New visitor centre at WWT Welney… and what is it about the WWT?
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The Ranger is interested to read of the new lottery-funded Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust visitor facilities due to open Easter 2006 at Welney. A while ago, whilst working at Wicken Fen, I had a bit to do with the WWT reserve at Welney, and visited it quite a few times. I was struck then, and have been since, by the unique approach of the WWT to birdwatching and indeed conservation in general.
It is without any trace of pejorative overtone that I describe their reserves as unashamedly populist. In keeping with the wishes of their founder, Sir Peter Scott, the WWT have brought to the highest level the art of consumer bird watching. Rather than many, obscure, scattered reserves, purchased and managed primarily for their conservation interest, the WWT have concentrated their efforts on a few, magnificent, easily accessible reserves, where the birds are more or less brought to the visitor who can sit in warm and carpeted luxury – if they so wish – to watch them. The birds might not be very rare (although they often are), but you can be damned sure that if you’ve paid your money, you’re gonna see clouds of the things. Can you imagine why anyone would prefer waiting in chilly marshes for the dawn and a chance of a glimpse of some little brown thing 250m away? Madness! Why not come to WWT and just let it all wash over you? WWT is the Ikea of conservation – they are selling not just a product but an experience. And they do it fantastically well. This kind of mass bird-delivery system is a far cry from the offerings at almost every other nature reserve. Needless to say this unique attitude leads to some criticisms. WWT centres often feed the wild birds to encourage them to come to the centres for viewing. And by feeding, I don’t mean a handful of seed or so. No, they dump many tonnes of potatoes and animal feed, allowing the birds to gorge themselves and stock up for their migration flights. Not such a bad thing, really, but at what point does feeding the passing migrants start to interfere with their natural way of life? Do they become more tame and domesticated, and if so, does this affect their chances of survival in other countries where perhaps there is no local WWT to feed them? It’s not a question the Ranger is qualified to answer, but I assume that WWT know the answer, and keep a close eye on such matters. It has also been suggested that WWT is only focussed on birds themselves, rather than also considering their habitats and other connected groups (such as invertebrates), which is a more sustainable position. However, I believe from my own experience of the WWT in Welney that this is not true – even if perhaps it once was. WWT know about conservation in the widest sense and are quite conscious of what they are up to. They are perfectly capable of undertaking good ecology, when it suits them, but have very little in the way of resources compared to many, larger, bodies such as RSPB and the National Trust; leaving them little spare time and money for pure ecology. What they have done instead is to specialise, and to follow the money. Huge resources can be attracted for buildings and facilities, especially from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In fact, it is (or at least was) notoriously easier to get a lot of money, from many sources, for a building, than a small amount for habitat management. WWT have capitalised on this in several locations most expertly. The WWT is a small but dedicated group which has successfully identified a very specific niche in the nature reserve business. It would be hard to imagine any organisation in the UK displacing them from their pre-eminent position.