The article that this post links to is reproduced with permission from Prof. Yadvinder Malhi and Delaney Demaret at Oxford Ecosystems. It follows their weekend field trip to Mewslade at the invitation of local man Mark Button in May 2026.
In May, members of the Ecosystems Lab travelled to the Gower Peninsula in Wales for a weekend of fieldwork, community engagement, and ecological exploration. The visit was hosted by Mark Button, whose family has farmed the land for generations, and who is now developing a vision for the site through Gower FERN: Farming, Education, and Reconnection to Nature.
The aim of the visit was to begin building an ecological baseline for the farm and the surrounding Mewslade Valley, while also exploring how the landscape might support future nature recovery, education, and community-led ecological monitoring. Over three days…
The Oxford Ecosystems team make their interest and support for the FERN Project clear, matched by Mark’s enthusiasm for collaborative working, partnership and care for nature. Mark shared the weekend’s itinerary with the local community, inviting all those interested to come along to meet the team and share in some of the activities.
All involved had a very busy weekend, with numerous activities around tracking, identifying, recording and documenting the rich variety of wildlife of Mewslade Valley and Bay – nocturnal and day time! Mark has shared some images from the weekend below.
Some of the nocturnal moths found
With thanks to Mark Button