Wales is rich in wild plants that have developed alongside the cultivation of the earth over many centuries. However, arable land has declined by 75% in the last 100 years and much of that which remains is subject to treatment by herbicides limiting its value to birds and insects. The way that land is farmed in the Vale, both using traditional methods such as leaving uncultivated field margins to more ‘modern’ changes such as ‘direct drilling’ seeds into the ground and use of cover crops to improve soil structure and reduce erosion will lead to big improvements to the county’s wildlife.