The West Wales Rivers Trust catchment includes the counties of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The catchment is primarily rural (81% of our catchment) with agriculture and forestry as the dominant land uses. The majority of the upland is given over to livestock farming (in particular sheep rearing) and forestry. Dairy farming is dominant on the gentler slopes of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, and the milder climate of South Pembrokeshire also allows for significant arable production. The principal urban centres are Swansea and Neath in the south, and Aberystwyth in the West.
West Wales is also home to many businesses. Thriving marine, oil and gas industries in Pembrokeshire and heavy industry such as the steel works at Port Talbot are critical economic activities, along with coal mining, food production and commercial fisheries.
Our catchment has 9 major rivers, of which 4 are Special Areas of Conservation, plus thousands of kilometres of essential waterbodies. Each are home to a huge variety of wildlife, including fish like salmon, sea trout (sewin) and eels, aquatic birds such as the dipper and kingfisher, and aquatic mammals such as otters, which all depend on healthy rivers and therefore are under pressure.
You can explore the land use and geology of our river catchments in the interactive map below:
Coming Soon!
Interested to hear stories about how our rivers and their wildlife have shaped lives? We have lots of ‘River Stories’ on our YouTube channel, including the example below:
Want to explore our rivers in person?
Cleddau Trail
West Wales Rivers Trust’s Cleddau Trail is a two-part ‘Source to Sea’ road journey which features 20 sites to visit throughout the Cleddau rivers catchment. Although famous for its spectacular coastline, Pembrokeshire’s countryside is also beautiful, especially its rivers. Click the link below to find out how you can explore this wonderful river catchment:
Teifi Valley Trail
The Teifi Valley Trail (TVT) is an exciting new 75-mile long distance footpath following the Teifi River from source to sea. This unique trail of diverse landscapes follows the Teifi River from its source at Teifi Pools in the Cambrian Mountains; through Cors Caron, a national nature reserve; through woods and farmlands to the Teifi River’s mouth. Click the link below to find out more:”