News | WWT

Royal Bank of Canada donates Chelsea garden to Martin Mere

UPDATE: The Royal Bank of Canada Garden won a showgarden Gold Award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It's also up for a People's Award - you can vote for it online via the BBC website. WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre staff have been to Chelsea to meet the d

22 May 2017

Rosier future for rarest duck on Ramsar wetland

The Madagascar pochard, the world’s rarest duck, has a rosier future today (International Day of Biodiversity) after the Government of Madagascar pledged to protect the wetland earmarked as its new home. A recent WWT audit of Madagascar’s wetlands id

22 May 2017

Attenborough pays tribute to Scott

Sir David Attenborough has visited WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre to pay tribute to his old friend, WWT founder Sir Peter Scott. The two broadcasters became close in the 1950s and 1960s, when Peter presented “Look” and David presented “Zooquest” fo

12 May 2017

Fenland chicks good for godwits

First chicks mark fresh future for rare fenland wading bird

12 May 2017

Can swans and geese be aggressive?

Are some birds more aggressive than others? Not according to new research by WWT.

8 May 2017

Latest figures reveal current state of UK’s birds

More than one quarter of UK birds are in need of urgent conservation effort with curlew, puffin and nightingale joining the growing list of threatened species – but there is good news for some, according to a new report from conservation bodies includin

11 April 2017

Help find the missing ducks this Easter

Children visiting WWT’s Wetland Centres this Easter are being asked to keep their eyes out for some rather special ducks. A number of GIANT yellow ducks have gone missing and WWT’s own Dusty Duck is asking children to help him in Dusty’s GIANT Duck

31 March 2017

Ballast convention reduces mitten crab threat, but it’s not the end of the story

The risk to UK wildlife from invasive Chinese mitten crabs will be significantly reduced once the Government follows through on its commitment to treat ballast water from ships coming into UK waters. However, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) has jo

27 March 2017

Evidence sought to make wetlands the number one solution

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is asking designers and managers of man-made wetlands to complete a short survey that will help gather evidence for natural solutions to become the number one option for water management. The survey is available at

14 March 2017

Scientists invite you to the pub (or to Steart Marshes)

Somerset residents are being invited to the pub by a group of scientists who have come to the region from across the UK to study Steart Marshes. The scientists’ quest is to unlock the mysteries of man-made coastal wetlands, and they want to hear from th

7 March 2017

Pochard's last refuge gets international protection

The world’s rarest duck is one waddle closer to safety after its wetland home was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, by the government of Madagascar. Bemanevika is series of secluded lakes in the remotest corner of the highlands of

6 March 2017

Swan woman has tea with the Russian Ambassador

WWT’s ‘swan woman’ Sacha Dench had tea with Russian Ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, yesterday, during which they discussed the protection of endangered wetland birds and possible future collaboration with Russian organisations. The invitation to Sa

3 March 2017

Avian Influenza - updated restrictions

WWT is urging everyone who owns birds to keep supporting national efforts to reduce the spread of avian influenza. The H5N8 strain of the virus has never transferred to humans. But it has caused many deaths in wild and farmed birds across the UK in recent

28 February 2017

I.D. guides issued as swans migrate across Europe

Simple guides to help people identify different swans are being issued across northern Europe ahead of the migration of the rare Bewick’s swan. The guides have been designed by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) after finding that few people know t