About Us

Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) is a conservation and education charity, which runs and operates Bristol Zoo Gardens and the Wild Place Project.

BZS aims to identify and implement sustainable solutions to species and ecosystem conservation challenges through research, action and local collaboration. BZS carries out field conservation programmes in five continents across the world and research programmes both in the field and at Bristol Zoo Gardens.

BZS is working with Philippine locals to establish a value in conserving species and the habitats they live in. The flagship species for the BZS’s work in the Philippines are the bleeding heart doves. Out of the five species of bleeding heart doves in Philippines, three are critically endangered (Negros, Sulu and Mindoro).

ASAP Species That We Work On

What We Do

BZS is currently working mainly in the Mantiquil forest area where the Negros bleeding heart dove is found, in order to determine a pathway to change that could be replicated in other areas if conditions allow. The conservation project has 5 main strategies which involve habitat protection and restoration, community engagement, support and outreach as well as monitoring and evaluation of both biodiversity and social indicators.

Establishment of critical watershed and critical habitat for wildlife

In order to ensure clean water for the immediate community, and to get the forest habitat for critically endangered species legally defined, BZS lobbied for official legal protection status and official watershed status for the Mantiquil forest area.

The local Municipality has since declared the Mantiquil forest a ‘critical watershed and critical wildlife habitat area’ – the first of its kind on Negros. This will enable the framework for establishing ‘management contracts’ with local people, giving employment and other benefits for rural poor people.

Habitat restoration through rainforestation

BZS aims to utilise 50 species of native trees - grown from hand-collected seeds and propagated in a regional nursery - to re-join isolated patches of forest and restore degraded habitat for the largely endemic flora and fauna population.

The project will provide a wide array of different resources to local communities, spanning from technical training in agroforestry, employment and, ultimately, the creation of community owned nurseries.

Community-based conservation education campaigns

BZS is working to establish the value of biodiversity protection for communities: financial and ecosystem services.

Local Government Units (LGU) are leading the initiative to increase formalised biodiversity conservation and forestry protection education to schools.

Community-based biodiversity monitoring and evaluation

BZS is training and employing locals to form an official biodiversity monitoring team. Farmers are also becoming effective agents in habitat protection and management through adoption of rainforestation techniques.

Identification, dissemination and roll out of participatory model for forest conservation on Negros

BZS is working to ascertain key success factors for establishing sustainable development, livelihood improvement, biodiversity and forest conservation.

BZS partners on this work with:

  • Pederasyon sa Nagkahiusang mga Mag-uuma nga Nanalipud ug Nagpasig-uli sa Kinaiyahan Inc. (PENAGMANNAKI)
  • Mantiquil community
  • Local Government Unit (LGU) of Siaton Muncipality
  • Department for Environment and Natural Resources DENR
  • Imperial Tobacco Plc
  • Club 300 Bird protection grant

Where We Work

Mantiquil forest area, Negros Island region, Philippines

Contact Details

College Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3HA, UK

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