Get Your Wellies on for World Wetlands Day
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Conservation
January 30, 2025
You don't have to go far to find a wetland
Get your wellies on! This Sunday is World Wetlands Day, a chance to shout about the importance of these varied, vital and highly threatened environments.
February 2 is an international celebration of wetlands, water-rich biomes where plants and animals have adapted to semi-aquatic conditions.
Wetlands such as marshes, swamps, bogs, fenlands and tidal zones occur on every continent except Antarctica, supporting unique species and playing a role in broader ecological processes like storing carbon.
However, they are under threat worldwide from climate change and human development.
“Wetlands include the Mangrove forests in India and the Everglades in Florida, but you don't have to go far to find a wetland,” said Ruby Merriman, Estate Biodiversity Manager at the Zoo.
“In fact, the Chester Zoo estate, both inside the Zoo itself and in the wider estate, includes a wide range of wetland habitats."
These include more than 40 ponds inside and beyond the Zoo itself, reedbed, wet meadow and small areas of wet woodland. The ponds alone add up to 5.3817 hectares, an area larger than seven football pitches.
We have big plans to improve our wetland areas in the next four years to attract even more wildlife.
Ruby said: "Our most recent survey showed that alongside the tigers, snow leopards and rhinoceros sought out by Zoo visitors, the estate supports a wide variety of species living in the wild.
“Our bird surveys this winter have revealed that wetland species are making good use of our biodiversity areas on the estate. We have good populations of woodcock and snipe, with redshank and green sandpiper making a welcome appearance.
“We also have a large population of great-crested newts, some living wild in the Islands zone, frequent kingfisher sightings, water rail, little grebe, over 10 species of dragonfly and damselfly, and the occasional otter on the estate.”
Visitors are welcome to walk the circular path on the Chester Zoo Nature Reserve accessible from the Zoo car park, which takes in several wetland zones, and to make use of the bird hide, both on World Wetlands Day and beyond.
“We have big plans to improve our wetland areas in the next four years to attract even more wildlife,” Ruby added.
To find out more about conservation projects at the Zoo, visit www.chesterzoo.org/conservation-science-education