Feeding time at the zoo

Kevin Frediani

Curator of plants and gardens

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

Overview• Paignton Zoo• Exploring the potential of plants in zoos

– Food, Sustainable horticulture & Education• Zoo food solution

– High Density Vertical Growing• What next?

Paignton Zoo

Why have living collections?

More than an ark…

How should zoos do business?

• Sustainably – without compromising future choices!

• Ethically – doing the right thing!• Congruently – demonstrate good practice!• Educationally – explain good practice!• Efficiently – minimise waste!• Effectively – make a difference!• Urgently – before its too late!

Exploring the potential

Integrated zoo horticulture

See Frediani. K. (2009) Ethics of plant use in zoos. IZY89

Challenge of realising plant use.

Sustainability and zoos?

Architects – Durable, flexible & adaptable (more than one life)

Environmentalists – Part of a system not apart, where biological systems remain diverse and productive over time

Visitors – social, economic and environmental (ideal v’s pragmatic)

Shared concept…

“Sustainability is the capacity to endure”

Radical thought - Grow zoo food!

• All animals require it– Herbivores– Carnivores

• Immersion habitats• Welfare and enrichment

• Land conflict in zoos– Welfare– Amenity– Immersion– Retail / function (support of visitor experience)– Food (at the bottom – can argue to support local SFP)

The site

The ‘no land’ project site!

Vertical farming as a solution!

• Reduce pressure on wild spaces

• Recycle waste to fuel growth• Remediate black water• Use brown field, underutilised

sites• Year round production without

concern for weather / climate• No need for herbicides• Help make cities sustainable

The Vertical Farm: Dickson Despommier 2010

VertiCrop at Paignton Zoo

• Minimal land available for crop production

• Limited resources• Need to improve food

security• Need to reduce food bills • Need for specialist crops• Need to influence nutrition• Opportunity to show case

sustainable technology

What is VertiCrop™?

Conveyor system

Vertical verses traditional

Optimising capacity without increasing floor space

Increased yield per unit area

Delivered first Crop…after 5 weeks

Beyond the zoo - Vertical agriculture?

Putting HDVG in perspective

• Where have land and optimised resources (Water, temp and light) – grow stable crops

• Where have land but one or more limited recourse – specialised crop and / or protected cultivation

• Where have no land and optimised resources – grow hydroponically

• Where have no land and one or more limited resource – grow vertically (warehouse or HDVG)

Summary / conclusion

• Sustainable food is essential– 6 BILLION – 9 BILLION BY 2050

• Cannot bury head in sand!– Depletion of water, soil, oil – people & wildlife don’t know our artificial

political boundaries• Need to invest – research & development• Need to educate – sustainable futures –

durable, flexible, adaptable etc….

The future now at Paignton Zoo