AN ancient woodland left behind after the last ice age in Gwynedd is to be restored in a £2m scheme. The 58 woodlands of Atlantic oak in Meirionnydd are home to more than 1,000 native species of flora. They were once part of the forest on the Atlantic coasts stretching from northern Scotland to Portugal. More than 4,000 acres of the woodlands will be looked after in a project aimed at restoring some of the character first created 14,000 years ago. The woodlands are considered to be some of the best areas of Atlantic oak woodland in Europe and have been designated as Special Areas of Conservation because they are endangered or vulnerable. Project manager Tim Gordon-Roberts said: "There are prehistoric plants here. All these mosses and lichens are basically prototype plants and the first plants to develop after the last ice age. "We're really lucky that we have them here to look at today." Half the money for the four-year habitat scheme is from European Objective One funding schemes. The rest of the money has been raised by the woodlands' public and private landowners and the bodies supporting the scheme. The work, to promote the importance of the woodlands to the local community and the environment, should support the equivalent of 72 full-time jobs. | 
