Reclaiming Wetland Values: Marsh, Mud and Wonder

Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, Kensington, London SW7 2AR

Monday 27 Jan — Sunday 2 Feb

#wetlandvalues

Coinciding with World Wetlands Day on the 2nd Feb, 2020 (see for special World Wetland Day activities), which in 2020 focused on the importance of wetlands to supporting life, this exhibition took people on a journey across Coastal and freshwater wetlands in England and Wales, from the risks they face and opportunities they provide, to how they are perceived and valued, and how they can be managed to maximise benefits to human wellbeing. 

Visitors to the exhibition had the opportunity to explore and celebrate the values of these environments through an interdisciplinary combination of physical science, social science, economics, human and cultural geography, poetry, audio and visual art.  They also had the opportunity to gain further insight or discuss the works  with members of the project teams who were present throughout the week.

A stakeholders day (by invitation) was held on Friday 31st January, where key stakeholders and interested parties could engage more closely with the science and art behind the projects through talks, discussion, and a guided exhibition tour. Click here for more details, and here for the introductory presentations from CoastWEB and WetlandLIFE projects.   

For details about the exhibits and the projects behind this exhibition please see the Exhibition Guide 

The exhibition was derived from a collation of research findings from two projects, CoastWEB and WetlandLIFE, funded through the UKRI Valuing Nature programme, that have been researching wetlands across Wales and England for the past 3 years.  The exhibition will cover work done on mosquito ecology, saltmarsh capacity to influence coastal erosion and flooding, social and cultural value of wetland spaces, and economic valuations of wetlands. 

Select Feedback

'It was a great, cohesive mix of art and science. Many notes were written and ideas were formed. Thank you for the great exhibition.'

'Congratulations on your excellent exhibition - it's informative, attractive, well-organised. Wetlands are wonderful and mosquitoes marvellous! I wish it were here for longer - or can it travel around the country?'

'Really good. I loved all talks. When I go to scientific conferences I typically find that 1-2 talks are really inspiring and exciting. Here, I found all talks extremely good. Really worth it.'