List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the Brecon Beacons National Park
There are 85 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) within the Brecon Beacons National Park just under 10% of the over 1000 such designated areas in Wales as a whole. As elsewhere, the majority of sites of special scientific interest (also commonly referred to as 'SSSIs') in this National Park are designated for their flora and/or fauna (‘biological SSSIs’) whilst a lesser number are designated for their geology (‘geological SSSIs’). Others again are designated in respect of both interests and may be described as ‘mixed’. Natural Resources Wales is the body responsible for their designation and issuing consents for (or indeed refusing permission for) activities to take place within them. Most SSSIs are single contiguous areas though a handful comprise two or more separate parcels of land (see 'sections' column in table below).
The National Park stretches across parts of seven separate principal areas (counties or county boroughs of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Powys and Rhondda Cynon Taf) and there are SSSIs within the National Park sectors of each of them except for Caerphilly. A few SSSIs straddle the boundaries between two or three of these principal areas. Some also straddle the boundary of the National Park and may extend into other council areas such as Neath Port Talbot.[1]
| SSSI name | Principal area | interest | sections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abercriban Quarries | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough | geological | 1 |
| Afon Wysg (isafonydd) / River Usk (tributaries) | Powys | biological | several |
| Alexanderstone Meadows | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Baltic & Tyle'r-bont Quarries | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough | geological | 1 |
| Black Mountains | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Blaen Nedd | Powys | mixed | 1 |
| Blorenge | Monmouthshire | biological | 1 |
| Boxbush Meadows | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Brecon Beacons | Powys | mixed | 2 |
| Bryn-bwch | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Buckland Coach House & Ice House | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Cae Bryn-tywarch | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Cae Cilmaenllwyd | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Cae Gwernllertai | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Cae Maes-y-ffynnon | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Caeau Cwmcoynant | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Caeau fferm | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Caeau Nant y Llechau | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Caeau Pant-y-bryn | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Caeau Tir-mawr | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Caeau Ton-y-fildre | Powys / Neath Port Talbot | biological | 1 |
| Caeau Ty-mawr | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Carreg Cennen | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Cathedine Common Wood | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Coed Blaen-y-cwm | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Coed Llandyfan | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Coed Mawr Blaen-car | Powys | biological | 2 |
| Coed Nant Menasgin | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Coed y Cerrig | Monmouthshire | biological | 1 |
| Coedydd Tregyb/Tregib Woodlands | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Coed-y-person | Monmouthshire | biological | 1 |
| Craig y Rhiwarth | Powys | mixed | 1 |
| Cwar Glas Quarry & Sawdde Gorge | Carmarthenshire | geological | 1 |
| Cwar yr Ystrad a Cwar Blaen Dyffryn | Powys | geological | 2 |
| Cwm Cadlan | Rhondda Cynon Taf | biological | 1 |
| Cwm Clydach | Monmouthshire | mixed | 1 |
| Cwm Llanwenarth Meadows | Monmouthshire | biological | 1 |
| Cwm Taf Fechan Woodlands | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough | biological | 2 |
| Daren Fach | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough | biological | 1 |
| Dyffrynoedd Nedd a Mellte a Moel Penderyn | Neath Port Talbot / Powys / Rhondda Cynon Taf | mixed | 3 |
| Foxwood | Monmouthshire | biological | 1 |
| Gilwern Hill | Monmouthshire | mixed | 1 |
| Gweunydd Dyffryn Nedd | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Gyfartha | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Henallt Common | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Heol Senni Quarry | Powys | geological | 1 |
| Illtyd Pools | Powys | mixed | 2 |
| Llanfihangel Moraine | Monmouthshire | geological | 1 |
| Llanover Quarry | Monmouthshire | geological | 1 |
| Llyn Syfaddan (Llangorse Lake) | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Mandinam a Coed Deri | Carmarthenshire | biological | 3 |
| Mynydd Du (Black Mountain) | Carmarthenshire / Powys | mixed | 1 |
| Mynydd Llangatwg | Blaenau Gwent / Monmouthshire / Powys | mixed | 1 |
| Mynydd Llangynidr | Blaenau Gwent / Powys | geological | 1 |
| Nant Glais Caves | Merthyr Tydfil County Borough | geological | 1 |
| Nant Llech | Powys | mixed | 1 |
| Ogof Ffynnon Ddu | Powys | mixed | 1 |
| Ogof Ffynnon Ddu - Pant Mawr | Powys | mixed | 1 |
| Penmoelallt | Rhondda Cynon Taf | biological | 1 |
| Pen-y-craig goch | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Pen-yr-Hen-allt | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Plas-y-gors | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Pwll-yr-wrach | Powys | biological | 2 |
| Rhos Cruglas | Carmarthenshire | geological | 1 |
| Rhos hen-glyn-isaf | Powys | biological | 1 |
| River Usk (Lower Usk)/Afon Wysg (Wysg isaf) | Monmouthshire | biological | 1 |
| River Usk (Upper Usk)/ Afon Wysg (Wysg uchaf) | Carmarthenshire / Powys | biological | 1 |
| River Wye (Upper Wye) | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Siambre ddu | Monmouthshire | mixed | 1 |
| Strawberry Cottage Wood | Monmouthshire | biological | 1 |
| Sugar Loaf Woodlands | Monmouthshire | biological | 3 |
| Tir Mawr a Dderi Hir, Llwydcoed | Rhondda Cynon Taf | biological | 1 |
| Waun Ton-y-spyddaden | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Waun-ddu | Carmarthenshire | biological | 1 |
| Woodland Park & Pontpren | Rhondda Cynon Taf | biological | 3 |
| Y Gors | Powys | biological | 1 |
| Ydw Valley & Fron Road Geological exposures | Carmarthenshire | geological | 5 |
Other websites[edit]
http://lle.gov.wales/catalogue/item/ProtectedSitesSitesOfSpecialScientificInterest/?lang=en
References[edit]
- ^ http://lle.gov.wales/map#m=-3.159,51.47832,8&b=europa&l=1356; Welsh Government mapping portal