WWT Castle Espie shines on world stage with Prestigious Global Wetland Star Award
WWT Castle Espie has won the prestigious Star Wetland Centre Award, placing it among the world’s leading wetland education and visitor centres. To celebrate the achievement, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA visited the site to unveil the special award plaque and congratulate the team.
The announcement of the award was made at the Convention on Wetlands (COP15) in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe earlier this year, signalling significant international recognition for the Northern Ireland based nature reserve.
Presented by Wetland Link International (WLI) – a global network initially founded by WWT in 1991 – the award is the only international quality mark dedicated to recognising outstanding wetland educators and visitor attractions. It celebrates centres that champion wetland conservation through strong public engagement, environmental education, and community involvement.
In 2025, WWT Castle Espie was one of 16 centres globally to receive the Star Wetland Centre Award. Since the awards began in 2022, it is one of only two centres in the UK with full Star Award status across the four categories: biodiversity, research, people and facilities and the only full Star Award recipient on the island of Ireland.
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA said:
“I was very pleased to return to WWT Castle Espie to celebrate its recognition as one of the world’s top wetland visitor centres in winning a Wetland Link International Star Award. Castle Espie is one of only two sites in the UK to receive such an award. It reflects the valuable work carried out on site which has put them on a global stage. I wish to thank the staff and volunteers of Castle Espie for their contribution to wetland conservation and to environmental education.”
WWT Castle Espie Centre Manager Paul Stewart said:
“We’re honoured to have received a full Star Award across all categories, making this the only full WLI Star site on the island of Ireland and one of only two in the entire UK. The judges were especially impressed by our deep integration with the natural environment and local heritage and our excellent engagement with visitors and the wider community across Northern Ireland. This recognition reflects the passion, dedication and creativity of the WWT Castle Espie team for shining a light on the importance of wetlands globally and providing a window on the amazing habitats of the largest sea lough in Ireland or Britain, Strangford Lough.”
Connor Walsh, International Engagement Officer, International Programmes Weaving mental health, wellbeing and nature commented:
“When you see the Star Wetland Centre plaque outside a wetland visitor centre, you know the staff and volunteers there work hard to educate and inform people about the greatness of wetlands. Our awards are handed out by a panel of wetland visitor centre staff from around the world, so any winner needs to be absolutely top quality. A big part of why we started the Star Wetland Centre awards is to recognise the great work that the staff and volunteers do and to recognise that they are part of something global. We want to say well done and thank you to the team at Castle Espie for their brilliant work in bringing people closer to wetland nature.”
