Tom Fewins

Head of Policy & Advocacy

About me

I joined WWT in October 2018 as Head of Policy & Advocacy. Before joining WWT, I worked in policy and public affairs roles in Parliament, Government and the third sector.

I am interested in the use of wetlands as nature-based solutions to broader societal challenges, and how we can use policy and advocacy to build support for this. I joined WWT at a critical time in the fight to protect and restore wetlands and our environment more broadly, and am determined to ensure we make best use of the opportunities this presents.

My role

Tom heads up the Trust’s policy and advocacy team who work with stakeholders across Government, political parties, business and wider civil society to raise awareness, build engagement and secure support for wetlands in the UK and globally.

In the UK our work focuses on securing a ‘Blue Recovery’ to the pandemic and in response to the climate, nature and wellbeing crises, through the creation of 100,000ha wetlands. We are also working overseas to ensure wetlands are effectively valued by local, national, regional and international decision-makers.

Experience and interests

My skills include:

• Political intelligence, monitoring and reporting on wetland-related developments amongst stakeholder groups
• Policy development, identifying policy barriers and developing evidence-based solutions
• Representing WWT, building relationships with stakeholder groups
• Advocacy, influencing stakeholder policy and plans affecting wetlands
• Local engagement, protecting wetland sites and building support amongst local stakeholders
• Communications and campaigns, supporting colleagues to promote WWT policies and positions