Giant 3D wetland mural to visit Martin Mere near Southport on UK tour

A 20ft long interactive wetland mural will visit Martin Mere on Thursday 16th & Friday 17th March during its tour of the UK.

Commissioned by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and originally unveiled in Bristol on 2 February 2023, the mural highlights this year’s World Wetland Day theme of wetland restoration.

Members of the public can interact with the mural by standing on the jetty, sitting in the boat or snapping a photo as they plant a shoot in the saltmarsh, symbolising the regeneration of wetlands.

It shows a degraded wetland transforming into a flourishing habitat, filled with thriving wildlife and highlighting the incredible potential of wetlands to capture carbon, clean our water, protect us from flooding, provide a home to wildlife and boost our health and wellbeing.

A staggering 45% of people in the UK do not know what a wetland is[i] and this large-scale artwork by 3D Joe and Max is designed to help significantly increase the number of people aware of these types of habitat and the challenges they face.

WWT Campaigns Manager Laura Williams said: “Hundreds of people took their photo with the mural on World Wetlands Day, learning more about the amazing powers of wetlands to tackle the nature, biodiversity and health and wellbeing crises and we are very excited to be able to take this on tour to other places - from cathedrals to shopping centres and conferences to visitor centres.”

WWT Martin Mere Centre Manager Nick Brooks said: "We are excited to be hosting this wonderful mural at our centre in mid-March and hope that it can shine a light on the importance of protecting wetlands. Our team will also be on hand to talk more about how you can get involved in our Wetlands Can! campaign and help us push for the creation of 100,000 hectares of healthy wetlands in the UK."

Featuring iconic British species like curlew and kingfishers, otters and dragonflies, this mural is a vision of Britain’s ‘blue recovery’. This is a possible future if Britain chooses to revive its lost wetland ecosystems and invest in creating more wetlands.

As the mural tours the UK, WWT is calling upon government, business and wider society to help restore and create 100,000 hectares of wetlands in the UK to combat the climate, nature and wellbeing crises.

You can show your support by signing the Wetlands Can! campaign pledge