Wales ‘Rich soup of life’ in Gwent wetlands at risk from motorway
The Gwent Levels is a low-lying patchwork of wetlands, divided by drainage ditches first dug by the Romans, that is so full of life that conservationists compare its diversity to the Amazon rainforest.
But this quiet corner of south-east Wales may soon disappear under concrete if the Labour-led Welsh government gives the go-ahead for a new 14-mile stretch of motorway to be carved through the ancient levels.Civil servants in Cardiff are currently examining a planning inspector’s report on the proposal, which is designed to ease congestion in and around Newport, and the Welsh assembly is expected to vote on the plans at the start of December.
“It’s a terrible idea, simple as that,” said Rob Waller, a Newport resident and volunteer at Magor Marsh, one of the four sites of special scientific interest that will be affected by the motorway. “I was just sitting there in the hay meadow. There was a buzzard circling overhead and the rustling of reeds behind me. It’s a beautiful spot. Why would anyone want to destroy this?”