….but not quite like that ! Orlando Venn of the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust educated Coastwise members about the benefits of wetlands, either by inundation with tidal seawater, or freshwater.
The WWT was set up by Peter Scott at Slimbridge, with a mission to restore wetlands and educate the public in their ecological benefits.
It’s now worldwide, but in the UK there are 9 sites, and Members learned that 1/3 of wetlands has disappeared since the 1970s, 83% of wetland species are in decline, 40% of the world’s species are reliant on wetlands in some way, and they capture carbon and 40 times the rate of woodland.
Benefits are as mood lifters, carbon storers, flood alleviators, water purifiers and nature boosters.
The current Shoreline management plans are being revisited and ‘refreshed’ by the Environment Agency.
Orlando outlined bow the Steart Marshes near Minehead have been transformed with the help of a £20M grant from a large company with an interest in the environment, and how he’d been able to navigate the very tricky legislative and regulatory requirements to get the site operating much quicker than others. He’s now close to being able to reveal another site on the Severn Estuary which should be ready in 2027.
A great talk by and excellent speaker.
