We are continuing to celebrate our extraordinary conservation heroes who work all over the world with Bristol Zoological Society to conserve some of the most threatened species and their habitats.

Our Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, and UK spotlights introduced you to some of our inspiring team members and partners who are working to protect wildlife and their crucial habitats. As a conservation charity, we are proud to work and collaborate in nine countries across four continents, directing 20 field conservation projects with 30 local partner organisations.

Here we are shining the spotlight on our work in Tanzania, as well as a crucial breeding programme of endemic species taking place right here in Bristol.

Tim Bray, Tanzania Project Manager

As a child, I was always really interested in being outdoors, as well as in wildlife, plants, and animals, and so it only made sense that I went on to do biology at university. A few degrees later, I was working all over the world, from South Africa to Saudi Arabia, and Europe. During this time, the importance of identifying the real-world problems and finding solutions rather than obscure problem-solving became apparent, which steered me towards conservation.

My current role at Bristol Zoological Society is leading the Tanzania Conservation Programme. This involves working in a team of conservationists, trying to find solutions to all of the problems that we can see, networking, and making connections between communities as we try to source funding that will make a difference to the natural world.

Part of that includes training conservationists of the future through higher education programmes, as they work on solutions to save our planet. It also includes working with groups in our target countries, like Tanzania, creating a two-way flow of information so they can help us find solutions for the problems that we all contribute towards in their countries.

The next step for the Tanzania programme is super exciting as we work on the reforestation of a relatively small forest block that is a crucial habitat for the Critically Endangered turquoise dwarf gecko and other endemic species. The reforestation process includes lots of different aspects, including the removal of invasive trees that have been planted there for logging purposes over many decades, replanting native saplings, some of them quite rare and threatened, as well as planting trees that the turquoise dwarf gecko really appreciates.

As much as this project focuses on the sole habitat, the work we do is within the framework of a changing climate. Wildfires have become an increasing problem in this forest, so we are working to install fire breaks and maintain these fire breaks, as well.

My aspirations for the future of conservation is that we get a bit more circumspect as a species, that humans start to understand the impacts of our actions, including development, both on our doorstep and all over the world. I hope that we can start making inroads into more partnerships, more networks of people that can actually solve the problems that we're generating and get on top of it, to start to do more positive than harm.

I believe that we can do this through more corporate partnerships, holding people and businesses accountable, so that we create a dialogue between different aspects of society and business. This could feed directly into not only funding conservation, but also enabling the conservationists and the local people in the different areas where work is needed, to actually make long-lasting partnerships. The partnerships we are fostering with non-governmental organisations in Tanzania, as well as the Sokoine University of Agriculture, are a perfect example; they are incredibly fruitful, and I hope for more of that.  

Oliver Beasley, Tanzania Project Manager

When I started my career, I was actually moving towards a veterinary medicine route, but during my studies, I realised my interest lay in conservation, wildlife, and the bigger picture that comes with protecting species. So I decided to undertake a master’s in animal biology, which I did in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. It was there that I conducted my master's research on chacma baboons, which I extended beyond my master's duration. I then went to work for an NGO in Indonesia, monitoring wildlife populations on Buton Island. From here, I went to work at Kyoto University in Japan on a project that was studying wild macaques, before COVID brought me back to the UK, and I have been working with Bristol Zoological Society ever since.

Part of my role here at Bristol Zoological Society is as a Project Manager working under our Tanzania conservation programme. Most of my work is focused on the implementation of the Kimboza Forest restoration project. Kimboza Forest is a forest plot that is home to the turquoise dwarf gecko, which is one of our flagship species that we’ve been working with since 2015. It is a critically endangered species and is also part of our reverse the red pledge, which means we are making extra efforts to ensure that this species is protected.

It's a really exciting time for this project at the moment. Kimboza itself is a really important habitat as it is home not only to the turquoise dwarf gecko, but also to many other threatened endemic species. Here at Bristol Zoological Society, we have partnered with Sokoine University of Agriculture, and through this collaboration, we have been implementing measures to try to improve the quality of the habitat, but also protect it. To do this, we’ve been taking a few different methods. Firstly, we have been removing invasive Spanish cedar trees, an invasive tree species in Kimboza, which is currently dominating the landscape and taking resources. We have also been working to maintain a fire break around the outskirts of the forest reserve to stop encroaching wildfires, and have been developing and expanding a seedling nursery, where native seedlings are grown by local people and then transplanted into the forest reserve. Here in the UK, we have also been taking initiatives to try and help conserve the turquoise dwarf gecko as part of a European breeding programme, where we are keeping an insurance population of the species safe. We have also been experimenting with implementing some exciting new measures for monitoring the population, including using environmental DNA (eDNA).

My hope for the future of conservation would be a world where we put more focus on prevention rather than fixing problems that have already occurred. Instead of waiting for a problem to happen at the point where damage has occurred that can’t be reversed, we can use the right toolkits and methods to implement more proactive measures to help safeguard threatened species and ensure the protection of vital ecosystems.

