Furious locals have warned the purchase of Frongoch Farm in the village of Cwrt-y-Cadno, Carmarthenshire by investment firm Foresight Group, who plan to re-wild the area, will "destroy" the local environment and the scenery as well as tear up years of farming history.

       One resident, Sheila Davies, told Sky News that the purchase is a disaster for local people.

       She said: “Those fields, that is generations of hard work.

       “To see it destroyed just for an investment company to be able to plant to trees."

       The emotional resident added how the plans are "incredibly upsetting" for her and other locals.

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       Another resident, John Llewellyn, stressed locals are not opposed to efforts to increase biodiversity.

       But he was adamant the current plans are ill fit for purpose and will damage the local ecosystem.

       He said: “Trees are a good thing, and we want to promote tree growth.

       “What we are looking at is the wrong trees for ecological and environmental purposes.”

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       He warned that thousands of Conifer trees will impact the visual spectacle of the area but he also stressed that the planting plans “really has an impact on everybody who lives here”.

       Sky News suggested how more than a dozen farms in Wales have been purchased for re-wilding and tree planting efforts like at Frongoch.

       The move comes as the Welsh government is aiming to plant 86 million trees by 2030.

       Buying up land and planting trees allows companies to earn money from selling carbon credits, which allow firms to offset their carbon emissions. Money is also to be made in logging areas of woodland.

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       According to the Foresight Group website, the company "is a leading infrastructure and private equity investment manager with c.￡8.1billion of assets under management".

       The company argue "our investment strategies are underpinned by a strong environmental, social & governance (“ESG”) focus, which increasingly meets the demands of today’s investors".

       It also claims to be "consistently working towards creating a sustainable legacy for future generations".

       Express.co.uk. have approached Foresight Group for comment.