Ecology on the Estate
The zoo estate extends beyond the areas visible to the public. By 2030, 80ha will be set aside for nature, an area bigger than the zoo itself.
Reversing the trend
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. According to the 2023 State of Nature report, we have lost more than half our flowering plants, mosses and their relatives since 1970, and on average, the UK species studied declined by 19% in that time.
UK wildlife needs as much support as fauna and flora in other parts of the world. As a large landowner, Chester Zoo is in a position to engage in best practice in local conservation and to make a real difference.
In 2024, the UK government made a commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, echoing the global agreement set out at the UN Biodiversity Summit (COP15) in 2022.
We aim to meet that same target, managing 30% of our estate for biodiversity by 2030. The zoo estate extends beyond the areas visible to the public. In addition to the main visitor attraction, Chester Zoo estate encompasses over 200ha of farmland, wet meadow, reedbed, species rich grassland, woodland, orchards, and an extensive hedgerow and pond network. By 2030, 80ha will be set aside for nature, an area bigger than the zoo itself.
Native species
The land around the zoo plays host to key British species, including strong populations of harvest mice (Micromys minutus) which are listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened, great crested newts (Triturus cristatus), and badgers (Meles meles).
There is a healthy population of breeding raptors, including barn owls (Tyto alba), Buzzards (Buteo buteo), sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) and kestrels (Falco tinnunculus).
Our nature reserve alone hosts a strong invertebrate assemblage including 14 dragonfly species, 18 butterfly species and 33 species of bees and wasps.
The Estate Biodiversity team is engaged in a variety of habitat management techniques to build and maintain healthy habitats.
Managing the estate
The seasonal nature of land management means that no two days are the same. In the winter months the team can be found clearing scrub from grasslands and ponds, coppicing our woodlands, cut and collecting wildflower meadows, sowing bird and pollinator seed mixes, making hydrological improvements in our wetland habitats, tree planting, orchard pruning and hedgelaying.
In the summer months habitat management is minimal due to the sensitivity needed around breeding season for many species, however key activities such as scything, orchard maintenance and invasive species management are carried out – especially balsam bashing the invasive orange and Himalayan balsam that threaten to dominate wetland habitats and outcompete native species.
In order to monitor the success of habitat management on the estate, the team complete a programme of ecological surveys each year. These include breeding bird surveys and winter bird surveys, habitat suitability and condition assessments, camera trapping, invertebrate transects and species-specific surveys including for harvest mice, great-crested newt and breeding raptors.
Engagement and enrichment
Aside from the biodiversity benefits this work yields, this project offers chances for community engagement and education. The publicly accessible nature reserve, which can be reached from the visitor carpark, allows people to engage directly with UK nature, either for quiet moments of mindfulness, or during special events.
Volunteers enjoy engagement with the wider estate, carrying out impactful work which supports wildlife and their local environment. The site is also used to host professional training sessions for conservationists and ecologists at every stage of their career.
By-products from the habitat work carried out on the estate are utilised by zoo operations where possible, promoting sustainability and a recycling culture. Scrub and grass clearance activities help to feed some of the zoo animals, contributing to a healthy diet, and woodland management provides wood for infrastructure and enrichment. The Estate Biodiversity Team will also utilise by-products from the zoo too, for example using elephant faeces to create reptile heaps across the estate.
