Invesco UK and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) have launched a partnership to support conservation and restoration of UK wetlands. Wetlands have multiple benefits for people, planet and animals. Providing nature-based solutions they store a prolific amount of carbon; they reduce flood risk; treat water by removing pollutants; help to increase biodiversity* and have holistic benefits for our wellbeing too. Invesco will be the first investment company to donate to the Blue Recovery Fund, which WWT launched in 2020 with the aim of creating and restoring 100,000 hectares of wetlands across the UK by 2050. Invesco UK will be supporting a number of key wetland creation projects and vital research.
Combined, coastal wetlands, including saltmarsh and mangrove, store more carbon than all the world’s forests, yet they are being lost three times faster. The UK has lost almost 90% of its wetlands since the 1800s and the Blue Recovery Fund, supported by Invesco, has been established to address this decline and restore wetlands that have been lost.
Starting this summer, Invesco UK’s support will contribute towards WWT’s critical mapping work which will identify the best locations in the UK for wetland creation and restoration, alongside vital research and delivery of on the ground wetland management projects.
Matthew Heath, CMO EMEA & Americas at Invesco, said: “To be able to support WWT in their work to restore these much needed habitats across the UK is both exciting and rewarding. The multiple benefits they bring to both people and planet is not to be underestimated.”
Peter Lee, Head of Philanthropy and Partnerships at WWT, said: “WWT is delighted to have the support of Invesco. Their valuable contribution to our Blue Recovery work will enable us to undertake a number of critical research projects and work on the ground to deliver new wetlands and restore others. We look forward to working with Invesco to progress our Blue Recovery goals, encouraging future partners to integrate in the same way.”
Invesco believes everyone has a part to play in reversing the loss of wetland habitats, from tiny ponds to saving critically endangered species. For more information about this partnership, visit here and sign the pledge to support the Wetlands Can! campaign.
*40 per cent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands.