Chester Zoo attend political party conferences

Over the past few weeks, our experts have been engaging with both major political parties at conferences in Liverpool and Birmingham.

Our exhibition stands gave us the chance to speak to hundreds of delegates, party members and politicians, as well as representatives from other charities. In total our experts had conversations with over 1,200 people across both conferences about the wide range of work that takes place in our zoo and as part of our conservation projects around the world. Alongside the conferences we partnered with SERA – the Labour environment campaign – in Liverpool, and CEN – the Conservative Environment Network – in Birmingham, to host two well-attended fringe events. Here our Conservation Science and Policy Director, Dr Simon Dowell , spoke about how zoos can play a vital role in reversing the biodiversity crisis. Our team at the conferences also attended a range of events, including an important debate on the risk of chemical pollution in our rivers.

They also met with a wide range of MPs, including Secretary of State for the Environment, Ranil Jayawardena MP; Education Ministers Johnathan Gullis MP and Andrea Jenkyns MP; Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer MP; Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston; Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and former Shadow Environment Minister. There was also an opportunity to catch up with local councillors including Cllr Sam Dixon MBE, Cllr Simon Eardley and Cllr Lynn Gibbon.

You may have even seen our CEO, Jamie Christon, and our Public Affairs team making an appearance on Sky News. They spoke about our mission to prevent extinction and the work we do in 21 countries around the world and our six major regional field programmes. They discussed some of our vital projects including our  pioneering research into EEHV , a deadly virus that affects elephants globally, as well as the work we do to educate the next generation of conservationists  .