THIS year is a special milestone anniversary for Steart Marshes, marking 10 years since saltwater first entered the breach in the Steart peninsula sea wall.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) charity has since managed Steart Marshes. It has become a beautiful wetland site valued by its local community, and a place of sanctuary for specialist wildlife and plant species. 

WWT Steart Marshes site manager Alys Laver said: “It has been amazing to see the change this wetland has undergone in the last ten years and I’m so grateful to see how much the community has come to value and advocate for it.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who makes this place what it is – a haven for people and nature, a buffer against storms, floods and droughts. And, with its incredible carbon-sinking potential, WWT Steart Marshes is an important piece of the puzzle in our fight against the climate crisis.” 

Formerly farmland that was at risk of flooding, with the peninsula being inundated by flood water in 1981, WWT Steart Marshes has been transformed into a mosaic of freshwater, brackish and saltmarsh habitat that provide a buffer against storm surges. Cows owned by local farmers graze the site, producing high quality saltmarsh beef at the same time as supporting a sustainable model of nature conservation.  

The site supports a huge array of birds, fish, mammals, insects and amphibians and, up to 2020, the site is estimated to have stored 24,678 tonnes of organic carbon. In 2015, just one year after the site was created, it hosted Somerset’s second pair of breeding avocets in 150 years, with the species favouring the site and returning to breed consistently since.  

Rachel Burden, Environment Agency flood and coastal risk manager for Somerset, said: “WWT Steart Marshes is testament to successful partnership working in the face of flooding, coastal erosion and habitat loss and its 10th anniversary is a real cause for celebration.  

“This is a flagship site within our Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programme (HCRP) and part of a broader effort, regionally and nationally, to restore lost habitats and adapt to the challenges of climate change.  

“We are immensely proud of our achievements at Steart: reducing flood risk, supporting wildlife and enhancing community well-being by providing such a beautiful place for people to connect with nature. Here’s to many more years of success and enjoyment for all.”  

Locals, volunteers and those involved in the design and creation of the wetland site a decade ago celebrated in September with a get together at the site. Guided walks took place across the site, and attendees enjoyed a spread that boasted locally foraged samphire, sea radish and sea arrowgrass.   

In Spring 2024, WWT was awarded £800,000 from the government’s Species Survival Fund to restore and enhance habitat for wetland species across WWT Steart Marshes and Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve (NNR).