1. SUMMER 2016 | THE HORTICULTURIST | 7
I moved from the Royal Botanic Garden
Edinburgh (RBGE) to the Royal Zoological
Society of Scotland (RZSS) in August 2014. I
quickly realised that I had landed in a parallel
universe and that there were undoubtedly more
similarities between zoos and botanical gardens
than I had initially expected.
Both are living collection visitor attractions,
with many of both types aspiring to excite people
about our natural world and deliver conservation,
education and scientific research, beyond their
function to attract people to see their collections.
Within the zoo and botanic garden worlds the
ability to deliver on conservation, education and
science depends on scale and funding – the
challenges in doing this are the same in both
sectors.
Existing situation
Governance, global networks and conferences are
strikingly similar within the two worlds, with, for
example, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
– London Zoo, being highly comparable to the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RGBK) in terms of
UK status, their level of conservation work,
hosting sector wide organisations and their global
leadership role. Most importantly, the people who
actually work in zoos and botanic gardens
(especially those looking after the living collections
– animal keepers and horticulturists) have similar
values and motivations, and most care passionate-
ly about the environment, biodiversity conserva-
tion, sustainable living, and their collections.
I believe, however, that in general ‘zoos do
plants far better than botanic gardens do animals’.
Certainly the vast majority of zoos have live
plants,both inside and outside their animal enclo-
sures, with many zoos also having some degree of
interpretation about the plants growing on their
sites and their importance of plants to animals
within the ecosystems that they live.
The majority of botanic gardens, however, do
not have living animal collections and only a few
reference animals in their interpretation. I have
seen examples of botanic gardens communicating
about their natural animal biodiversity (such as
native birds or insects you could find in the
garden), but I’ve seen very few examples of where
botanic gardens have used the stories of iconic
animals to explain the greater value of plants
within an environment or eco-system (for
example, the potential use of orang-utans to help
explain the importance of tropical forests).
Zoo and aquarium associations including the
British and Irish Association of Zoos and
Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of
Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) and in the US, the
Association of Zoological Horticulture (AZH),
have well-established,well- supported horticultur-
al groups. Certain zoological institutions, such as
Chester Zoo, UK, give their horticulture team a
clear equal status within the overall living-collec-
tions management structure, with Chester’s
Curator of Botany & Horticulture sitting alongside
the Curators of Mammals, Bird and Lower
Vertebrates and Invertebrates, underneath a
Collections Director in the management structure.
Plants are clearly a key part of zoo culture in
terms of aesthetics for visitors, animal welfare and
communicating the importance of plants within
ZOOS & BIODIVERSITY
The potential for botanic gardens and zoos to collaborate more for biodiversity conservation education is
huge. Leigh Morris concludes that all biodiversity attractions must work together to educate people.
BETTER
TOGETHER
The desert habitat in a
large glasshouse at
Paignton Zoo
Environmental Park, UK,
includes free-roaming
birds and reptiles (note
feeder on the right-hand
side), making this an
immersive-habitat exhibit.
the whole eco-system. Botanic gardens, however,
often neglect to mention animals, or the link
between wild species and habitats. In fact, plants
are often not being communicated in a wider
biodiversity context within botanic gardens. It is
possible that some botanic gardens still feel that
there is a stigma attached to zoological institu-
tions for ‘keeping animals in cages’, although
plants in horticultural gardens (i.e. not their
natural habitat) are completely accepted within
our society.Partnerships between zoological insti-
tutions and botanic gardens, working together to
present whole-ecosystem displays, could poten-
tially reduce this criticism of zoos.
Significant differences
One notable difference I encountered between
zoos and botanic gardens is the stated desire of
zoos (and aquariums) to undertake education for
behaviour change towards conservation. Within
the botanic garden community this is not a term
that in my experience is typically used, with an
underlying concern within some organisations
perhaps, that this may be thought negative by
visitors. Within the zoological world behaviour
change for conservation is the norm and this
culture is led from the top down by the World
Association of Zoos & Aquariums (WAZA),
which clearly states in its strategic plan:“by influ-
encing people’s behaviour and values, education
(in zoos and aquariums) will be seen as an impor-
tant conservation strategy”.
