Rewilded Holnicote Estate Stays Green in Drought
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- The National Trust's Holnicote estate in Somerset rewilded rivers and wetlands; aerial footage shows those areas stayed green and lush through five summer heatwaves while the surrounding countryside turned parched and brown.
- Ben Eardley, Holnicote's project manager, said reversing generations of drainage — reconnecting rivers and creating natural sponges in the landscape — stores water during droughts and slows flooding downstream during storms.
- The Holnicote rewilding projects provide evidence that nature-based solutions can protect against wildfires, contradicting claims by some right-wing commentators who have blamed rewilding for causing them.
- Harry Bowell, the National Trust's director of land and nature, called on the government to boost investment in nature-based solutions, warning that climate change is "happening here and now" and that another El Niño is predicted for next year.
- More than 90% of the UK's wetlands have been lost over the past century, making restoration increasingly important for climate adaptation, water security, and nature recovery, according to the source.
- Wildfire destroyed the lowland heath at Dunwich, another National Trust estate, this summer — a contrast the source uses to underscore the resilience seen at Holnicote.
Why it matters: With 90% of UK wetlands already lost and another El Niño forecast for next year, the National Trust is using Holnicote's visible drought resilience to press the UK government for greater nature-based adaptation funding — and to publicly rebut right-wing claims that rewilding causes wildfires, a politically charged framing that has shaped UK conservation debates.
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