The Welsh Uplands support a diversity of semi-natural habitats including acid grassland, heathland, rivers and lakes, and blanket bog but broadleaved woodland is extremely restricted to gullies, rocky ledges and other shelterd places.

In Williams' depictions of the rocky Welsh Uplands, the solitary images of stooped farmers, with their walking sticks, are invariably accompanied by lively sheepdogs.

It is estimated that there are more than 10 million sheep in Wales. Their grazing activity has had a major impact on upland environments and the nature of the landscapes.

The evocative sound of a curlew is part of the upland soundscape in Wales. However the breeding population is in decline so conservation and monitoring projects are underway.

Today the great little steam trains of Wales are a major tourist attraction but many were developed to facilitate the exploitation of the natural resources of Wales, such as slate.

Many explorations of wild Wales require a road trip through the mountains along some historic routes and sometimes challenging driving conditions.

The exploitation of the natural resources of the Welsh Uplands has created landscapes of international social and cultural importance. Bethesda or Penrhyn Quarry was once the world's largest slate quarry.

Metals have been mined in the mountains of Wales since the Roman invasion and probably even before then. This activity has produced colourful lunar landscapes and seriously polluted rivers, turning them red, acid and devoid of life.

This painting was one of a series made by Dorothie Field in response to the Aberfan disaster that took place on 21 October 1966. The catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip down the mountain side above the village killed 116 children and 28 adults. The mothers of those children set up their own support group which still meets today.

"....her whole small being was lit with pure delight in the beauty and mystery of those aspects of the created world she loved, most especially the mountains of Eryri, the dramatic landscape of Snowdonia..."

Christopher Williams, a pacifist, witnessed the trenches of World War 1 and produced paintings which captured the horror and sacrifice. He also clearly found peace in his representation of women in the landscape and nature.

Although seriously ill with tuberculosis James Dickinson Innes walked the Welsh uplands producing intensely colourful and lyrical landscapes. He considered the Mynydd Arenig his "sacred mountain".

Community spirit and resilience are key characteristics of the South Wales valleys communities who for generations have worked hard in challenging industrial landscapes and social conditions.

Commissioned to commemorate the flooding of the Tryweryn valley and the loss of the upland Welsh speaking village of Capel Celyn. The faces embedded in the feathers combine mixed emotions of anger, fear and protest, with the hopeful shape of the rising water bird.

The development of abstract art in Wales was concurrent with a growing awareness of environmental issues.

Geology is part of our abiotic natural world and conserving its diversity is a core part of the nature conservation mission in Wales and the UK. Quarries often illustrate and provide access to scientifically important stratigraphic sequences of rock.

Salmon and trout are the iconic fish of Welsh river ecosystems, spawning in headwater streams. Egg hatching is temperature dependent making them vulnerable to climate change.

Many of the lakes of Wales were impacted by the effects of "Acid Rain" in the 1970-80s, including the loss of native trout populations. It has been suggested that base rich rocks in the catchment of Llyn Idwal protected it from acidification. More recently there has been positive evidence of recovery at several lakes following reductions in air pollution.

Nothing stops a river even if it must tumble and fall.

Blind in old age Evan Roberts (quarryman, botanist, Warden of Cwm Idwal) looks upwards in appreciation of the plants and habitats he cared for in the Welsh Uplands.