Trees and woodlands
Trees play a vital role in tackling climate change, managing flooding and supporting biodiversity, and planting and protecting them offers a simple way to help.
Somerset Council’s Tree Strategy sets out plans for treescapes across the county, building on extensive tree planting by former district councils through national and local schemes. These efforts include planting thousands of trees, supporting communities with free trees, and creating networks such as Tree Wardens and Climate Champions.
We offer guidance, funding and templates, and promote the ‘right tree right place’ approach to make sure planting supports local ecology and character. Find out more on our Somerset’s trees and woodlands page.
Biodiversity Duty Report
The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (NERC Act) requires local councils and other public bodies to look after and protect biodiversity. This is known as the “biodiversity duty”.
Originally, the law did not require these organisations to report on what they were doing to meet this duty. The Environment Act 2021 strengthened this requirement. It now says that all public authorities in England must actively think about how they can conserve and improve biodiversity, not just maintain it.
In May 2023, the Government published guidance explaining what organisations must do to meet this updated duty. Public authorities now need to:
- Consider what actions they can take to protect and enhance biodiversity.
- Set policies and clear objectives based on this consideration.
- Take action to deliver these policies, achieve their objectives, and report publicly on their progress.
This has led to the development of the Somerset Council Biodiversity Duty Report, covering the period 1 January 2024 to 1 January 2026.
What you will find in the report
The Biodiversity Duty Report includes:
- An overview of Somerset’s current biodiversity baseline
- Our policies, priorities and partnership work for nature recovery
- Actions delivered across planning, land management, and council-owned sites
- Progress on Biodiversity Net Gain and how we are preparing for future monitoring
- Planned actions for the next reporting period
Somerset’s National Landscapes
Somerset has a rich mix of landscapes, including the Levels, coastline, four areas of natural beauty and Exmoor National Park, with many green spaces awarded Green Flag status.
Somerset Wildlife Trust works across the county to restore habitats and support wildlife, while the Somerset Environmental Records Centre collects and manages data on local species and environments.
You can find out more on our Somerset’s National Landscapes page.
Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Somerset Council works alongside a range of partners as part of the Somerset Local Nature Partnership. This is a strategic partnership of members to champion Somerset’s important and valuable nature. View a full list of partners.
Part of the work undertaken by the Local Nature Partnership is on nature recovery networks. Under sections 104-106 of the Environment Act 2021 there is a legal requirement to produce a Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Further guidance is due to be published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs but the requirements listed so far are a statement of biodiversity priorities and a local habitat map. The Strategy will present a picture of biodiversity across Somerset and identify opportunities for recovery networks. The development of the Somerset Local Nature Recovery Strategy is being led by Somerset Wildlife Trust with support from members of the Local Nature Partnership.
Council land
Former Somerset West and Taunton Council and Sedgemoor District Council published their Ecological Emergency Vision and Action Plan. The vision statement states that
Our vision is a district where the needs of wildlife, people, and our local economies are integrated in a way that enables nature and communities to thrive now and in the future.
While the vision sets out our ambitions and targets, the action plan provides the practical steps to deliver ecological recovery. It builds on previous work to address the Climate Emergency, but with a specific focus on wildlife and habitats. The work that went into creating and implementing this vision and action plan will continue into Somerset Council’s response to the Ecological Emergency.
Trials of No Mow May and meadow creation have been undertaken previously by some of the former district councils:
- former Somerset West and Taunton Council ran meadow creation pilots in 2020 in three different areas
- former Sedgemoor District Council worked with Plantlife to run a No Mow May campaign at Apex Park, Highbridge. Around half a hectare was set aside to see what plants came up
- former South Somerset District Council
- worked with their communities, parish and town councils to change the mowing routine at specific areas in Castle Cary, Ansford, Milborne Port, Cucklington, Yeovil and Ilminster
- developed a sustainable land management case study based on work carried out at Yeovil Recreation Centre
- created an information pack for managing wildlife in school grounds
Biodiversity and Habitats
We recognise the need for a considered and robust approach to nature conservation across the county.
Here is what we are doing to support biodiversity:
- All information on Grasslands
- Somerset West and Taunton Council also worked in partnership with Somerset Wildlife Trust to develop a Grassland Management Decision Tree. This decision tree helps decide on the best way to manage grasslands for nature recovery alongside frequency of use.
Community Environment Toolkit
Former South Somerset District Council developed a Community Biodiversity Toolkit to allow communities to take the lead in defining and restoring biodiversity in their area. It has been designed for use by community groups, local landowners, parish and town councils, schools and youth groups. It provides a structure for how local communities can better understand what they already have in terms of biodiverse habitats, as well as how to plan for developing greater biodiversity in the future.
The Toolkit comes in four parts – an overview and introduction section, alongside three separate appendices. The appendices provide further detail and local case studies to support the planning and engagement, development, and delivery of your community environment plans. We have also included a series of practical tips for how you can manage your land for biodiversity, as well as work with local landowners (see Appendix 3).
- Community Biodiversity Toolkit
- Appendix 1: Planning and Enforcement
- Appendix 2: Developing your Plans
- Appendix 3: Delivery and Practical Tips
Our communities can make a real difference to their own local areas. When joined up they will help to create a landscape-scale network of habitats rich in biodiversity. This will support nature recovery and all of the essential and varied benefits and services that our natural environment provides. Even the smallest project in the right place could make a huge difference.
Pollinator Action Plan
The former Somerset County Council, in partnership with Friends of the Earth and Somerset Wildlife Trust published a county-wide Pollinator Action Plan (2018-2028). This is designed to help secure the future of pollinators in Somerset.
The importance of pollinators to Somerset cannot be overstated. In the UK alone there are over 1500 species of insects that pollinate our crops and wildflowers. This includes bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles and wasps. These species are important to the functioning of our ecosystems, but, sadly they are under threat:
- 50% of the UK’s bumblebee species are in decline – three of which have already gone extinct
- 71% of the UK’s butterfly species show declines
- two-thirds of moth species are in decline
- 38% of Europe’s bee and hoverfly species are in decline
There is no single cause for the decline of pollinators, with declining population trends the accumulative result of habitat loss, climate change, disease and the use of pesticides, with neonicotinoids found to have particularly harmful effects.
Nationally, pollinators are estimated to contribute over £600 million a year to the UK economy through the pollination of commercial crops. If present declines continue, it is likely to cost an estimated £1.8 billion a year for the hand pollination of commercial plant species.
The former South Somerset District Council partnered with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to fight to save the Shrill Carder Bee.
The team at Ham Hill Country Park have begun habitat management on the site to encourage rare Shrill Carder Bees to recolonise from an existing population nearby. The habitat management will be centred around the hay meadows in the flat fields of the park and will include leaving areas of dense tussock grass for the bees to nest and hibernate.
The Shrill Carder Bees emerge from June to October, so the aim is to create a habitat that will be a haven of late-blooming wildflowers for the bees to forage from. In particular flowers from the pea, daisy, mint and broomrape plant families have been shown to be important to the shrill carder bees.
To find out more about the impact of pesticides on wildlife visit the Pesticide Action Network website.