A professional ecologist and all-round naturalist, Jonathan Mullard was appointed Gower Countryside Officer in 1990, the first senior AONB officer to be appointed in the UK. For ten years he was responsible for the policy and management of the AONB, during which time he developed a unique insight into the complex interactions between the land and its people that have crafted this beautiful and special place.

Although he has since moved northwards and is currently Director of Park Management for the Northumberland National Park Authority, he is still researching and recording the wildlife of the peninsula.

Jonathan specialises in the management of protected areas. A naturalist from his early days, he is especially interested in coastal environments and common land. In New Naturalist Gower he examines the key habitats, reviewing the flora and fauna of each in turn. In addition he explores the contributions made by previous generations of naturalists, and the present-day issues affecting the management of important habitats such as the commons, sand dunes, marshes and cliff-top grasslands.

He also looks to the future of Gower, and to the contribution that naturalists can make to the ongoing conservation of the peninsula.