News
The state of the UK’s birds: a conservation barometer
As nations gather in Nagoya, Japan, next week, for the world biodiversity conference, a coalition of UK conservation organisations has today published a report using the UK’s birds as a barometer of conservation success. In 1994, the UK government ide
15 October 2010
Nature’s place in government policy
Last week, Defra published the results of a key study, Making Space for Nature, which reports how robust wildlife sites are across England, and on what might need to change in the future to safeguard nature right across the landscape. The findings are pr
28 September 2010
First winter migrants begin arriving at WWT reserves
As September draws to an end, WWT wetland reserves have begun to see the very first winter migrants arriving from countries such as Iceland and Russia. By mid-October we expect tens of thousands of Brent geese – most of the world’s population – to
27 September 2010
WWT aerial research secures new SPAs for waterbirds
Ground-breaking aerial research conducted by WWT has helped to secure two new EU Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in Liverpool Bay and the Outer Thames Estuary by demonstrating how important these areas are for red-throated divers and common scoters. The
23 September 2010
Short film promotes mission to save Madagascar pochard
A short film of last year's mission to Madagascar to rescue the endemic pochard from imminent extinction has been posted on YouTube. It tells the story of the team of WWT and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust staff who worked with the local Malagasy com
21 September 2010
Turning tides for waterbirds in the UK
In recent years, the UK’s estuaries and other wetlands have seen several notable changes in the birds using them. Little egret and avocet are now present in higher numbers than ever before, but familiar species such as ringed plover and dunlin are at al
24 August 2010
Svalbard expedition confirms hungry polar bears a threat to conservation success story
A Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) scientist just returned from Svalbard has confirmed that polar bears stranded on land in the summer months are devastating breeding barnacle goose populations as they roam the coastline looking for food. Conservation ef
17 August 2010
More Welsh birds in the red
The latest assessment of all of Wales’ 213 regularly occurring birds – Population Status of Birds in Wales 2 – shows 45 species are now of the highest conservation concern and have been placed on the assessment’s red list. Alarmingly, red-listed
11 August 2010
Latest discovery of world’s oldest living species raises hope of more across the UK
Two new colonies of a rare tadpole shrimp which date back over 200 million years have been discovered in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Scientists now think it’s possible that other colonies are going undetected in the UK because of the creature’s strange
29 July 2010
WWT begins breeding project to save endangered waders
WWT have begun work on a groundbreaking new project to perfect the process of breeding waders as part of our conservation breeding program. The project is currently focused on hatching and rearing two wader species - the ruff and the dunlin. Its goal is
28 July 2010
Last Chance to See presenter Mark Carwardine becomes WWT vice president
WWT is delighted to announce that Mark Carwardine, the co-star of BBC2’s Last Chance to See with Stephen Fry, has become our new vice president. The charity is thrilled to welcome Mark – a zoologist and keen conservationist with many accolades to hi
18 June 2010
Hungry polar bears threaten WWT conservation success story
Scientists from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) fear that hungry polar bears are jeopardising a conservation success story by feasting on the eggs of barnacle geese because melting Arctic ice is making seal hunting too difficult. According to resear
17 June 2010
2020Vision launches photography-based conservation initiative
April sees the launch of 2020Vision, Britain’s most ambitious photography-based conservation initiative ever! 20 of the country’s top wildlife and nature photographers have, for the first time, come together with leading conservation partners to docu
25 May 2010
WWT’s wildlife presenter YouTube competition winner announced
A wildlife artist from Shrewsbury has become the winner of WWT’s Be Your Favourite Wildlife Presenter YouTube competition. Ben Waddams, 25, impressed the judges – including TV’s David Bellamy and Bill Oddie – with his entertaining impressions of n
25 May 2010
Duckling days offer half term fun
If you are looking for the ahhh factor this half term head for the duckling days at National Wetland Centre Wales. Visitors during the week (Saturday 29 May to Sunday 6 June) can have the chance to go on a behind the scenes tour of the hatchery and ducker
24 May 2010