Half the world's inland wetlands have been lost over the last century and that loss is mirrored in the UK. Wetlands are being lost and degraded more rapidly than other ecosystems.
WWT’s Wetlands in My Back Yard programme is designed to raise awareness, and increase the number, of garden wetlands, including wildlife ponds and bog gardens. It began in 2009 with a survey involving more than 1,500 respondents.
The linked competition was judged in stages, using survey replies, a more detailed questionnaire, photographs and visits to shortlisted gardens. Competition judges were Professor Chris Baines, Dr Debbie Pain, WWT’s director of conservation; Seb Buckton, the manager of WWT’s community wetlands programme, author and journalist Cavan Scott and Liz Dobbs, the editor of Gardens Monthly.