Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

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United Kingdom - Devon - Paignton

Institution Code: PAIG

BGCI Member: Yes

About the Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

TAXA 2,990 (1,600 spp., 5.138 accessions, 20,000 plants)

Main Address:
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park
South West Environmerntal Parks Ltd
Totnes Road
Paignton
Devon TQ4 7EU United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 01803 697500
Fax: +44 01803 523457
URL: www.paigntonzoo.org.uk
Primary Email: info@paigntonzoo.org.uk

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Dennis Flynn
    Curator's Name: Catherine Mortimer
    Plant Records Officer's Name: Dave Lewis
  • Total Staff:
    Horticultural Staff Number: 8
    Educational Staff Number: 1
    Research Staff Number: 5
    Administration Staff Number:

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Zoological Institution
  • Status
  • Status: Educational: Yes
    Status: Satellite: Yes
    Status: Trust: Yes
  • Date founded: 1923
  • Physical Data
  • Natural Vegetation Area: Yes
    Natural vegetation area: Size: 75 Hectares
  • Landscaped Area: Yes
    Landscaped Area: Size: 30 Hectares
  • Total Area: 30 Hectares
    Latitude: 50.427534
    Longitude: -3.582652
    Altitude: 60.00 Metres
    Total area of glasshouses: 500 Metres
  • Additional Locations
  • Satellite Garden Names: Newquay Zoo
  • Locality: Information
  • Locality: Garden Name: Paignton Zoo Environmental Park
  • Local Address:
  • Locality: City:
  • Locality: State:

Features and Facilities

  • Herbarium: Yes
    Herbarium: Number of Specimens: 500
    Arboretum: Yes
    Arboretum Size: 5
  • Micropropagation/ Tissue Culture Facilities: No
    Seed Bank: No
    Published Plant Catalogue: No
    Computer Plant Record System: Yes
  • Open to public: Yes
    Friends society: Yes
    Retail Outlet: Shop: Yes
    Retail Outlet: Plant Sales: No
    Disabled access: Yes
  • Number of Visitors: 480000
    Number of Volunteers: 10

Plant Collections

  • Accession Number: 4000
    Cultivation Taxa Num: 2500
  • Special Collections:A collection of temperate trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants arranged by habitat type.
    Collection of naturally occurring taxa of the genus Buddleja.
    Themed garden areas:

    Tropical houses, Sub tropical House & Desert House

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Yes
    Medicinal Plant Programme: No
    Ex Situ Conservation Programme: Yes
    Reintroduction Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

  • Biotechnology: No
    Plant Breeding: No
    Conservation - Biology: Yes
    Conservation - Genetics: Yes
    Data Management Systems and Information Technology: No
    Ecology: Yes
    Ecosystem Conservation: Yes
    Education: Yes
    Ethnobotany: No
    Exploration: No
    Floristics: No
    Horticulture: Yes
    Invasive Species Biology and Control: No
    Molecular Genetics: No
    Pollination Biology: No
    Restoration Ecology: Yes
    Seed/Spore Biology: No
    Systematics and Taxonomy: No
    Sustainability: Yes
    Pharmacology: No
    Agriculture: No
    Land Restoration: Yes
    Urban Environments: Yes

Education Programmes

  • Visitor/Education Centre: Yes
    Education Signs in Garden: Yes
    Public Lectures/Talks: Yes
    Education Booklets/Leaflets: Yes
    Guided Tours: Yes
    Permanent Public Displays: Yes
    Special Exhibitions: Yes
    Courses for School Children: Yes
    Courses for University/College Students: Yes
    Courses for General Public: Yes
    Education Programme: Yes

Restoring coastal habitats in southwest England

The Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust is the parent organisation for Paignton Zoo Environmental Park which includes a botanic garden. WWCT undertakes a number of ecological restoration projects including grassland restoration in the WWCT’s two reserves adjacent to the Zoo, Primley Park and Clennon Valley. We have also recently acquired an area of agricultural grazing land adjacent to Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve (also owned by the WWCT) which we are restoring to a more natural grassland to increase habitat diversity and benefit a wide range of species, potentially the site may be used in future for the reintroduction of the large blue butterfly


Reintroduction of Strapwort Corrigiola litoralis

A species recovery programme for strapwort Corrigiola litoralis is being undertaken at Slapton Ley National Nature Reserve. This is a critically endangered plant found nowhere else in the UK and the project involves direct input from the botanical section of the organisation in the form of propagated plants for introduction. In 2015 the WWCT and partners the National Trust carried out a trial reintroduction of strapwort to Loe Pool in Cornwall where it was previously recorded but is now absent. This reintroduction was successful and was followed by a larger scale reintroduction in 2016. We are continuing to monitor this population to assess requirements for further supplementation and management of the site.

Please contact Amy Plowman for more information about this restoration project.

Southern marsh orchid and other flowers at Primley Meadow

Mature flowering Strapwort Corrigiola litoralis