The SERP Story.
Last year, in a quiet corner of the Somerset Levels, something wonderful blossomed out of a conversion between friends. Amidst the scholarly discourse at the Wilder Wedmore Festival, local residents and community activists Vanessa and Geoff joined forces with the Sustainable Eel Group, a commercially astute and scientifically informed conservation organisation responsible for safeguarding the future of the European eel.
Recognising the immediate and tangible impact of the group's small-scale solutions, they resolved to take up the challenge of making similarly small but impactful actions to help this critically endangered species overcome barriers to migration in their local waterways. The Somerset Eel Recovery Project was born.
Enacting change from the bottom-up, SERP has committed to educating people of all ages on particularly local issues facing the European eel. Through the 'Eels in the Classroom' initiative, in which elvers are cared for and released upstream by partner schools and colleges, we have pushed the boundaries in biological pedagogy, whilst drawing attention to unsustainable developments in the local area. Our popular rope-making workshops have offered multi-talented volunteers training in traditional skills used to improve the fate of migratory fish.
A focus on Somerset's waterways ensures our interventions remain resource-light, measurable, and effective, but our contributions extend beyond the region to contribute to the wider scientific community. Through an ambitious programme of eDNA sampling and strategic collaborations with local stakeholders, we have worked deligently to collect data and generate a more textured picture of the eel's recovery.
Looking ahead, we remain resolute in our mission—to restore the vitality of Somerset’s eel populations. By reconceptualising citizen science, educational outreach, and vocational training, the Somerset Eel Recovery Project stands poised to catalyse enduring social, economic, and environmental change.
Meet Vanessa.
Vanessa Becker-Hughes is a founding Director and heads up community engagement at the Somerset Eel Recovery Project (SERP), a community-led action group committed to monitoring, recording, and improving the conditions for eel recovery across Somerset. Drawing from her high-impact position at Green Wedmore, her background in green energy consultancy and dedication to nature advocacy she brings a wealth of practical knowledge to her work, together with an unwavering commitment to progressive methods of learning and sharing to penetrate the whole community.
Under Vanessa's leadership, SERP has delivered several significant projects, the most notable of which being ‘Eels in the Classroom’, an educational programme which this year involved and engaged over two thousand students in conservation efforts. She also spearheaded and developed the successful Somerset Eel Conference, which proved an invaluable platform not only for sharing recent research, but for fostering collaboration between conservationists, artists, and community groups less exposed to science and the arts.
Vanessa is passionate about preserving cultural knowledge, organising traditional straw rope making workshops and oral histories projects that connect the community with cultural heritage and conservation practices. She has also been instrumental in advancing eel monitoring using environmental DNA (eDNA), which has demonstrated considerable potential in open letters and dialogue to various key organisations..
Vanessa’s commitment to building a diverse and inclusive conservationist community which inspires people of all backgrounds and abilities is reflected in her outreach strategies that cover many sectors of Somerset life. Her ability to inspire and mobilise people of all social and political persuasions has been crucial to the project's success and impact.
Whilst SERP operates on smaller scale than SEG, Vanessa has proven that dedication, experience, and community connections can drive meaningful change in environmental conservation. Her work continues to inspire others to take action and ensure the European eel lives on to inspire generations to come.