15
WWT Report and Financial Statements 2012/13
and preferences, and both staff and volunteers have
started working to check, build and manage a refreshed
array of mini talks, species presentations and extra special
experiences at centres.
Our interpretation team works on all the new wetland
centre exhibits, but a particular highlight this year
has been new theming and messaging for our World
Wetlands exhibits at London, drawing links between the
exhibit and their wildfowl and key wetlands and wetland
issues. Interpretation also features some amazing stories
of the relationship between people, wetlands and their
wildfowl, and features a range of individual species for
which WWT has a long history of conservation action.
WWT Consulting
In WWT Consulting’s Visitor Centre Planning (VCP)
sector the projects are typically international; however,
during 2012/13 we enjoyed a spread of national and
international work. During this period the Consultancy
worked on 13 visitor centre planning projects.
Two design and build projects were won. This included
an exhibition fit out for Landguard Visitor Centre to
interpret the port and local nature reserve for Suffolk
Coastal District Council. We also, through funding support
provided by UK Trade and Investment, won a project in the
Seychelles for the Vallee de Mai UNESCO World Heritage
site to design and fabricate new interpretation for a trail.
A number of feasibility studies and masterplans
were worked on, including an interpretation plan for
a visitor centre at Guerbes-Sanhadja Plains, Algeria,
commissioned by the United Nations Development
Programme, which involved support from Chris Rostron
of Wetlands Link International. We carried out a feasibility
study for an urban wetland centre in Maldonado, Uruguay
and following on from last year’s workshop with Fetsund
Lenser, Norway, we carried out further workshops at
London and Slimbridge to discuss the potential for
developing a wetland centre at this site.
Large scale wetland restoration and masterplans included
the Fujin National Wetland Park Masterplan in the north
east of China, won on the back of the successful delivery
of the Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve Masterplan
in 2011/2012. We have also, for the first time, won work
in the USA with the help of staff from the London Wetland
Centre, for a new wetland centre in Jamaica Bay, New
York. We are working on the feasibility study for this new
wetland park and are currently in the process of securing
the masterplan which will be delivered by December
2013 and implemented in 2014.
We also assisted with the development of a publication
about natural solutions for water security for International
Biodiversity Day, commissioned by the Convention of
Biological Diversity.
“The children learnt so much
from this visit. As a school
from east London, they’re not
used to seeing nature, it was
an extremely worthwhile and
unique experience for them.”
Sandringham Primary School
Photo: © WWT
