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Twycross Zoo has received £18m in financial support from the UK government for a new centre dedicated to global conservation
Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 20 Jun 2025
The new Global Conservation Centre will feature a science lab, lecture theatre, research and teaching spaces, and a wildlife garden Credit: Twycross Zoo
Twycross Zoo, a registered conservation charity and visitor attraction based in Leicestershire, UK, has announced plans for a new, state-of-the-art Global Conservation Centre, after the project received an £18m (US$24m, €21m) endowment from the UK government.
The investment, from the UK’s Levelling Up Fund, represents the largest government grant ever given to a UK zoo. It will partially fund the creation of a £25m (US$34m, €29m) scientific research hub dedicated to advancing global conservation solutions and furthering the zoo’s conservation and education efforts.
Its facilities will include a science lab, 200-seat lecture theatre, research and teaching spaces, a wildlife garden and accommodation for visiting experts and students.
A new Indonesia-themed area offering habitats for Bornean orangutans and other endangered Indonesian species is also planned.
Twycross Zoo has partnered with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council as well as several leading UK universities to develop the zoo’s on-site facility, which, according to a release, will also serve as “a community space to inspire, train and facilitate the next generation of conservation leaders under one roof.”
A new Indonesia-themed area will connect to the centre and will feature a habitat for Bornean orangutans CREDIT: ADAM KAY/TWYCROSS ZOO
Construction on the centre is slated to begin at the end of July with its opening date scheduled for late 2026.
It is hoped that in addition to furthering the zoo’s conservation and sustaining its status as an important education and tourism destination in the area, the centre will also boost the local economy, creating 90 jobs once the facility is operational and generating a projected £3.9m (US$5.3m, €4.6m) gross value added (GVA) annually.
“The provision of these world-leading facilities will enable new lines of academic research with international importance, as well as strengthening pathways to research and educational development facilities for schools and communities within the region,” a release said.
The news comes after the zoo released its first public-facing conservation strategy in 2023, which pledged to maximise its charitable resources to “fight the biodiversity crisis that our planet currently faces.”
Dr. Rebecca Biddle, chief conservation officer at Twycross Zoo and EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) vice-chair, commented: “The unrelenting pressure that we face from the dual climate and biodiversity loss crises, pose a serious threat to the survival of our planet. Our conservation efforts need to be bigger, bolder and more united.
“Zoos are being called on to do more in this mission, and the global conservation centre is our answer to that call.
“Uniquely designed and positioned to allow international conservationists to work in connection with the natural world, we believe that being alongside the species we are working to save will offer unrivalled opportunities to study, learn and develop real world solutions for endangered wildlife.
“We are truly grateful to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and our local MP, Dr. Luke Evans, for their continued backing of this project, supporting us for the last few years to secure this staggering £18m of government funding for our charity.
“Twycross Zoo has been a pioneering organisation since it opened its gates in 1963, but we know that we cannot solve the biodiversity crisis by ourselves. The Global Conservation Centre will facilitate collaboration to accelerate innovation, multidisciplinary research and applied conservation action for the species who need it most.”
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