Edinburgh Zoo

Sustainability

As a conservation-centred organisation, we have a strong responsibility not only to manage threatened species and habitats for their long-term conservation, but also to management our operations in such a way as to minimise our direct impact on the environment. 

 
Edinburgh Zoo covers approx 83 acres and attracts well over half a million visitors a year (614,000 visitors in 2003), so it’s immediately obvious that such high volumes of people create sustainability issues including transport, waste and water management, and energy consumption. The housing and husbandry requirements of our exotic animal collection also place demands on resources, with potential impact on the local environment as well.

Environmental action
Here are some examples of recent innovations which are designed to reduce our impact on the environment, and in some cases, also save us money:

• reed bed filtration systems to maintain clean water for the Californian sea lions, the African birds and the painted hunting dogs - this biological approach utilises the properties of several aquatic plants to remove nutrients and heavy metals from the water thereby reducing the need for mechanical and chemical systems. 
• self-stopping taps fitted to hand basins throughout the Zoo, greatly reducing unnecessary loss of water at these points
• solar power technology has been incorporated to various development projects including power remote public address systems and, more recently, to produce both power and heat in the enclosure for our Oriental short-clawed otters
• re-cycling is now common practice throughout the Zoo - the large volume of compostable animal waste that a zoo will inevitably produce is maintained on site and utilised throughout the garden areas; all metal scrap is recycled, as is glass from our catering outlets; office paper is collected for recycling…..

Ideas in progress include consideration of converting some of our vehicles to LPG fuel, particularly those that rarely leave the Zoo, such as delivery vehicles and the hilltop safari Land Rovers.
 

Sustainable development

During the process of the Masterplan, with the redevelopment of the entire Zoo over the next 15-20 years, all new facilities for animals, visitors and staff will be designed and built to incorporate up-to-date sustainable technologies and ensure energy efficiency throughout our operations. This gives us an exciting opportunity to utilise materials and principles that demonstrate a responsible approach to environmental sustainability.
 

Local biodiversity

Edinburgh Zoo has a wealth of semi-natural habitats that not only help to create an attractive setting for our zoo, but also help us to facilitate local biodiversity. The presence of native animals and plants in the Zoo is also a key indicator of a sustainable approach to environmental management.

Wildlife Garden

In 2003, we launched the Zoo’s own Wildlife Garden with the aid of grant funding from Earthwatch and the hard work of many volunteers. The garden demonstrates various strategies for encouraging wildlife into domestic gardens, including simple ideas like leaving a pile of logs to encourage insects and small mammals, and allowing ivy to grow, offering nectar to insects and ideal nesting for small birds.

Edinburgh Zoo is owned by The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, registered charity number SC 004064
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, EH12 6TS, t: 0131 334 9171, f: 0131 314 0384 info@rzss.org.uk