Another difference that was immediately
apparent to me was the visitor demographic. The
spectrum of people who visit zoos is extremely
IMAGE:LMORRIS

2. 8 | THE HORTICULTURIST | SUMMER 2016
wide and from all sectors of our society. Families
on lower incomes still manage to find £60-£100
for a day out at the zoo, whereas the same families
would often not visit a botanic garden,even if free
to enter. The pull of animals is a powerful thing
and there is clear potential to engage and connect
with many people on conservation issues at zoos.
The majority of botanic gardens do not have the
same enticement, and stronger collaborations
with zoos could give them that, I believe.
Modern zoos
There are some great examples of modern expan-
sive zoos that have embraced plants and habitat
communication completely,to become real biodi-
versity attractions. Great examples are Burgers’
Zoo, Zurich Zoo and Gondwanaland Zoo,
Leipzig. There are some examples globally of
visitor attractions that are aiming to be both a
botanic garden and a zoo.
My first encounter with such a visitor destina-
tion was at the Alice Springs Desert Park in the
Northern Territory of Australia, which is sited on
1,300ha with a core area of 52ha. It is an institu-
tional member of both the Australian Zoo and
Aquarium Association (ZAA) and Botanic
Gardens Conservation International (BGCI – the
global umbrella botanic garden organisation) and
gives animals and plants equal weighting to
communicate the importance of the native
Australian outback.
The most impressive example I have seen,
however, is the Montreal Biodome, Canada,
which I would describe as a fusion of an
aquarium, botanic garden and zoo. The diverse
living collections are presented as whole ecosys-
tems and interpretation is delivered in many
forms from people to digital, telling the stories of
all these collections in a dynamic way.
A few botanic gardens are using living animals
in their exhibits to demonstrate linkages. One
such example is the Giardino Alpino‘LeViotte’de
Monte Bondone, Trento, northern Italy. It has
constructed a biome to showcase and represent
Tanzanian flora and has also included free-range
Tanzanian birds, reptiles and amphibians in their
display alongside the horticulture. In the UK
Paignton Zoo and Environmental Park has a great
horticulture focus and has mixed flora and appro-
priate fauna to create a number of different
habitats for their visitors, such as the desert
habitat in a large glasshouse.
Inter-sector collaboration
In September 2014, the European Association of
Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
BGCI and the European Network of Science
Centres and Museums (Ecsite) in effect ‘joining
forces to engage audiences with biodiversity
conservation’. Following on from this, in January
2016 the current two-year EAZA conservation
campaign ‘Let It Grow’ commenced. It is being
run in collaboration with BGCI and Ecsite
(www.letitgrow.eu).
The objective of the campaign is to stimulate a
higher level of public engagement to raise aware-
ness about local biodiversity, encourage organisa-
tions to set aside a portion of space to attract local
species and engage people to actively measure
biodiversity.This existing campaign is an excellent
opportunity to stimulate true collaboration
between botanic gardens and zoological facilities,
in order to jointly:
l raise awareness about local biodiversity;
l encourage people to let something grow in their
local area (window box, garden, park, community
space) – ‘re-wild’ it;
l measure local biodiversity;
lfundraise for local biodiversity projects at a local
level;
lfosterandbuildpartnershipsthatencourageand
protect local biodiversity.
How could things change?
Should botanic gardens continue to focus solely
on plants, or zoos to focus predominantly on
animals? Perhaps the terms ‘botanic garden’ and
‘zoo’ will become passé, and another term will be
used to effectively describe contemporary visitor
attractions showcasing biodiversity?
Zoos used to be commonly referred to as
‘Zoological Gardens’ and perhaps this will
become more common again? Perhaps a new
term will be created? Attracting visitors remains a
prime motivation for all, however, and certainly
all the parents of young children completely
understand what ‘zoo’ means when they are
deciding where to take their children for a day out.
Using the terms biodiversity parks or eco-parks
may sound more biodiversity-conservation
credible, but these names may be confusing and
Above: The RZSS Wild about Scotland bus, delivering a drop-in biodiversity education
session at Benmore Botanic Garden, one of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s satellite
gardens.
