A MAJOR British firm has splashed out millions to support the much-loved Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) whose headquarters are based in Slimbridge. 

Insurance company Aviva has announced it is donating £21 million to support saltmarsh research and restoration in a new partnership. 

Saltmarsh is a natural habitat that combines coastal land and water and has historically been in decline.

The donation will fund research into maximising the benefits of saltmarsh for people and wildlife including storing carbon, increasing biodiversity, and reducing flood risk. 

The funding will also enable WWT to develop large-scale restoration projects alongside their reserves. 

A spokesperson said: “The £21M is to enable us to restore up to 250 ha of new saltmarsh, this will be separate from our reserves.  

“This is one of the biggest donations WWT has ever received in its 77 year history.

“This is a huge step forward in helping us reach our goal of creating bigger, better and more connected wetlands across the UK, including in Gloucestershire, to help combat climate change and nature loss.

“We will be sharing more information as our plans develop and we start work on the ground.”

Gazette Series: Saltmarsh Saltmarsh (Image: WWT Slimbridge)

Sarah Fowler, chief executive of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust said: “We are incredibly excited about our new transformative partnership with Aviva which aims to unlock the superpowers of wetlands to help combat the interlinked emergencies of climate change and catastrophic biodiversity loss.

“This ground-breaking project will allow us to apply our wide experience of restoring wetlands to create much needed new saltmarsh, and fund research to help us understand how to maximise and replicate its full potential for existing and future generations.”

Gazette Series: The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is based in Slimbridge and has nine other reserves with visitor centres across the UK The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is based in Slimbridge and has nine other reserves with visitor centres across the UK (Image: Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust)

Claudine Blamey, Aviva’s Group sustainability director, said: “Saltmarshes are precious habitats that have a significant role to play in fighting the climate emergency and improving the UK’s climate resilience. 

“Not only do they remove carbon from the atmosphere and support biodiversity, they also deliver flood mitigation benefits for nearby communities.

"We are delighted to fund leading research that will make a genuine contribution to the wider understanding of how saltmarshes can help move Aviva and the UK towards our net zero ambitions.”