Hannah Brooks

I joined Chester Zoo in 2016 and oversee the outreach work of the Discovery and Learning team. I am passionate about education and believe in order for conservation to be effective, communities need to be involved and engaged.

Since completing my biology degree at Durham University I have worked for a range of different conservation charities, both in the UK and overseas, delivering and managing environmental education projects. I first gained experience in this role through long-term volunteering, having the exciting opportunity to deliver education initiatives in Uganda, Egypt, India and Sierra Leone. In between these opportunities I have worked in the UK for Twycross Zoo, RSPB and Keep Britain Tidy. Prior to joining Chester Zoo I was Education Manager for BirdLife Malta running projects to engage schools and communities with nature, while trying to combat the complicated environmental problems faced by this small archipelago.

The outreach work of Chester Zoo is large and diverse meaning that every day is different and interesting. In the UK I oversee Wildlife Connections, which is our UK native species engagement project, and the Safari Ranger programme which is a free outreach service taking the zoo out to schools, family events and community groups. In collaboration with the Field Programmes Coordinators I also support our field partners if they are developing education or community engagement initiatives. I’m currently working with the Cikananga Conservation Breeding Centre in Java, Indonesia, Tangkoko in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and Big Life in Kenya.