developed over the years in response to our awareness of the problems faced by landowners. Please remember that we have access to many cave sites purely because of this and it could all disappear very quickly due to one thoughtless act.

In the past there was a perception that SWCC's attitude to conservation was extreme and controversial. SWCC have acted as agents for the owners in matters pertaining to access. Thus, controlled access and the banning of carbide initially caused resentment and such actions were considered by many to be infringements on freedom. However, the rewards of those conservation policies can now be recognised in the caves and their surrounding environments. For example, neither the Ogof Ffynnon Ddu nor Dan yr Ogof systems are littered with spent carbide. Also, considering their high level of usage, both are in good condition internally.

Both caves are nationally important and have been accorded Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This status requires their owners to preserve them, which in turn means that we, the users, must also treat them with care.

The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu catchment and cave system was made a National Nature Reserve (NNR) in 1975 to aid the protection of both the cave environment and the surface karst. This was the first cave system to become a NNR and was followed in 2004 by the declaration of the Dan yr Ogof NNR. The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu reserve comprises land which is either owned or leased by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and is fenced off to control livestock grazing, in order to protect the vegetation. Within the reserve an area has been fenced off completely to prevent all grazing. This allows the CCW to monitor how the vegetation recovers. The Dan yr Ogof reserve comprises land which is either privately owned or managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority (BBNPA).

The status of NNR also means that all potentially damaging operations (PDO's) must be considered very carefully. Such operations range from quarrying, to hoards of cavers trampling the OFD reserve and in particular digging! All digging activities above and below ground need the permission of the CCW. One accepts that digging is commonly a spontaneous affair, but this cannot be the case within the NNR’s. For example, that tempting shakehole might be the only location in which a particular species of fern is found. The impact on the flora (and fauna) has to be considered, as well as the impact on the cave. Similarly, there is still much of scientific value to protect within the caves and consequently digging has to be monitored.

To aid the CCW in running the NNR’s and monitoring cave environment, two management groups exist which operate as a line of communication between the SWCC and the CCW. The Ogof Ffynnon Ddu Management Committee (OFDMC) and the Dan yr Ogof Cave Advisory Committee (DYOCAC) provide advice and voluntary wardens, along with a direct link for the SWCC committee to the CCW, private landowners and the BBNPA.

Our approach to conservation is positive and adaptive, and tries to involve and inform the Club membership. The concept is not to provide continually taped paths throughout the cave, although a degree of taping is required to protect features in the cave, some of which are not immediately obvious. Such features include more than just calcite formations - sediments, mud formations, key geomorphological features and biological sites are all included. The most important element for conservation is education. Telling people where and why something has been done, usually stops complaining and increases awareness. The other key tool in conservation is bright orange tape! Whether you love it or hate it, please remember, it doesn't damage the cave and it can always be removed if it is deemed unnecessary.

We are not only protecting this cave for now and for the next decade, but for the centuries to come. However, conservation is more than a method of preservation, it is adaptive, it will allow changes that are part of natural processes to occur.