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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 biodiversity and a showcase of ground-breaking science and monitoring.

Somerset Wildlife Trust purchased ‘Honeygar’, an intensively managed dairy farm on the Somerset Levels, back in 2022. It is now looking to raise additional funds for its ongoing project to transform the former farm into its first wilded site, which aims to better connect the nature-rich areas on the Somerset Levels — including the Trust’s Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve — while demonstrating the benefits of wilding to landowners, local people, and visitors from across the country. 

The 81-hectare site is located between the Trust’s Westhay Moor, Westhay Heath, and Catcott nature reserves on the Avalon Marshes, one of the largest and most important wetland areas in the UK. Honeygar now acts as a good quality green stepping stone between these sites, and also to the wider area, which allows precious wildlife species to move and travel safely while expanding their numbers. 

The Trust has begun to implement important changes since purchasing Honeygar, which has included carrying out extensive baseline surveys and making initial interventions that are starting to demonstrate an increase in biodiversity, restoring the peat and seeing essential ecosystems recover. It has also established an extensive monitoring regime which aims to track changes to the land over time. Since the change in management, exciting species have been recorded at Honeygar, including the otter, short-eared owl, and night heron. 

In order to continue with this exciting project, the Trust is now launching its second Honeygar appeal, aiming to raise £70,000 to complete Phase 1 of the project. This is a match-funded appeal thanks to the generous support from one of the charity’s anonymous donors — which means every £1 donated will become £2, every £10 will become £20, and every £100 will become £200. 

The funds raised will help the Trust continue its essential work at Honeygar, which will include further critical site surveys, collecting valuable data on soil quality, water quality, improvements in biodiversity, and determining the presence of protected species. As well as allowing the Trust to monitor how the site and the land is changing over time, these surveys will also help it fully understand the different species on site, and to put in place innovative habitat features that will ensure all wildlife is protected as work continues. The aim is to build mitigation towers — structures that are highly appealing to some of the birds and bats that have been making their homes in the derelict buildings on the site, and which will provide a safe habitat for these species during the removal of some of the former farm buildings. 

Rebecca Walford, Head of Fundraising at Somerset Wildlife Trust, says: 
“Honeygar is one of the most exciting projects Somerset Wildlife Trust has ever undertaken— and the work is far from done. We really need to increase the amount of monitoring we’re doing so that we can fully understand what impact our interventions have had, and we need to continue the work we’re doing on site, rewetting the peat and protecting the important species that make Honeygar home. We’ve raised almost £3.6 million for Honeygar so far, and with one last push, we hope to raise the £70,000 that will help us complete Phase 1 of the project and take us one step closer to our end goal. That’s why we’re asking our supporters across Somerset and further afield to donate today and join us on this journey.” 

Georgia Dent, Chief Executive Officer of Somerset Wildlife Trust, says: 
“Our work at Honeygar is absolutely key to understanding how we can restore lowland peatland. We are trailing new approaches that are already demonstrating how with some initial interventions, we can begin to restore degraded peat, and by removing intensive management and working with the land rather than against it, we can bring back wildlife, adapt to changes caused by climate change, and hold carbon. 

“Honeygar also encapsulates our Wilder Somerset 2030 strategy, supporting our goal to have 30% of land and sea to be in positive management for nature by 2030; allowing us to continue building a movement for nature as we invite people, businesses, and other environmental organisations to visit us at Honeygar and learn how they can take action for nature; and helping us build up a more complete picture of the state of nature in Somerset, which at Honeygar involves innovative data monitoring techniques. Honeygar is the most ambitious project Somerset Wildlife Trust has ever tackled, and with the support from people across Somerset, it can be the success we know it can be.” 

Somerset Wildlife Trust is asking for donations to help it continue its work at Honeygar. You can find out more about the project and donate by visiting the appeal page here. As this is a matched-funding appeal, every pound you donate will be doubled at no extra cost to you. 

Editor’s notes

Press Office

Emily Weatherburn | emily.weatherburn@somersetwildlife.org | 07840 840737   
Ben Neenan | ben.neenan@somersetwildlife.org | 07548 764279  

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Somerset Wildlife Trust, 34 Wellington Rd, Taunton TA1 5AW

Somerset Wildlife Trust

Somerset Wildlife Trust is a nature conservation charity. Its purpose is to restore and protect the populations of species across the county and the habitats they call home. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to nature, natural habitats and the ecosystems that support our life on earth.  Our aims are to help address both the ecological and climate crises and put nature back into people’s lives.  

Nature reserves and protected sites on their own are not enough. In order to reverse the decline in species diversity and abundance, and create resilient landscapes and habitats for wildlife and for people that can adapt to climate change, we need to:   

  • Encourage and support landowners to manage their land positively for nature; create more space for nature.  

  • Connect wildlife-rich spaces across the wider landscape to create a robust Nature Recovery Network for Somerset.  

  • Create a movement of people – at least 1 in 4 – that take action for nature’s recovery across Somerset as part of Team Wilder.   

This is at the core of our new 10-year strategy. Nationally the Wildlife Trusts are calling for at least 30% of land to be managed positively for nature by 2030. What we do in Somerset must contribute to that national ambition. You can read our full 10-year strategy, Wilder Somerset here.  

Wilding at Honeygar

Honeygar is Somerset Wildlife Trust’s first wilded project. Wilding is not about leaving the land alone entirely — it is about 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. Other wildling and rewilding projects show this approach results in increased biodiversity and bioabundance. Some of the natural processes Somerset Wildlife Trust is looking to restore at Honeygar include: 

  • Mega-herbivore grazing (a driver of species diversity). 

  • Natural flooding (where the site allows without negative impacts on our neighbours). 

  • Peat protection and improvement, leading to the formation of new peat (a vital process but currently rare on the Somerset Levels). 

  • Natural afforestation including with some scrub and dead wood. 

This approach will require some interventions up front to allow the processes to begin. Once these interventions have taken place, Somerset Wildlife Trust will monitor the site with only very limited interventions for specific purposes. More information can be found here. 

The Nature Recovery Network

A Nature Recovery Network is a joined-up system of places important for wild plants and animals, on land and at sea. It allows plants, animals, seeds, nutrients and water to move from place to place and enables the natural world to adapt to change, but it can only do this effectively if, like our road network, it is treated as a joined-up whole. 

The Wildlife Trusts want to create a national Nature Recovery Network that would stretch across the UK and include Local Wildlife Sites (LWSs), nature reserves, and parts of National Parks. This would establish corridors for wildlife to move between, joining up habitats like peat bogs, heaths, meadows, road verges, parks, gardens, hedges, and woodlands, as well as rivers, lakes, and streams. You can find out more about Nature Recovery Networks here.

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