Pembrokeshire Wholescape
Pembrokeshire is one of three locations across the UK where the Wholescape approach is being put into action.
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© Jessica McQuade
Why we are doing it
Pembrokeshire, located in west Wales, is known for its diverse and spectacular landscapes, including beaches, coastlines, and ancient forests. It is home to the UK’s only coastal National Park, supporting rich marine life and many other rare species and habitats. This makes it a popular tourist destination. It is also a county of food production, having some of the best conditions in the UK for dairy and potatoes.
However, like many other parts of the world, its natural environment faces threats from pollution, habitat loss and climate change which are also having negative impacts on the economy and local communities.
It is a real-world example of the Triple Challenge but there is so much potential for the future of this area, working together with local communities and organisations, we hope will accelerate action and demonstrate it’s possible to find solutions and win-win-wins for nature, climate and people.
Project impact
We started the programme in Pembrokeshire in 2022.
Over the first couple of years, we bought together a wide range of communities and stakeholders to explore what the key issues are in Pembrokeshire. Our aim is to be directed by the area’s needs and play a supporting and enabling role in accelerating transformation.
As part of this we have been supporting research, organising workshops, attending local partnership meetings and funding community projects.
We have also undertaken systems analysis and modelling to check if we are working on projects and areas that have the biggest impact.
Below provides details of the work done so far...
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© Jessica McQuadeMore Connecting communities
We worked with a local organization to find and analyse all the important groups and issues in Pembrokeshire to help us better understand the area.
We have funded several small nature grants through the Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership covering topics such as species surveys, citizen science and local habitat management.
We have worked in partnership with the charity PLANED to help communties stand up for nature in their neighbourhood in Neyland, which lies on the river Cleddau estuary.
In St David’s, we are working in partnership with Literature Wales on their flagship project ‘Lit in Place’ which explores the climate and nature emergency through literature.
We are supporting citizen science testing of water quality organised by the Cleddau River Project.
With Câr y Môr, we have delivered outreach and education to promote and learn about oceans, biodiversity, and climate action, including presentations and visits to local schools and community groups and more. We also supported a mobile education unit from Ireland to come and show young people how seaweed farming offers a positive future for jobs.
We supported Wales’ first seaweed festival to help engage with people and celebrate the history and the future of seaweed.
We are developing a film of community engagement and perceptions of ocean farming in Pembrokeshire.
We’ve partnered up with Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Wales’s largest youth organisation, to offer free Sustainability and Nature courses for young people at their Pentre Ifan Residential Centre in Pembrokeshire which is the first environmental and well-being centre of its kind in Wales.
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© Wild Wonders of Europe / Juan Carlos Munoz / WWFMore Better decision making for the Triple Challenge
We conducted research and held a workshop locally to understand how governance in Pembrokeshire can help tackle the triple challenge.
We are now working to support these organisations to address the issues, build partnerships to support transformation, and build capacity and mindset shifts to see nature and climate risk as key in decision making. Our focus is making Pembrokeshire’s food system strong and adaptable to climate risk.
We researched and held a workshop to understand how governance in Pembrokeshire tackles key challenges. Now, we're helping organisations address these issues, form partnerships for change, and shift mindsets to prioritise nature and climate risks in decisions.
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© Paul Rogers / WWF UKMore Driving investment
We are working with companies, philanthropists and the public sector to try to encourage funding to support projects that restore nature and tackle climate change in the area. We have successfully funded seaweed projects and jobs in Pembrokeshire and used money to fund small nature restoration projects and research.
We have mapped out the supply chains in the area to help understand where products produced in Pembrokeshire are being used. Companies have a role to play in helping farmers to get a fair price and support nature friendly methods.
We are funding a piece of research to identify the actions needed to improve the water quality of the Cleddau. These findings can be used by businesses to understand the impact of their supply chain and understand where improvements can be made.
We want to support blended and innovative models of financing transformation in Pembrokeshire so held workshops with local organisations to understand the needs and how different models of income for nature restoration and farming are needed.
See more detail under ‘Working with the farming community to understand and support a pathway to profit and sustainability’.
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© Gareth Turnbull / Percolated Photography / WWF-UKMore Working with the farming community
WWF worked with Natwest Bank to fund research and conversations with farmers to understand the challenges of transitioning to more regenerative farming methods, particularly for the dairy sector.
We held a workshop with farmers, representatives and businesses and we are now in discussions with cooperatives and farmer representatives about next steps for Pembrokeshire. We hope to develop a funding package and support to address the issues identified.
- Modelling the transition costs and benefits for farmers in the UK | WWF
- A path to profit and sustainability | WWF
We are funding farm trials to look at the impact of seaweed bio-stimulants on crops and are exploring funding natural capital assessments of Pembrokeshire Council farms to help explore the best way for farms to be resilient and nature friendly.
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© Matt Horwood / WWF-UKMore Unlocking the power of seaweed
We wanted to develop our ideas for the support the aquaculture sector in Pembrokeshire needed so we funded several interviews and a workshop which provided a report to inform our approach.
We have worked closely with Câr y Môr to secure marine licensing for trial sites and inform politicians of the value of ocean farming to Wales – hoping to improve the process and invest in development of this industry.
We have also funded PEBL to monitor the environmental impacts of Câr y Môr seaweed farms.
Thanks to National Lottery players, WWF-UK has received almost £1 million over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The funding will allow WWF Cymru to work with partners Câr y Môr, the Scottish Association for Marine Science and PEBL to share the story of seaweed farming in Pembrokeshire.
We are funding trials on dairy farms in Pembrokeshire and working closely with trials underway in Norfolk. This will also help to understand whether seaweed bio-stimulant can be used at scale to not only reduce impacts on the environment – on both land and river health but also create a local circular and regenerative economy in Pembrokeshire.
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© Nick David Tour-It 360 / istockMore Regeneration of the Cleddau river
WWF has worked on collecting evidence to understand the issues affecting the Cleddau river, the estuary and Milford Haven Waterway. This has including being part of West Wales Nutrient Management Board stakeholder and technical advisory group; funding mapping of land use for the area; commissioned Pembrokshire Coastal Forum and Project Seagrass to research how the water quality in the estuary, which is affected by what happens on land, is having an impact on the marine ecosystems such as oysters, seagrass and salt marsh; funding a large piece of research on the type and number of farm actions along the Cleddau river to help meet the water quality standards.
We are jointly funding a natural capital assessment of Pembrokeshire County farms along the Cleddau river.
We are working with local organisations to develop a catchment approach and help get a plan to be ‘investment ready’ and seeking funding to deliver a large-scale programme.
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The Pembrokeshire Wholescape Programme is a 5-year programme where we will continue to engage with local communities and stakeholders. While we have identified key areas and projects to work on, we’re always learning and adjusting as we go, and we welcome feedback to improve our approach.
If you would like to know more information about this project or have any feedback, please let us know and contact cymru@wwf.org.uk.