Chester Zoo Nature Reserve Expansion Phase 2

The aim of the Chester Zoo Nature Reserve is to provide protected habitat for the diverse wildlife of the region including key species and habitats, some of which have local, regional and national significance. The first phase of Chester Zoo’s Nature Reserve opened in May 2014 and features include a dipping pond, grass amphitheatre, pathways and environmental interpretation. Building on from this, we are now planning to expand the reserve area from just under a hectare to 4.5 hectares. This second phase will extend the public paths with reinforced grass pathways providing access to a wider area. More scrub and trees will be planted around the field margins, including the threatened Black Poplar, which is the most endangered timber tree in Britain (according to the Forestry Commission), and a species Chester Zoo has worked to protect since 2002. The Chester Zoo Nature Reserve will form part of a wildlife highway through our neighbourhoods, protecting the precious nature that we love.