A rewilding project on a former dairy farm in east Somerset has led to a remarkable resurgence of wildlife, with the number of recorded bird species soaring from 67 to 94 in just three years. The Heal Somerset site, the first acquired by the charity Heal Rewilding, has also seen butterfly species increase from 11 to 24 and small mammal populations grow.
State of Nature Report Highlights Success
The state of nature report produced by Heal Somerset mirrors a national survey by environmental charities that tracks the decline in nature. Surveys at the 190-hectare (460 acres) farm reveal the rapid rate at which wildlife returns after conventional agriculture stops. A humane trapping survey found the site now hosts five small mammal species, compared with three at a nearby organic dairy farm.
Biodiversity Boom
Heal Somerset near Frome is now home to at least 15 bat species and 60 species of breeding bird, including the endangered bullfinch and numerous tree pipits, another bird under threat. Jan Stannard, chief executive and co-founder of Heal Rewilding, expressed surprise at the speed of recovery. “I had no idea when we arrived in January 2023 what to expect,” she said. “To some extent you hold your nerve and trust nature. If you give wildlife an undisturbed safe place, a sanctuary, you have this sense that something good is going to come out of it. It’s an absolute joy to see wildlife resurging.”
Natural Processes in Action
The rewilding process differs from traditional conservation by using natural processes to manage land, without seeking specific outcomes for particular rare species. At Heal Somerset, streams have been returned to a more natural flow, assisted by free-roaming beavers spreading across east Somerset’s rivers. Dead wood has been left in place, and natural growth encouraged through scrub and tree regeneration. Two tamworth pigs have been introduced, and further large herbivores such as cattle and ponies will be reintroduced in small numbers, living free among a mix of glades, meadows, scrub, and trees.
Community Involvement
The project is supported by over 250 volunteers who participate in surveying, removing barbed wire fencing, and other rewilding work. The charity has partnerships with 15 underserved groups, including people living with dementia, those with additional needs, and individuals experiencing financial difficulties. Youth groups and schools are also involved. Stannard noted that visitors often recall childhood experiences of abundance. “An increasing number of people are coming either as visitors or camping, and if they are older they are being transported back to a childhood experience of abundance that they will not get in the farmed countryside. They are hearing grasshoppers and crickets in the day and birds such as linnet or greenfinch, which are much less common now.”
Ranger’s Perspective
Dan Hill, a 25-year-old rewilding ranger who joined Heal Somerset three years ago, recalled the initial desolation. “I remember seeing the monoculture of rye grass swaying in the wind and thinking, crikey, it’s desolate. Three years has flown by and so much has changed. It’s incredibly exciting. I’m learning so much. Seeing what nature wants to do – it’s very hopeful. And it’s not just about nature – when you get people coming to the site and they say: ‘I just want to keep coming back, I’ve never seen a site like this before,’ it really puts a smile on your face.”
Call for National Recognition
Heal Rewilding said its report was inspired partly by the absence of substantive content on rewilding within the UK-wide State of Nature report for 2023. “We were struck by how little attention was given to rewilding, despite the extraordinary growth of the movement,” said Stannard. “There are now hundreds of rewilding projects across Britain and many report seeing remarkable ecological changes. But stories alone are not enough. If rewilding is to be fully recognised within national nature recovery strategies, we need robust, long-term data that demonstrates impact.”
