Castle Espie receives plaudit

Castle Espie receives plaudit

3 November 2021

THE Castle Espie Wetland Centre on the shores of Strangford Lough, which recently hosted the popular BBC wildlife programme Autumnwatch, has been praised for its ongoing conservation work.

Ards and North Down deputy mayor Robert Adair visited the centre’s base recently and met BBC programme presenter Gillian Burke and Castle Espie manager Paul Stewart.

Cllr Adair said after the huge success of Springwatch at Castle Espie, the television programme’s return for Autumnwatch has shone the spotlight on the rich wildlife of the borough and Castle Espie as an icon of sustainable green tourism.

In addition to hosting Autumnwatch, the visit comes as the charity is currently celebrating with a Winter Migration Festival at Castle Espie which includes a series of bespoke events for adults and children alike and runs until  November 13.

Cllr Adair said the international importance of Strangford Lough and its exceptional biodiversity is a real asset to the environment. 

“Castle Espie provides a window on the lough with the Winter Migration Festival and filming of Autumnwatch being a fitting way to introduce people to this wonderful asset on our doorstep,” he added.

Mr Stewart said the centre has been celebrating the natural resource and the return of the Brent geese with events in and around Autumnwatch aimed at connecting people with nature. 

“From sunrise yoga, art workshops, walks and talks, to nature focused activities for children, they are all aimed at connecting people to this wonderful place,” he explained.

“The world’s wetland habitats like those at Castle Espie actually sequester more carbon than all the world’s forests despite occupying only a fraction of the area around the globe. 

“As well as helping to deal with the effects of climate change, wetlands are one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth, protect us from flooding, filter pollutants and help improve our mental health.”

The Wildlife and Wetlands Trust works around the globe, protecting wetland habitats and migratory bird flyways and operates 10 wetland centres across the UK with Castle Espie the only one in Northern Ireland.

The charity recently launched a new ‘Wetlands Can!’ campaign, urging people to get behind the leading conservation charity’s call for creating 100,000 hectares of healthy wetlands in the UK to help combat the climate crisis.

Mr Stewart added: “If the Covid crisis has taught us one thing, it’s that we can’t go back to how things were before. We need to get serious now about fighting the climate emergency and, as wetlands are particularly fast and cost-effective at absorbing carbon, they need to be an essential part of that fight.”

To book a Winter Migration Festival event, visit https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/castle-espie/whats-on/winter-migration-festival-2021  To join WWT’s urgent pledge, visit wwt.org.uk/WetlandsCan