00:00Weeks of wildfires across Wales have caused severe damage to wildlife and vital habitats,
00:06with charities warning that entire ecosystems have been decimated.
00:09One of the driest marches in recent decades, combined with above-average temperatures in April,
00:14has created ideal conditions for wildfires, making it one of the worst fire seasons on record.
00:19In Powys, a huge blaze tore through Aberguezin Common, destroying around 1,600 hectares of land,
00:25an area roughly 400 times the size of Cardiff's Principality Stadium.
00:29Conservationists fear the fire has wiped out the last known breeding ground of golden plovers in the area.
00:35Chris Smith from the National Trust said the fire's impact was hard to fathom,
00:40with birds, insects, amphibians and entire habitats scorched.
00:44Peat bogs in the area, some of which had taken years to restore, may now take centuries to recover.
00:49Across Wales, the number of wildfires have surged.
00:52South Wales Fire and Rescue Service responded to over 400 wildfires in the first few months of 2025,
00:57up from just 34 in the previous period last year.
01:01And it's happening outside Wales too.
01:03Recent fires in the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland and the Peak District in England
01:07have devastated landscapes used by rare birds and insects.
01:10A blaze at Howden Moor caused around £30,000 worth of damage and undid years of conservation work.
01:16Charities including WWF Cymru and the Wildlife Trust says that fires are a stark warning about the accelerating impact of climate change.
01:24They're calling on the UK government to take urgent action to protect vulnerable nature areas.
01:30Efforts are already underway to adapt landscapes by making them wetter and more fire resistant,
01:35including restoring bogs and creating natural fire breaks.
01:38And locals with houses near the fires will certainly hope it works.
01:41James Beach Watkins reporting for Local TV.
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