New UK Native Species Zone set to open at Marwell in March 2025

Back in April 2024, you helped us raise £20,000 for a white-clawed crayfish breeding centre here at Marwell. Thanks to your generosity and the Big Give Green Match Fund, this project is now well underway!

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve also received a generous grant of £49,954 from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and supported by Winchester City Council for a new UK Native Species Zone, which is set to open in March 2025.

Phase one of the project focuses on white-clawed crayfish and sand lizards, two UK species that face threats to their survival.

White-clawed crayfish, a keystone species in Hampshire’s chalk streams, are rapidly declining due to disease, habitat loss, and competition from invasive species. The new Conservation Breeding Centre will provide a haven for crayfish and enable Marwell, in collaboration with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, to support population recovery across the region. Guests will have the rare opportunity to observe this endangered species up close and learn about its conservation challenges.

Sand lizards, among Britain’s most endangered reptiles, are struggling due to habitat destruction. Over the last 30+ years, Marwell Wildlife has been instrumental in helping to re-establish sand lizard populations across the South of England, and the new habitat will not only provide a lifelong home for individuals but also help to raise awareness of this shy species to the public.

“This project is vital for protecting UK species and a crucial step in our mission to safeguard local species and connect people with the extraordinary wildlife we have here in Hampshire,” said Laura Read, Chief Executive of Marwell Wildlife. “Thanks to the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, Winchester City Council and everyone that donated during the Big Give Green Match Fund, we can now begin to establish a dedicated zone within the zoo to drive conservation efforts for these fascinating and endangered animals, whilst also engaging with our guests and raising awareness.”

In addition to the conservation habitats, the zone will feature elements of play and interpretation for guests to discover how they too can help protect UK wildlife in their own gardens and local communities.

As a conservation and education charity, Marwell aims to be at the forefront of what a modern zoo should be for now and the future, backed by a record of conservation science and tangible outputs that really make a difference to nature’s recovery.

This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and supported by Winchester City Council.