What is World Saltmarsh Day?

World Saltmarsh Day is a day to celebrate the superpowers of this amazing wetland habitat. Join us in raising awareness and showing support for their restoration.

World Saltmarsh Day is organised by WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife. As wetland experts, we’re working on a number of large scale saltmarsh restoration projects, researching and sharing the benefits of these amazing habitats, and contributing to the saltmarsh carbon code.

And we need your help to shout about these precious coastal ecosystems.

Saltmarshes are coastal wetlands that are filled and drained by the tides, creating a unique watery mosaic of salt-tolerant plants, creeks, pools and grasses that host a vast array of wildlife.

As well as being incredible biodiversity boosters, saltmarshes can capture carbon up to 40 times faster than forests, absorb the energy of the tides – protecting manmade sea defences behind them – and give people a beautiful place to get close to nature.

These habitats have historically been seen as unproductive and drained for use as agricultural land, or squeezed by static sea defences but we are now beginning to understand what we have lost.

There is good news: Saltmarshes can be restored relatively quickly, and there is a growing consensus of the value they provide to people and nature.

The first World Saltmarsh Day was organised by WWT, the charity for wetlands and wildlife, to support restoration efforts and highlight the launch of State of the World’s Tidal Marshes report, part of the UN Saltmarsh Breakthrough.

When is World Saltmarsh Day 2026?

In 2026 World Saltmarsh Day will take place on the 11th June.