£1 million Central African Forest learning space to be created thanks to Biffa Award grant

A state-of-the-art Central African-themed learning space is to be created at Bristol Zoo Project thanks to a one-million-pound grant from Biffa Award and the Fraxinus Charitable Trust.

The funding will help Bristol Zoological Society create a classroom that will form part of its new gorilla habitat, Central African Forest (CAF).

Work on the area began in June and when it opens next year, it will become home to the zoo’s existing troop of Critically Endangered western lowland gorillas. They’ll be joined by a group of Endangered cherry-crowned mangabeys, in a UK zoo first.

The Gorilla Learning Space will be incorporated into the gorilla house and become the most physically immersive learning space at Bristol Zoo Project. It will provide school children, community groups and visitors of all ages the chance to learn alongside the gorilla troop and other threatened species living within CAF.

It will have a direct connection to the interior of the gorilla house, with large windows through which people can view the animals in their indoor gym. It will also have digital tools and learning materials, as well as two undercover outdoor areas that will provide additional spaces for formal and informal learning. Teaching will connect the public with the Society’s flagship conservation project in Equatorial Guinea, where it works in the wild to protect some of the world’s most threatened species.

Biffa Award is a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to communities and environmental projects across England and Northern Ireland as part of the Government's Landfill Communities Fund.

Rosie Sims, Public Engagement Manager for Bristol Zoological Society, said: “Immersed in the gorilla house, the cutting-edge new learning space will be fantastic for school groups and higher education students, as well as day visitors, to enjoy a unique experience.

“Sessions will involve outdoor elements, moving easily between the learning space and natural settings on-site, including woods and meadows. We are also looking forward to introducing new rainforest themed sessions that will showcase the incredible diversity of rainforests and explain what we can all do in our everyday lives to protect this unique habitat.”

Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award Grants Manager, said: “It is a privilege to support Bristol Zoo Project’s Gorilla Learning Space project. At Biffa Award, we are committed to funding innovative and impactful environmental projects, and this initiative perfectly aligns with our mission.

“We awarded Bristol Zoological Society £1,000,000 to create an immersive, flexible, and engaging learning space embedded in the new Central African Forest habitat. This state-of-the-art facility will dramatically increase their capacity to teach and engage schools and community groups, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of gorilla conservation. We’re extremely excited to see this fantastic project when it is completed and witness the positive impact it will have on both the local community and the broader field of wildlife conservation.”

Pupils travel from schools across the West of England Combined Authority and South Wales regions to attend education sessions at Bristol Zoo Project.

In conjunction with Bristol Zoological Society’s Access to Nature programme, which provides bursaries for children who face barriers accessing the site, the development of the Gorilla Learning Space will double the number of unique learning opportunities the attraction provides in just four years.

It will also build the skills and wellbeing of young people from diverse backgrounds across the region, as well as provide a space for educators to share the important conservation work the Society runs in nine countries, across four continents.

Construction forms part of the first phase of plans to build a new conservation zoo at Bristol Zoo Project, which will be delivered over the next few years. The second habitat, Central African Savannah, will become home to black rhino and red-necked ostrich, joining the zoo’s existing giraffe, zebra and cheetah.

A new Conservation Campus will also be built, which will include conservation, veterinary medicine, animal breeding and additional learning centres.

To find out more about Bristol Zoo Project and Bristol Zoological Society’s conservation programmes across the globe, please visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk.