National Grid joins leading organisations to create 100,000 hectares of healthy wetlands in the UK

The organisations are launching a new initiative working with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) to help fight the climate, nature and wellbeing crisis by creating networks of healthy wetlands across the UK. 

The Blue Recovery Leaders Group meeting at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre was chaired by chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, with attendees including His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and representatives from sectors including housing, water, charity, engineering, banking and landowners.

All members of the group will work together to identify, develop and deliver pioneering projects that help WWT reach its Blue Recovery goal of creating 100,000 hectares of new and restored wetlands across the country.

Members have all signed a statement of intent which commits them to exploring ways to work together to help create the network of wetlands.

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said: “By signing the statement, the business leaders are saying that yes, they want to be part of this – they want to be part of WWT’s incredibly important efforts to build more wetlands in this country.”

Duncan Burt, Chief Sustainability Officer at National Grid, said: “The challenges the world faces today will only be solved with every sector of society working together – and the Blue Recovery Leads Group is a great example of how this can happen.”

WWT’s Blue Recovery proposal covers a number of strands – including creating a carbon storage network of coastal wetlands, a network of wetland features to reduce the risk of flooding, a network of accessible urban wetlands to improve wellbeing, and a water treatment network to improve biodiversity.

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