How You Can Help

Making a wetland in your garden, on an allotment, or in the grounds of a school, workplace or community park can be easy, inexpensive, and brings many benefits to people and wildlife.

For gardeners, a wetland means a greater variety of native plants can be grown and that it’s easier to attract the mini-beasts which pollinate fruit, flowers and vegetables, and bring in other helpful pest-controllers, like birds and hedgehogs.

A doorstep wetland also opens a window into how life develops and provides endless fascination to garden visitors of all ages with its cast of comic, dazzling or intriguing creatures, such as water boatmen, dragonflies, frogs and newts.

Adding a wetland to a garden is a tried, tested and proven stress-buster too: a place to wind down, think, lose worries and find calm. 

In areas at risk of flooding, garden wetlands have the added benefit of slowing down and reducing the run-off of heavy rains into drains, helping our drainage network to better cope.

What is more, wildlife loves wetlands. Every new one is a much-needed extra sanctuary, rest stop, drinking and feeding station or breeding ground – all vital to keep local nature safe and vibrant.

And creating wetlands isn’t the only way you can help, there is a great deal that you can do to use water more wisely and generally live a more wetland-friendly life.

Plus you can also get involved in protecting wetlands – you can volunteer for WWT at one of our centres and there are many local groups that would welcome an extra pair of hands to help manage wetlands in your neighbourhood.