Bristol Zoological Society opens UK’s first Institute of Conservation Science and Learning

Bristol Zoological Society opens UK’s first Institute of Conservation Science and Learning

On Monday 8^th June, Bristol Zoological Society officially opened its new Institute of Conservation Science and Learning – the first of its kind in the UK.

There to officially open the building was the Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Inger Andersen.

The Society normally teaches 40,000 pupils a year. With the new £2.3million world-class facility, it will reach over 45,000 pupils a year and 400 university students on full time and part time higher education courses.

The Zoo’s education and conservation science teams have been delivering high quality education for over 25 years. The teams collaborate with a number of universities and other educational institutions including the University of the West of England, the University of Bristol and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, to co-deliver degree courses for their students.

                

Simon Garrett, Head of Conservation Learning at Bristol Zoo, said: “We are very proud to have developed this provision with our long-established academic partners, to equip students not only to understand conservation science academically, but to be based in an active conservation organisation and be taught by practising conservation experts – experiencing conservation action at first hand.”

Bristol Zoological Society’s mission is to save wildlife through conservation action and engaging people with the natural world. For more information visit: www.bristolzoo.org.uk.