Left: The tropical-forest biome at the Montréal Biodôme, Canada, is a fusion between an
aquarium, a botanic garden and a zoo. The free-roaming Scarlet Macaws, various species
of fish in water and tropical plants, are supported by presenters delivering live
interpretation, traditional information panels and touch-screen technology.
Opposite page: Linking plants and animals in the education messaging is demonstrated
on an interpretation board at Alice Springs Desert Park, Australia.
IMAGE:RZSS
IMAGE:LMORRIS

3. SUMMER 2016 | THE HORTICULTURIST | 9
together more closely, especially joining with
other associations and initiatives within the realm
of zoos and aquariums. The forthcoming
EAZA/BGCI/Ecsite Local Biodiversity Campaign,
aims to link to the existing ‘BIAZA Bioblitz’ and
‘BIAZA Grab that Gap’ schemes, and the WAZA
‘Biodiversity is Us’ campaign. Ultimately, the
educators in zoos,aquariums and botanic gardens
are similar beings – passionate about conserva-
tion, but typically struggling to get maximum
impact within a small team. Since these institu-
tions all appear to be working towards the same
goals, working together to achieve those goals
must be the way forward.
According to the American Zoo and Aquarium
Association (AZA), there are over 10,000 zoologi-
cal institutions worldwide. BGCI lists 3,306
botanic gardens on their global botanic garden
database, and there are an additional number of
natural-science museums. The opportunity exists
to get this huge number of biodiversity visitor
attractions working together to achieve a signifi-
cant impact on, and really engage with, our
visitors and local communities, to influence
society to change its behaviour for the benefit of
wider biodiversity conservation.
Just imagine the potential! I hope the ‘Let It
Grow’ campaign can be a catalyst to drive such a
working collaboration between zoos, botanic
gardens and other associations.
Great potential
I’m left thinking that in the world we populate,
typically driven by profit and short-term (five-
year) strategies and plans, biodiversity visitor
attractions are one sector within our society that
can afford to have a much longer-term vision and
a collaborative approach. There are undeniable
synergies between zoological facilities and botanic
gardens, which together can connect with, inform
and educate a great many people inspiring them
to take action for conservation. Ultimately, if we
really want to effect behaviour change among our
visitors, and our long-term impact for conserva-
tion on a grand scale, I believe all biodiversity
attractions must work more together to educate
people. Just think of the potential for behaviour
change if they do!
off-putting to the public, so care must be taken
not to confuse potential visitors. The ‘Paignton
Zoo & Environmental Park’ is a great example of
where a zoo has embraced horticulture and wider
biodiversity and created a name to try and explain
fully what it does. Appropriate? Too long?
Confusing? Whatever you think, I admire their
ambition.
I advocate stronger links and messaging about
animals and wider biodiversity conservation
within botanic gardens. Presenting the links
between the animals and plants more clearly
would open up opportunities to communicate far
better the importance of, for example, tropical
forest-tree ecosystems and the animals that
depend on them. It is not necessary to use live
animals to tell these conservation stories well.
Interpretation at botanic gardens could simply
include more images and narratives about threat-
ened species, such as tigers, orangutans, macaws
and rhinoceros. Such stories could be used to
illustrate the importance of the plants on show to
the animals that depend on them, potentially
stimulating far greater interest from and impact
on visitors. Dublin Botanic Garden has recently
developed a plant trail with interpretation in its
garden to do precisely that. There is huge poten-
tial for botanic gardens to work with zoos and
aquariums to develop new, high-impact commu-
nication approaches to provide accessible infor-
mation on whole ecosystems.
Visitor attractions need money to fund
running costs and developments; therefore, zoos,
aquariums and botanic gardens need to attract
visitors to support their work. In future, more
botanic gardens could consider including animals
in their living collections, which would entice
more visitors and tell exciting biodiversity stories.
Although many zoological institutions have
numerous plants around their sites, greater
collaboration with botanic gardens, could facili-
tate better plant and animal representations, and
would mean that information about the value and
conservation of plants would also be more
compelling. There are, I know, many botanists
and horticulturists in botanic gardens who would
be enthusiastic to help zoological facilities develop
information and education programmes which
incorporate better information about plants and
whole ecosystems.
