As you know conservation is at the very heart of what we do at Flamingo Land and we were delighted to host the 8th annual research conference for our CIRCLE team.

The Centre for Integrated Research, Conservation & Learning – CIRCLE – is Flamingo Land’s joint initiative with the University of York, and has been running since 2010. CIRCLE’s main aim is to bring science and education together for the conservation of biodiversity and providing scientific evidence using academic research. In other words, we have a team of hugely talented researchers who work very hard to make a difference in the world for animals and the place where they live.

CIRCLE’s main work includes tropical forest conservation (Udzungwa Forest Project in Tanzania), native wildlife conservation, animal welfare in zoos (including enclosure design and husbandry), and the role of modern zoos. Many of their projects have been published in well known scientific journals and have been presented to peers and experts alike. Some of these findings are presented at CIRCLE’s annual research conference, along with other projects conducted by like minded scientists and enthusiastic students.

Over the years the conference has grown more and more popular, with this year reaching record number of attendees. Over a hundred people came from near and far – Nottingham Trent University, Askham Bryan College and Myerscough College (Preston) being very well represented. The projects were excellently presented and clearly show the amount of research done at a highly professional level. This is all to make sure we can better understand animals, their environments, and the general public’s connections to wildlife and conservation.

The current CIRCLE interns are working on some exciting research too – and we look forward to finding out the results next year!

Ben is taking on Tropical Forest Conservation, identifying which species indicate healthy rainforests, and any levels of disturbance. Also, Ben is putting his statistical skills to the test assessing the reliability of large data sets with regards to correct species identification.

Nicole is collecting data on giraffes in zoos from all across Europe to check out what enclosure designs and husbandry techniques are best.

Hannah is looking at ecological wellbeing and biodiversity threats a little closer to home. This will help aid conservation management at Flamingo Land in a holistic manner, helping involve stakeholders into the work.

And, last but not least, Holly is compiling a database of research from WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquaria) members, and she can see exactly how much contribution has been made so far for conservation.

For more information on CIRCLE, check out their website www.circle-conservation.org