The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is a national wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Queen Elizabeth II and its president is Prince Charles.
Contents
History
The WWT was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist and artist Sir Peter Scott as the Severn Wildfowl Trust. The WWT was instrumental in saving the nēnē from the brink of extinction in the 1950s.
Nature reserves
The WWT has over 200,000 members and nine reserves with visitor centres. Together these cover over 20 km², and support over 150,000 birds. They receive over one million visitors per year. The reserves include seven SSSIs (site of Special Scientific Interest), five SPAs (Special Protection Areas) and five Ramsar sites.
Consultancy
WWT also operates a consultancy business called WWT Consulting that provides external clients with a comprehensive range of wetland services. These include: ecological survey and assessment; habitat design and management; visitor centre planning and design; and wetland treatment systems.
Organisation
The Trust is a registered charity in England and Scotland. As of December 2012, the Trust's chief executive is Martin Spray. In December 2012, he was appointed CBE.