Joint conferences
There are a number of botanical and zoological
education conferences held regularly around the
world, and within the space of a few months in
2014-15 the following four took place: Botanic
Gardens Education Network (BGEN), BIAZA
Education & Marketing Conference, EAZA
Education Zoo Educators Conference, and BGCI
International Congress on Education in Botanic
Gardens. Within those conferences botanic
garden and zoo educators did not mix.
I believe that we should look to hold a joint
biodiversity education conference in the future to
bring specialist animal and plant education
knowledge together. Such a conference could be
open to educators from zoos, aquariums, botanic
gardens and natural science museums in order to
facilitate joint thinking and creative ideas for a
collaborative approach to biodiversity-conserva-
tion education programmes. The first ‘joint
conference’could involve a symposium to explore
the possibilities for collaborative ideas and what
the first steps for such a venture would comprise.
I believe that if you put these educators in the
same space the enthusiasm, collaborations stimu-
lated and results would be fantastic!
Formal education
I’d like to see some education programmes jointly
delivered by zoos and botanic gardens that would
be more informative and holistic for the public.
Many towns and cities have both a zoo and a
botanic garden, yet the vast majority do not work
closely together. Perhaps educators from botanic
gardens could visit zoos and aquariums, or a
botanist and a zoologist could each participate in
education sessions at the various facilities.
Imagine how amazing it could be for people to
have a botanist and a zoologist team teaching
them about nature at the same time!Yes, that may
be more expensive, but not necessarily and
perhaps such an initiative would attract third
party funding to make this possible. There is
clearly potential for education teams to work
together more, sharing approaches and knowl-
edge to ensure that the formal education
programmes are much more comprehensive and
have a wider biodiversity conservation focus.
Organisational collaborations
I’m delighted that some biodiversity attractions
are now collaborating more, including those
within Edinburgh. In May 2015, a Memorandum
of Agreement was signed between RZSS, RBGE
and the National Museums Scotland (NMS).
Discussions are under way on a number of
conservation, research and educational ideas. A
botanist from RBGE joined to help with the
‘BIAZA BioBlitz’ at the RZSS Edinburgh Zoo in
July 2015.
The RZSS Wild about Scotland bus
(www.rzss.org.uk/wildaboutscotland) is a biodi-
versity education outreach project funded by
Clydesdale Bank, which takes a mobile classroom
(in the bus) to primary schools and a range of
other events and venues. In its first year of opera-
tion, the bus has visited Dawyck, Benmore and
Glasgow Botanic Gardens, with plans to visit the
remaining Scottish botanic gardens in 2016.RZSS
was also in discussion with the other local biodi-
versity visitor attractions (including Deep Sea
World) to develop a passport scheme to motivate
school groups and families to visit all the local
biodiversity attractions in and around Edinburgh.
It is important that botanic gardens not only
link up with zoological facilities but also work
Leigh Morris CHort FCIHort
Leigh took up a new role as the first CEO of the new
National Land Based College (UK) in April 2016, an initiative
supported by Landex (umbrella association for land-based
colleges), City and Guilds, and many leading organisations
from the land-based industries. The simple aim of this new
organisation is to ensure land-based industries link far better
to education, training and careers promotion. Directly prior
to this, Leigh was Director of Community Conservation at
the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, managing
education, public engagement for the zoo-based
conservation organisation and learning more about wider
biodiversity conservation, zoo horticulture and the
management of animal-based visitor attractions. A
horticulturist at heart, Leigh has previously worked at the
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (2004-14),
the Welsh College of Horticulture (1998-
2004), Pershore College of Horticulture
(1990-98) and two large wholesale
nurseries, Challis and Johnsons of
Whixley, earlier in his career. Leigh was
President of the Chartered Institute of
Horticulture (2012-14), Chair of the
Grow Careers Initiative (2006-14) and is
a current Trustee of the UK Marine
Conservation Society.
GILESBARNARD,SOURCETHEROYALPARKS
IMAGE:LMORRIS