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We are the wetland restoration charity. Together we will unlock the power of wetlands – and help nature burst back to life.

by WWT in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

We are a growing, global community of nature lovers. Our vision is a world where healthy wetland nature thrives and enriches lives. Our mission is to restore wetlands and unlock their power.

Just like our founder, Sir Peter Scott, we’re dedicated to finding solutions and inspiring change. For wetlands. For life. But we can’t do it alone. Every action we take together, large or small, will help wetlands burst with life once more. Because when wetlands flourish, all life will flourish.

Since the 1940s, we have been dedicated to protecting wetlands and saving wetland species. It’s in our DNA. Our vision - to create a world where healthy wetland nature thrives and enriches lives, draws heavily on our storied legacy of conservation. This heritage is why WWT is known as the birthplace of modern conservation.

In 1946 we were established by Sir Peter Scott, a man described by Sir David Attenborough as “the patron saint of conservation”. Today, conservation science has proven what our founder had always known. Wetlands are wondrous places. Powerful weapons of mass creation with the potential to save species from extinction, tackle climate change, and improve people’s lives. That’s why we’re on a mission to restore wetlands and unlock their power – and empower everyone to do just the same. To be that beacon of hope and optimism as Sir Peter set out to do more than 75 years ago.

WWT has teamed up with Aviva, the savings and insurance business, on a ground-breaking project to restore saltmarshes in the UK – unlocking the superpowers of wetlands.

This pioneering project will enable us to restore and manage coastal saltmarsh at a landscape-scale and fund research into measuring and maximising its benefits.

Saltmarsh, a nature-rich habitat historically in serious decline, is a mix of coastal land and water that helps to combat the causes and effects of climate change. Saltmarshes are brilliant carbon sinks, accumulating carbon forty times faster than forests, and offer natural flood protection; they also teem with wildlife that often cannot survive elsewhere, help improve water quality and make us feel better. A natural solution to some of our world’s most pressing problems. This builds on the work we’ve already done, and continue to do, at WWT Steart Marshes in Somerset. 

Aviva volunteers can get out in the fresh air and boots on the ground at our wetland sites, guided by one of our knowledgeable and friendly members of WWT staff who can teach them about nature, practical conservation and why the work is so important.