Nature And Landscape

Communities and carnivores of Welsh woodland

To deliver 2 key pieces of work, necessary next steps in a sequence to progress the feasibility of wildcat reintroduction in Wales: 1. Baseline field vole population study: to better understand cyclical population changes for this key prey species for wildcats. Any wildcat reintroduction should ideally be timed for a predicted higher population year, to support the likelihood of successful reintroduction. 2. Work with cat welfare charities to mitigate concerns relating to feral cats, for their welfare and to pave the way for successful reintroduction Project legacy will include: Better understanding of cyclical population changes of field voles. Volunteers trained in field vole survey A more complete understanding of issues related to feral cats and wildcats, species related and social. Co-created strategies to mitigate these issues. The longer term vision for the wildcat work is long-term nature recovery and network resilience through increasing likelihood of success of a recovery project