Jake Rayson

Biodiversity Assistant
Ceredigion Nature Partnership

Ceredigion County Council

Why?

It is happening

Semi-natural grassland pivotal
ecological role in the Anthropocene

In order of importance

1. People
2. Vision
3. Time-money
4. A lil’ bit o’ tec

1. People

• Officers
  • Sheena Duller Chair - Plantlife
  • Chris Harris Secretary - Natur Ceredigion
  • Jake Rayson Treasurer - Natur Ceredigion
• Steering Group
  • Claire Hannington - National Trust Llanerchaeron
  • Fiona Moran - Natur Ceredigion
  • Gwyn Jones - European Forum on Nature Conservation & Pastoralism
  • Kate Doubleday - Dolau Bach y Borth
  • Paul Taylor - Butterfly County Recorder

So many people 💚

• Catrin Evans
• Mara Morris, Denmark Farm
• Andrew Martin, Carmarthenshire Meadows Group
• Rachel Morgan, Monmouthshire Meadows Group
• Gwyn Jones
• Doug Lloyd, Wildlife Trust
• Orgs: Aberystwyth University, Barcud, Butterfly Conservation Trust, Dwr Cymru, Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, Hywel Dda Green Group, National Trust, Natural Resources Wales, University Wales Trinity St David, West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre, West Wales Housing Association, Wildlife Trust
• Alison Heal & everyone on my lovely team

2. Vision

It does not have
to be this way

David Graeber

The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make and could just as easily make differently.

David Graeber

Neither in any other community of Western Europe, nor anywhere in the tropics, does the number of vascular plant species within a few square meters reach the numbers counted on the Estonian wooded meadows.

~ When culture supports biodiversity: the case of the wooded meadow by Kull, Kukk & Lotman 2003

This biodiversity “is connected to human use and declines significantly if this use ceases”

~ ibid

We have decided upon
the controversial introduction
of an apex predator!

Release the humans!

Introducing Grassland Nature ID

• Partner schools & grassland owners
• Fund wildlife ID equipment & workshops
• Long-term regular observations

Connect existing dots

• Inspirational sites
• Ysgol y Glaswelltir
• Grassland Hub
• Learning Welsh Through Medium of Landscape
• Meadow Ring Road

The way a task at hand is dealt with can change as the values and priorities of a society change

The Real World of Technology by Ursula Franklin

we can create small pockets of flourishing, and we can make ourselves into overhanging rock ledges to protect life so that the full measure of possibility can spread and reseed the world

Great Tide Rising by Kathleen Dean Moore

3. Time-money

Time & money

“You better believe it, and I’m loaded with both”

Economically and ecologically sustainable

Grassland Hub
Hŵb Glaswelltir

Income from organising semi-natural
grassland management in Ceredigion

4. Tech

If you think technology will solve your problems,
you don’t understand technology and
you don’t understand your problems

Tech list 🥱

• Buttondown 😁 - newsletter
• OnlyOffice 👍 - online minutes
• Proton 🦄 - email & passwords
• Google 🤑 - calendar, YouTube
• Namecheap 👍 - domain registrar
• Obsidian 😁 - Markdown notes
• GitHub 🤑 organisation - code repository
• Netlify 😁 - static website hosting
• Cloudinary 😁 - image gallery & hosting
• WhatsApp 🤑/Signal 🦄 - Members & Steering Group
• Socials - X🤮, Instagram 🤑, Facebook 🤑, Mastodon🦄

Glaswelltir Ceredigion Grassland

Jake Rayson
jake.rayson@ceredigion.gov.uk GlaswelltirCeredigion.cymru

Co-ordinated by Ceredigion Nature Partnership