FINtastic Fauna
This exciting project, brings together nature, conservation, volunteering, and Pembrokeshire communities. We believe that the best way to achieve our conservation goals is to involve the community as much as possible.
As part of this project, we aim to:
- Provide opportunities for everyone to get involved with conservation of their local wildlife, including groups disconnected from nature due to social isolation and ill mental health.
- Raise awareness of marine life, promoting positive local action and attitudes towards it.
- Discover and promote Pembrokeshire’s marine life.
Our project is under-pinned by our ground-breaking scientific research on the harbour porpoise. The FINtastic Fauna Project allows us to continue our porpoise photo-ID research, collecting data on individual porpoises that use sites in Pembrokeshire. With a team of dedicated volunteers, we photograph porpoise visiting the area, aiming to acquire a better understanding of the harbour porpoise population. The data collected in this project will be used to answer questions regarding harbour porpoise site usage, behaviours, local population ranges, and the potential effects of human activities on porpoise behaviour. Our research has the potential to be pivotal in porpoise research, adding to the current global knowledge of the understudied harbour porpoise.
Our photo-ID data has contributed to the chapter “Sexual Behavior and Anatomy in Porpoises” in the book Sex in Cetaceans, co-authored by Project Manager Holly Dunn. Read the chapter here.
Our FINtastic Fauna project also allows us to record and research other top predators in the area, such as dolphins, whales, sharks, seabirds, seals, and more. This year, we are extending our survey efforts to other parts of the Pembrokeshire coast. This will allow us to learn much more about marine megafauna populations and enable us to relay this information to the public, the scientific community, and the relevant governing bodies.
Outside of our scientific research, we are working with local schools and communities to raise awareness of our local marine life. As part of our FINtastic Fauna project, we offer educational visits to local schools, covering topics such as the threats to our local marine life and marine food webs. We will also be holding community events throughout the year, to promote Pembrokeshire’s incredible marine wildlife.
This year, we are funded by Enhancing Pembrokeshire, The People’s Postcode Lottery- Postcode Community Trust and WCVA Landfill Disposal Tax Communities scheme.
FINtastic Fauna
Mae FINtastic Fauna yn brosiect cyffrous sy’n dod â natur, cadwraeth, gwirfoddoli a chymunedau Sir Benfro ynghyd. Rydym ni’n credu mai’r ffordd orau o gyflawni ein nodau cadwraeth yw cynnwys y gymuned cymaint â phosib.
Fel rhan o’r prosiect hwn, mae’n ein nodau fel a ganlyn:
- Cynnig cyfleoedd i bawb fod yn rhan o waith gwarchod eu bywyd gwyllt lleol, gan gynnwys grwpiau sydd wedi’u datgysylltu o fyd natur oherwydd ynysigrwydd cymdeithasol ac iechyd meddwl gwael.
- Cynyddu ymwybyddiaeth o fywyd morol, gan hyrwyddo gweithredu lleol ac agweddau cadarnhaol tuag ato.
- Darganfod a hyrwyddo bywyd morol Sir Benfro.
Mae ein prosiect wedi’i seilio ar ymchwil wyddonol sy’n torri tir newydd i’r forhwch harbwr. Mae’r Prosiect FINtastic Fauna yn galluogi i ni barhau â’n hymchwil i nodi hunaniaeth morhychod yn ffotograffig, gan gasglu data ar forhychod unigol sy’n defnyddio safleoedd yn Sir Benfro. Gyda thîm o wirfoddolwyr ymroddedig, rydym ni’n tynnu lluniau o forhychod sy’n ymweld â’r ardal, gyda’r nod o ddatblygu dealltwriaeth well o’r boblogaeth o forhychod harbwr. Caiff y data a gesglir fel rhan o’r prosiect hwn ei ddefnyddio i ateb cwestiynau ynghylch y defnydd o safleoedd gan y morhychod harbwr, eu hymddygiad, ystodau poblogaethau lleol ac effeithiau gweithgareddau dynol ar ymddygiad morhychod. Mae gan ein hymchwil y potensial i fod yn hanfodol i ymchwil i forhychod, gan ychwanegu at yr wybodaeth fyd-eang bresennol am forhychod harbwr, sydd wedi’u tanastudio.
Mae ein prosiect FINtastic Fauna hefyd yn ei gwneud hi’n bosib i ni gofnodi ac ymchwilio i brif ysglyfaethwyr eraill yn yr ardal, megis dolffiniaid, morfilod, siarcod, adar y môr, morloi a mwy. Eleni, rydym ni’n ehangu ein hymdrechion arolwg i rannau eraill o arfordir Sir Benfro. Bydd hyn yn ei gwneud hi’n bosib i ni ddysgu llawer yn fwy am boblogaethau megaffawna morol, gan ein galluogi ni i drosglwyddo’r wybodaeth hon i’r cyhoedd, y gymuned wyddonol a chyrff llywodraethu perthnasol.
Y tu allan i’n hymchwil wyddonol, rydym ni’n gweithio gydag ysgolion a chymunedau lleol i gynyddu ymwybyddiaeth o fywyd morol lleol. Fel rhan o’n prosiect FINtastic Fauna, rydym ni’n cynnig ymweliadau addysgol ag ysgolion lleol, i drafod pynciau megis y bygythiadau i’n bywyd morol lleol a gweoedd bwyd morol. Byddwn ni hefyd yn cynnal digwyddiadau cymunedol drwy gydol y flwyddyn i hyrwyddo bywyd gwyllt rhagorol Sir Benfro.
Eleni, rydym ni wedi ein hariannu gan grant Cyfoethogi Sir Benfro, Loteri Côd Post y Bobl – Ymddiriedolaeth Gymunedol Côd Post, cynllun Cymunedau Treth Gwarediadau Tirlenwi Cyngor Gweithredu Gwirfoddol Cymru ac Ymddiriedolaeth.
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