Keeping the natural elements of our park in mind has been at the forefront of all our work since we opened the zoo. From our very first developments, we have kept nature as a priority, with this commitment reaffirmed in our work with the ‘Nature in the Neighbourhood’ campaign. But how do we support British […]
Keeping the natural elements of our park in mind has been at the forefront of all our work since we opened the zoo. From our very first developments, we have kept nature as a priority, with this commitment reaffirmed in our work with the ‘Nature in the Neighbourhood’ campaign.
But how do we support British Nature?
Since we first opened, we have had a Wild meadow at the top of our park, which has been through a series of different ‘eras’, and is currently being left to grow out and allow nature to create a truly meaningful home within it. We have a range of different trees and plants out there that have been specially placed there to encourage different species, with the aim of encouraging a greater biodiversity within the park. This wild area has proven to be the true core of nature within All Things Wild, but we have recently seen such efforts expand to all reaches of the park.
Where possible we also try and leave grass areas un-mown, such as standoff railings and unused areas of grass. By doing this, we are allowing an incredible amount of insects and plants to make the area their home. This is further reinforced by us sowing wildflower seed in certain areas during the summer, which are specially designed to encourage species such as bees and butterflies.
Butterfly Conservation
As an extension of this idea, we have also recently put great thought to our plant beds, in which we use a cacophony of different pollinator-friendly flowers and other plants, which yet again diversify and expand biodiversity on site and encourage the preservation of butterflies and other pollinators. This is further backed up by our work supporting the Great Butterfly count, which this year declared a national emergency for butterflies. You can read more about it on our website here
Supporting Different Species
But just working through the median of plants isn’t enough for us. We also introduced a hedgehog house in our Wild Meadow, with the hope of seeing evidence of a hedgehog moving in. This was promptly followed by bird-friendly feeders being introduced to the bottom of the Meadow, which saw a vast number of different species visiting the space. More recently, we created a wild pond in the middle of the park, which has seen the likes of Newts and Frogs living within it. This has proven to be a valuable investment from the perspective of biodiversity, as well as the education of our guests.
Sustainability and Nature
The idea of sustainability has been crucial to the passion we put into our work. We are constantly looking for new ways to do our bit for the planet by working sustainably, and with such work comes benefits for British Nature. An example of this, is when we switched to being a Zero to Landfill organisation, which benefits local ecosystems by ensuring that they aren't destroyed by litter. We also used recycled wood to create bug hotels in our Wild Meadow, which provides a valuable home for different insect species. You can read more about Sustainability at All Things Wild here
In the community with Nature in the Neighbourhood
But our efforts don’t just stop on site, we are also passionately working to encourage nature in our surrounding neighbourhoods. This is done through our campaign, Nature in the Neighbourhood, which aims to create deep-rooted connections between our local community and the nature around them. We connect with people through a number of different means, all with a strong message of encouraging nature, and this work is still ongoing with ambitions of great success to come in the future.
Our work around nature in the park will never truly be completed, but we are excited and proud of how far we have come, and yet there is still so much to achieve.
If you would like to learn more about Nature in the Neighbourhood, as well as gaining access to free nature-based resources, newsletters, and info on all our exciting upcoming events, you can join our emailing list by dropping an email to: [email protected] or you can read more about the campaign just here
