Cors Caron - History

History

Cors Caron began to be formed 12,000 years ago, at the end of the last glaciation period. A raised bog of this type develops from a lake or flat marshy area, over either non-acidic or acidic substrates. Over centuries there is a progression from open lake, to marsh and then fen (or on acidic substrates, valley bog), as silt or peat fill the lake. Eventually peat builds up to a level where the land surface is too flat for ground or surface water to reach the center of the wetland. Trees in the area that died (in about 3000 BC) and were preserved by the conditions in the bog are being studied by scientists looking for information on the past climate of the area.

For many centuries the peat in bogs was cut out and harvested for use as a heating fuel. Many bog ecosystems were completely destroyed by this practice. As a result of international concern, Cors Caron was designated as a national nature reserve in 1955. Formerly in the ownership of the Trawsgoed Estate, and the Earl of Lisburne, the bog is located in the 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) Cors Caron National Nature Reserve. In 1956 the 7th Earl of Lisburne entered into a management agreement with the Nature Conservancy Council, and the reserve lands were sold to the Countryside Council for Wales in 1986. The estate retains grazing and sporting rights over some 700 acres (2.8 km2) of the reserve and adjoining farmland. On 2 September 1992, Cors Caron was put on a list of wetland sites of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The bog is now maintained by the Countryside Council for Wales.