Celebrating ‘Adapting the Levels’

Following four great years of work to support climate adaptation in the Somerset Levels and Moors, the Co-Adapt ‘Adapting the Levels’ project has now come to an end. The project was a great success, truly starting the adaptation conversation in Somerset!

Between 2019 and 2023, the project worked with communities, farmers, landowners and local councils to:

•    Increase awareness and understanding of climate adaptation 
•    Develop adaptation pathways for key locations and groups
•    Establish 6 Moor Associations, covering ~3,000 hectares
•    Create 2 floodwater storage schemes across 600 hectares
•    Develop a Climate Adaptation Toolkit for communities

During the project, we also ran 84 events, and directly reached 3,256 people, with thousands more discovering our work online.

To find out how you can adapt to climate change, check out our ‘Take Action’ section.

This isn’t the end for action on climate in Somerset! Follow the project partners, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group SW (FWAG SW), Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT) and Somerset Council, as well as our local funder, the Somerset Rivers Authority, to find out about our ongoing work to support people across Somerset to adapt to climate change.

Thank you for your support for the Co-Adapt ‘Adapting the Levels’ project.

Do you want to know how your community can adapt to climate change?

Climate change already affects everyone in Somerset, from flooding hitting many communities to the recent heatwaves that impacted our health.

The good news is there are lots of ways we can Act to Adapt, making us, and our community spaces, better prepared for the changing climate.

The Adapting the Levels team has created a Climate Adaptation Toolkit, filled with information and resources to help you take positive action in your community.

The Toolkit includes:

• information about the need for climate adaptation

• actions you and your community can take to adapt

• advice on funding sources, consents and permits

• resources to help you create a climate adaptation plan tailored to your community

Download the Toolkit and extra resources, for free, here:

Climate Adaptation Toolkit

Planning Mind Maps

Planning Tasks Resource

Want to learn more about adaptation and how you can create an adaptation plan with your community? Watch our presentation:

Animations uncover hidden climate truths in the Somerset Levels

Adapting the Levels releases two animations that reveal how we can tackle climate change and reduce the risks we face in Somerset.

Somerset, and especially the low-lying Levels and Moors, is on the front line of climate change in the UK. Without action, people living and working in the region will be exposed to more frequent, disruptive, and dangerous extreme events like flooding, droughts and wildfires.

Currently, the way most land is managed in the Somerset Levels and Moors is both contributing to climate change (by releasing greenhouse gases like methane and CO2) and making us more vulnerable to its impacts.

But, by harnessing the power of nature and making a few changes to how we manage land, the Levels and Moors can deliver important solutions that reduce emissions and help us adapt to the changing climate.

Working with data visualisation experts Real World Visuals, we’ve created animations that explore two of the key climate issues in the region.

Watch the videos to find out more!

Want to take action? Why not check out our Climate Adaptation Toolkit for ideas on how you and your community can adapt to climate change, or take the Wildlife Trusts’ Peat-free Pledge.

Sustainable Drainage System designs for Wedmore Village Hall

We worked with members of the community and Wedmore Parish Council, with SEED Landscape Design, to develop a set of designs for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) that could be implemented at Wedmore Village Hall to adapt to increased risk of surface water flooding. Click on the picture below to view the full image.

We would love your feedback on these designs to help shape them! We will then work with the community to progress these plans. Please send any feedback to jack.bedford@somersetwildlife.org

 View the Adaptation Pathways Tool

Created to help local people turn individual ideas into plans for collective action.
Cllr David Hall (Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Community Infrastructure and Chair of Somerset Rivers Authority) said:

“What's unique about Somerset's approach with this app is that it allows everyone to contribute, enabling an inclusive and accessible conversation to take place. This is a pioneering approach that will help Somerset's residents plan for a climate-resilient future.”