Charity

Somerset has some of the most spectacular and internationally-recognised habitats and wildlife in the country. We have beautiful and rare creatures like the Large Blue butterfly and the Eurasian bittern, important populations of Greater horseshoe bats and other incredible species such as Great white egrets, Red deer, Round-leaved sundew and magical murmurating Starlings.

From digging a wildlife pond to planting a bee-friendly window box, there’s always something that you can do to help the wildlife on your doorstep.

Find detailed answers to frequently asked wildlife questions.

Reports of wildlife loss, such as the 2020 Living Planet released by the WWF, continue to highlight the perils our natural world is experiencing. Here at SERC, we currently hold over 3 million data records. However, the majority of these are focused on protected or rare species. We have a lack of knowledge about the more common species in Somerset and so are not able to monitor trends in numbers or geographical spread. To try and address this, SERC & SWT will work together quarterly to deliver a seasonal community science survey to monitor abundance levels of common species across Somerset.

Learn how to give wildlife a home in your garden. We have tips for building bird and bat boxes, hedgehog homes and more!

Wildlife crime can take many forms and it can be difficult to know what constitutes a crime. They can range from organised crimes (such as the trade in endangered species) to people shooting at birds with air guns. We have listed examples below of wildlife crime and if you believe you may have witnessed any of these, please share this information to assist in bringing offenders to justice.