Image: Michael Holman
Honeygar
Somerset Wildlife Trust's first ‘wilded’ site
Honeygar, Westhay
Honeygar is located between the Trust’s Westhay Moor NNR, Westhay Heath and Catcott nature reserves in the Avalon Marshes, one of the largest and most important wetland areas in the UK. The site comprises 81 hectares of intensively grazed farmland backing onto the River Brue, a 200-year-old farmhouse, and a collection of sheds and outbuildings, and was previously a dairy farm. In 2022 we made a short film to introduce Honeygar - watch it here.
We took on Honeygar to learn about what works, and to create an exemplar of nature-based solutions, a site where we could demonstrate and share our ideas with others to inspire and stimulate changeChief Executive Officer. April 2023
Michael Folman
Reporting on the year 2022/23
Read about our first year at Honeygar, as we gained a better understanding of the character of the farm and undertook surveys to inform our next steps.
©Lizzie Wilberforce
A year at Honeygar 2023/24
Read our current report on the ongoing transformation of Honeygar into a haven for biodiversity and a showcase of ground-breaking science and monitoring.
Image: Michael Holman
Our approach
Read about the initial management interventions that will allow natural processes to be restored; and monitoring, to see what this means for habitats, species and biodiversity in general.
Find out more about this inspiring project
Honeygar is perfectly situated to connect the Trust’s existing nature reserves and those of our Avalon Marshes partner organisations, and also strengthen Somerset’s Nature Recovery Network by linking the Levels and Moors to the Mendips in the north, west to Bridgwater Bay and Somerset’s coast, and to South Somerset.
Honeygar is the Trust's first ‘wilded’ site - managed very differently to our nature reserves and a major project for the Trust, and a vision which will develop over many years. Over time, we hope it will become a place which inspires those who visit, whether other landowners, local people or visitors from further afield.
Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), Westhay Moor NNR, Somerset - Guy Edwardes/2020VISION
More about peat
Our UK peatlands store an amazing 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon. When considered globally, this is even more impressive, as they cover just 3% of land area but in that pack 30% of all soil carbon.
Wild flower meadow - Paul Hobson
Understanding wilding
Wilding as defined in Wilder Somerset 2030 “managing land in a way that mimics how nature works when left uninterrupted.”
Kirby Everett
Frequently asked questions
We acquired a site that is at the beginning of its journey to restore nature as we reduce the intensity of use and seek to restore natural processes. Here are a few of the frequently asked questions we receive.
How can you get involved and support Honeygar
Somerset Wildlife Trust asking for support to continue pioneering wilding project on the Somerset Levels
An appeal has been launched to raise critical funds for ‘Honeygar’, an ongoing transformation of a former dairy farm into a haven for…
Wilder Sensing Bioacoustic Monitoring Update
Deployed on the 2nd of November 2022, our audio sensors have been hard at work recording bird song at Honeygar almost continuously for 7…
Baseline Greenhouse gas emissions of Honeygar Farm: Why restoring agricultural peatlands matters
Through the carbon credits scheme Wilder Carbon, SWT are committed to restoring ecosystem function within the peat soils at Honeygar.…
