Bristol has begun a five-year partnership between the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and insurance company Aviva to become the UK's first Wetland City, integrating wetland habitats into urban infrastructure to improve climate resilience and flood management. The programme will support over 200 projects including pond restoration, river rehabilitation, and creation of mini wetlands across the city, with the goal of achieving international Ramsar accreditation.
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is encouraging supporters to leave gifts in their wills to fund wetland conservation, with one in five pounds donated to WWT already coming from legacy gifts. The campaign highlights how investment in wetland restoration has transformed habitats across UK sites, creating thriving ecosystems for wildlife and visitors.
WWT is running a week-long seasonal event from 24 October to 1 November offering families hands-on activities and outdoor adventures celebrating wetlands and autumn wildlife. The scare-free Halloween experience includes fungi hunts, pond dipping, owl pellet examination, and nature-inspired crafts designed to boost children's wellbeing and connection to nature.
WWT has secured £650,000 from Natural England's Species Recovery Programme to expand captive breeding and release efforts for black-tailed godwits, a species reduced to fewer than 40 breeding pairs in the UK. The funding will support hatching and rearing chicks at WWT Slimbridge before releasing them into the wild, alongside RSPB research into population dynamics and implementation of a national action plan.
WWT Caerlaverock, one of Scotland's premier wetland nature reserves, reopens to the public on 2 July 2026 following site maintenance and team restructuring. The reserve will operate three days a week (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays) with a renewed focus on delivering wilder, wetter wetland experiences and newly created pools and scrapes that support diverse bird species.
WWT Caerlaverock has been officially recognised as a 'dragonfly hotspot' by the British Dragonfly Society and will celebrate the species as part of the wetland charity's Dragonfly Festival this summer. The site's hot weather conditions provide ideal opportunities for visitors to observe rare and wonderful dragonfly species throughout the season.
WWT is leading a partnership with Gwent Wildlife Trust and Eagle Reintroduction Wales to restore white-tailed eagles to the wetlands of Wales. The species was persecuted to extinction in Britain but is slowly returning to England and Scotland through conservation efforts.
The Bank of England has opened a public consultation to choose wildlife species for the next series of UK banknotes, with voting running from 3 June to 3 July 2026. Seven of the 18 shortlisted species are wetland animals, giving the public an opportunity to celebrate these habitats.
The Dragonfly Festival is running across nine WWT wetland centres during the summer school holidays, featuring live music, performances, craft workshops, and guided wildlife experiences. The festival celebrates dragonflies and wetland ecosystems while offering families outdoor activities including canoe safaris, pond dipping, bug hunts, and expert-led walks.
The Wetter for Waders project has enhanced and restored wetland habitat across WWT Steart Marshes and Bridgwater Bay Somerset Wetlands National Nature Reserve, creating new scrapes, enhancing lagoons and ditches, and installing a tidal inlet. The two-year project, funded by £800,000 from the government's Species Survival Fund, has already shown results including evidence of breeding great-crested newts and benefits for nesting birds like avocets.
An expansive boardwalk has been built at WWT Steart Marshes to allow visitors to experience saltmarsh habitats up close and learn about the wildlife that depends on them. The boardwalk was officially opened by children from Otterhampton Primary School as part of the Wetter for Waders project.
Legislation banning lead ammunition in outdoor shooting comes into force across England, Scotland, and Wales on 1 April 2026, with a phased transition period through 2029. The ban is expected to save up to 100,000 waterbirds annually that currently die from lead poisoning in the UK.
WWT Llanelli has secured £300,000 in Welsh Government funding plus £100,000 from WWT itself to transform its entrance and visitor facilities through the Welcome Project. Work begins April 2026 and will be completed by November 2026, with the centre remaining open throughout and featuring improved pathways, wider doorways, bilingual signage, and sustainable drainage systems.
WWT has received funding from the Nature Networks Programme to carry out a three-year wetland creation and restoration project at WWT Llanelli and the surrounding Burry Inlet area. The work will create habitats for internationally important wintering birds, otters, and critically endangered European eels, while improving visitor experiences and building climate resilience.
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust marks World Wetlands Day on 2 February with a focus on wetlands and traditional knowledge, celebrating their cultural significance and biodiversity value. WWT ambassadors and staff highlight inspiring wetland sites from Norfolk saltmarshes to Spanish rice fields, emphasizing the importance of protecting these habitats for wildlife and communities.
WWT is partnering with Macmillan Children's Books to bring Julia Donaldson's new picture book character Gozzle to life as an interactive family experience running from 20 March to 31 May 2026. The immersive adventure will feature outdoor trails, interactive Vet Check stations, storytelling sessions, and a story trail across WWT Slimbridge, Washington, Martin Mere, Arundel, London, and Llanelli.
Following decades of campaigning by WWT and partner organisations, the UK government confirmed in 2025 a ban on lead ammunition, which has historically poisoned up to 100,000 waterbirds annually in the UK. The ban is expected to significantly reduce lead pollution in wetlands and save countless birds each year, including migratory species like Bewick's swans.
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