Playing field moved to botanical garden

16:12:20 14th December 2009

A school playing field which is home to a number of rare plant species has been dug up and moved to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the BBC reports.

The area of turf from Tycroes Primary School near Ammanford, Carmarthenshire is due to be built on, but was described as a "grassland habitat of high ecological interest."

It was found to contain a number of species usually found in Welsh water meadow habitats.

300 square metres of turf was carefully removed and transported the twelve-mile distance to the botanical garden.

A much smaller section of the turf was moved by hand to the school´s own conservation area.

Dr Natasha de Vere, head of conservation and research at the botanic garden, told the news provider: "Ideally, we would protect all of these rare grassland habitats in situ, but sometimes, if the habitat is about to be lost, then these transplantation techniques are an important way of saving these unique areas."

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