WWT London Wetland Centre hosts national wildlife banknote consultation
Out of 18 animals the public have to choose from, over 1/3 are wetland species.
On Wednesday 3 June, the Bank of England launched its wildlife banknote public consultation at WWT London Wetland Centre.
The consultation was proudly hosted and delivered by the team at WWT London Wetland Centre, with colleagues across the reserve coming together to make the event a success. From liaising and coordinating with the Bank of England to organising the day on site, the London team led the delivery of the consultation at the Centre. Our volunteers and staff played a vital role in welcoming visitors and running engagement activities, while the reserve team hosted guided walks across the wetlands. It was a real collective effort, with everyone stepping in to help create a warm, engaging experience for visitors, and a meaningful opportunity for Londoners to have their say in shaping what wildlife will feature on the next series of UK banknotes.
Images of the UK’s wildlife are to feature on the next series of banknotes, following a public consultation run by the Bank of England in 2025. The nature theme received the highest proportion of nominations in last year's consultation (60%).
Now, the Bank is running a second consultation to gather the public’s views on the specific wildlife they would like to feature on the next series of banknotes. Together with a panel of wildlife experts, the Bank has produced a shortlist of wildlife for the public to choose from.
Behind the scenes, WWT has been campaigning for some time to make sure there’s at least one wetland species included in this shortlist. And we’re thrilled to announce that in the final shortlist, there is seven.
Out of 18 animals the public have to choose from, over 1/3 call wetlands their home, giving WWT members and supporters an opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness of these superpowered habitats across the UK and beyond.
Here's the full list of species the public can choose from:
| Mammals | Birds | Amphibians, insects and fish |
| bottlenose dolphin | Atlantic puffin | Atlantic salmon |
| brown hare | barn owl | basking shark |
| European hedgehog | common kingfisher | buff-tailed bumblebee |
| grey seal | Eurasian curlew | common frog |
| pine marten | great spotted woodpecker | emperor dragonfly |
| red fox | white-tailed eagle | Marsh fritillary butterfly |
But this isn’t just about the species, it’s also a moment to reflect on collective success across the conservation sector that has ensured our wildlife continues to thrive long into the future.
Species like the magnificent white-tailed eagle were once synonymous with our British landscapes, but were sadly persecuted to extinction. Thanks to monumental conservation efforts, this iconic species is coming back from the brink, slowly returning to the skies of England and Scotland.
And now, WWT is leading a partnership with Gwent Wildlife Trust and Eagle Reintroduction Wales to restore this lost symbol of cultural identity back to the wetlands of Wales.
Everyone is encouraged to cast their vote in the Bank of England’s consultation, which opened on Wednesday 3 June and closes on Friday 3 July.
As the UK’s wetland charity, WWT knows the value of nature; wetlands provide solutions to the crises our world faces and are home to 40% of the world’s wildlife.
So cast your vote today for a wetland species, and help raise the voices of our beloved, superpowered habitats.