Michael Smith, Ectotherm Keeper

I’ve wanted to work in conservation since I was a child, after doing a Keeper for the Day experience with the tapirs. That experience opened my eyes to the work that can be done with the public to engage everyday people with an interest in our natural world.

My current role as a trainee keeper involves the everyday husbandry of our animals and contributing to ex-situ breeding programmes. My colleagues and I work with students on various research projects to improve our animal welfare and inform our in-situ conservation projects.

Since 2015, Bristol Zoological Society has been a part of the conservation breeding programme for the Critically Endangered turquoise dwarf gecko in order to contribute towards a stable population across European zoos. We've successfully bred 30 individuals over the last decade to contribute to this breeding programme. We carry out research projects that enable us to make evidence-based decisions in an effort to continually improve the welfare standards of our captive zoo population.

The turquoise dwarf gecko is important because it is the flagship species for the Kimboza project in Tanzania, a biodiversity hotspot. This critically endangered species’ natural habitat has been badly damaged by invasive tree species that outcompete its native screwpine home. This, alongside the illegal wildlife trade, has left the turquoise gecko population in a precarious position.

We are working with partners to address the root causes of the threats and support the recovery of local species. We are monitoring the population levels of the Critically Endangered turquoise dwarf gecko in response to the forest restoration. By monitoring the forest for fires, we hope that we can minimise their damage where possible. Finally, we plan to run awareness programmes in surrounding villages, as well as support the diversification of income streams to reduce reliance on unsustainable resource extraction practices from the forest. One of our research projects includes testing environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling protocols with our captive turquoise dwarf gecko population. We hope this research will support future population monitoring in the wild.

We are currently working on designing and building brand new facilities at Bristol Zoo Project for all of our endangered reptile and amphibian species. We have a new male turquoise dwarf gecko in our troop who was confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, and we are planning to introduce him to our female as part of the EAZA zoo breeding programme.

I hope that conservation continues to be a key facet in our society, and we can recognise the important role it has in all of our lives.

Tasha Otto, Student in MSc Applied Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation’

I have always been really fascinated by the natural world, even growing up, I was really drawn to species that don't always get the spotlight. So that interest led me to pursue my master's degree in applied wildlife and ecosystem conservation, where I've been able to combine my interests in animal behaviour, welfare, and conservation science. I am particularly motivated by the idea that small, focused actions can lead to making real differences in species recovery.

Currently, I am carrying out my dissertation project on turquoise dwarf geckos at the Bristol Zoo Gardens. My role involves designing and running behavioural studies, monitoring gecko activity with cameras, and analysing the footage to see how different plant species within the gecko habitats impact their behaviour. Day-to-day, that means a lot of data collection, data analysis, and working closely with the animal team to ensure that the project is running effectively.

The turquoise dwarf gecko is a critically endangered species that resides in a very small area in eastern Tanzania, making it highly vulnerable to things like habitat loss and illegal collection for the pet trade. This species is not only important because of its rarity, but it is also a flagship species. Its bright, striking colouration can draw attention from the public and potentially inspire support for wider habitat conservation. Protecting the species also means protecting many other species that share the same ecosystem.

I have been studying how environmental enrichment, especially plant species present within the gecko habitat, impacts their welfare states through conducting behavioural studies. So by looking at how much time geckos spend basking, hiding, moving, and how their special use patterns differ under various conditions, I can then identify what kind of captive environment best supports their natural ecology and promote more naturalistic behaviours. Because this species is so understudied, this research can be a starting point for identifying what kind of environment allows these geckos to display behaviours typical of wild populations, which is crucial for welfare.

By improving captive care, we can strengthen the role that ex-situ populations play in conservation. Healthy, behaviourally normal geckos are more likely to thrive in breeding programmes and potentially future reintroductions. My work will hopefully contribute to building evidence-based husbandry guidelines that can be applied not just at Bristol Zoo Project, but across other institutions managing this species.

Captive welfare is directly linked to conservation success; if animals are stressed or unable to perform natural behaviours, this can impact their health, well-being, survival, and reproductive success. So by ensuring that welfare is maximised, we can make sure that these captive populations remain viable and capable of supporting long-term recovery, especially for the Critically Endangered turquoise dwarf gecko.

The next step for my project would be to finish collecting and analysing all of the data to see which plant species within the geckos' habitat best supports natural behaviours. The findings will then be shared with Bristol Zoo Project and published so that other institutions can benefit, and ultimately, husbandry guidelines can be refined to optimise the welfare of the species.

With so many species under pressure, the future of conservation really does depend on balancing the protection of wild populations as well as ensuring that captive populations are managed in a way that truly supports recovery. Therefore, I hope that the future of conservation continues to become more collaborative, bringing together fieldwork, local communities, and science-based management. I also hope that the more underrepresented species, such as the turquoise dwarf gecko, gain more prominence in research and funding. Though the species are often overlooked, they are just as vulnerable and play vital roles in our ecosystem.

At Bristol Zoological Society, we love sharing conservation stories and celebrating our dedicated team members’ and partners’ work. 

Find out more about our conservation projects in Tanzania below.