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WWT Report and Financial Statements 2012/13
Objectives and achievements
Understanding wetlands
Half the world’s inland wetlands have been lost over the last century and with
them their unique wildlife.
Wetlands are being lost and degraded more rapidly than
any other ecosystem.
Found from the poles to the tropics, from mountains
down to the sea, wetlands are very diverse habitats
including lakes, ponds, rivers and their floodplains,
marshes, swamps and coastal waters.
Wetlands are essential for life on Earth. As well as storing
and cleaning our water, they can help protect us from
floods and storms. They also include some of the most
productive and diverse living systems – they are the
lifeblood of our planet. Wetlands provide habitats for a
wealth of animals and plants, from flamingos to swans,
from marsh marigolds to mangroves, from water voles to
dragonflies.
Wetlands are essential to life on our planet. They’re
home to more wildlife and plant species than almost
any other habitat on earth. They also help to clean
and supply our fresh water, provide us with food and
raw materials and help protect us from both flooding
and drought.
How we live our lives influences wetlands. Because they
are complex and fragile, wetlands are easily damaged.
Reclaimed for building or agriculture, increasingly polluted
and degraded, wetlands are among the first casualties of
our drive for growth and development.
The wildlife that wetlands support is among the most
threatened of all ecosystems: of inland wetland-
dependent species, one third of all amphibians, 15
percent of wetland birds, more than 40 percent of reptiles,
30 percent of mammals and six percent of fish species
are globally threatened with extinction. Along with the
wildlife, the many benefits that wetlands provide to people
are also at risk.
Many of the threats to wetlands grow year on year and
time is running out. WWT is committed to halting the
degradation of wetlands and declines in their wildlife and
reversing this destructive trend.
In the 21st century we need wetlands more than ever to
sustain local economies, protect biodiversity and help to
counter and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Our vision
That society values, protects and manages wetlands to
sustain wildlife, people and the planet.
Our mission
Saving wetlands for wildlife and for people.
Achieved through…
•
Inspiring people to connect with and value wetlands
and their wildlife.
•
Demonstrating and promoting the importance and
benefits of wetlands.
•
Countering threats to wetlands and their wildlife.
•
Creating and restoring wetlands and protecting key
wetland sites.
•
Saving threatened wetland species.
