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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.
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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?
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
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
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….