Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will be doing its bit this May to help wildlife flourish.

As part of the effort to tackle the nature emergency, NRW will reduce mowing on the land it manages during May, supporting Plantlife's 'No Mow May' campaign.

The rate of biodiversity loss in Wales is increasing at an alarming rate.

A worrying statistic reveals that every third mouthful of food we consume is only possible via pollination, underscoring the potential catastrophe that could occur if our pollinators vanish.

The UK has 27 bumblebee species, half of which are in decline, and 17 out of the 43 species of butterfly in Wales are also declining, with a further 10 in severe decline.

The decline of these pollinators is attributed to numerous factors including climate change, pollution and pesticides, and changes in land management.

During the growing season, NRW is responsible for cutting grass and vegetation in various areas such as forests, nature reserves, river banks, flood defences and reservoir embankments.

However, by reducing mowing activities in May, spring plants will have a better chance to grow and set seed, thus providing essential nectar and pollen for pollinating insects like bees and butterflies.

However, David Letellier, NRW's head of operations South Wales Central, made clear that while mowing will be reduced, essential grass-cutting will continue in some parts of Wales.

He said: "We're committed to tackling the climate and nature emergencies and helping nature and people thrive together.

"We will reduce our mowing activities in May as much as possible to support pollinators, but we want people to understand that we may carry out essential grass cutting to benefit certain communities or species."

Providing a little more insight, Mr Letellier pointed out that maintaining access to forests and nature reserves for safety or managing flood defences could necessitate essential grass cutting.

And in some cases, mowing might even benefit certain flora and fauna.

Continuing, Mr Letellier said: "For example, we may continue mowing flood defences to make sure they are in good working order, or if mowing some sites in May would leave wildflowers to recover and bloom throughout the late summer to benefit certain pollinators.

"We need to act now to protect our pollinators.

"We manage all of our sites to make them as pollinator friendly as possible and to provide food and shelter for other species.

"We can all help by making our gardens pollinator-friendly by not using pesticides, not mowing their lawns as often, and growing pollinator-friendly plants."

For more information on how you can help support pollinators, you can visit NRW's Love Pollinators page or learn about the 'No Mow May' campaign on the Plantlife website.