Discover Dyfi
Why not head out to explore the beautiful scenery of the Dyfi Biosphere! Discovering Dyfi is a project that has improved and installed signs on several footpaths and bridleways throughout the Biosphere. It is available for free as a set of walking leaflets, which you can also download below.
Discover Dyfi is one of a series of projects developed as part of the Communities and Nature initiative, funded in part by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. The project is led and managed by Natural Resources Wales and its partners, namely Ceredigion County Council, Gwynedd Council and Powys County Council.
COBWEB
COBWEB (Citizen Observatory WEB), at a cost of 8.5 million euros over 4 years, is currently developing an 'observatory framework' that will facilitate citizens' collection of environmental data suitable for use in research, decision-making and policy formulation. The project is based on UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves and the first test site is Dyfi Biosphere - also biosphere reserves in Germany (Wadden Sea) and Greece (Samaria Gorge and Mount Olympos) will be involved. Among the 13 partners, 4 are in Wales: the Welsh Government, Aberystwyth University, Environment Systems vol. and Ecodyfi who are working on connecting the project to the local people and the Dyfi Biosphere Partnership. COBWEB is currently working on joint planning and field testing projects in the Dyfi Biosphere area with around 8 local organisations. This is an exciting time when the project is enabling small groups who are already contributing and representing the local community to carry out projects. The aim is to contribute to the development and collection of COBWEB baseline data, and to get people to use the results of COBWEB.
Language and culture
According to Dyfi Biosphere's vision, "it will be a bilingual community" and "it will be recognised and respected... [for] its heritage". So Biosphere's status is about much more than the environment - it encompasses the situation of the Welsh language here. According to the 2011 census, 40.7% of the population of the Dyfi Biosphere area can speak Welsh. This is a decrease from 2001 (44.5%). There were 539 fewer Welsh speakers when the population of the Dyfi Biosphere area increased from 25,086 in 2001 to 26,118 in 2011. There may be cause for concern in Aberdyfi, where the total population has increased, but the proportion of people able to speak Welsh has fallen from 42% to 36%, and in Llanbrinmire from 52% to 48% in ten years: and the total population there has also fallen. But the language is still a part of public life here and in a number of districts more than 50% are proficient in the language: Glantwiming (58%), Tiriminh, Seulanamasmore, Corries/Mowdwy and Mahinlet town.
Sustainable tourism in the Dyfi biosphere
The destination plan helps to identify visitor needs and how they can be met, and lists projects to focus on. The scheme can also be used to support funding applications. The Dyfi Destination Group, which includes statutory/strategic bodies and local tourism companies, has launched a joint plan. This is a living document so comments are welcome .
Art
A day of events was held in July 2012 with over 30 people interested in the relationship between the arts and sustainability in the area.