The controversial Gwent Wetlands Reserve - meant to replace bird feeding grounds lost when the Cardiff Bay Barrage was built - has been officially opened.

The �10m reserve covers 1,000 acres of freshwater and saltwater lagoons.

Backers of the scheme have described it as one of Europe's most exciting bird projects.

But opponents have called it wanton vandalism.

Cardiff Bay Development Corporation - which developed the site - say it is set to become a site of major importance for waterfowl.

Around 200 acres, which had been reclaimed from the sea and farmed since Roman times, were bought under compulsory purchase and many farmers are still angry at the loss of good agricultural land.

Friends of the Earth Cymru has criticised the project saying it was never designed to attract the birds displaced by the barrage in Cardiff.

The group claim the reserve will never be more than a glorified duckpond.

Spokesman Julian Rosser said it was not possible to say what had happened to the populations of birds displaced from Cardiff Bay.

"The popular ideas that these birds would relocate to either the Gwent Levels Wetland Reserve or to other estuaries are certainly not accurate," he said.

"A small number of ringed redshank from Cardiff Bay have been spotted at the Rhumney Estuary since the closure of the Cardiff Bay Barrage.

"However, the remaining estuaries in the UK are at full capacity. If the area of estuary is reduced, the capacity of our estuaries is reduced and hence the number of birds will fall.

"So far, there have been no reports of ringed birds from Cardiff Bay appearing at the new Wetland Reserve."