Wild Futures, the charity that runs the Monkey Sanctuary, works to conserve UK species in danger from habitat loss and help them to thrive in the Sanctuary’s extensive grounds.  In addition, Wild Futures aims to minimise its impact on the environment across all operations and educates others on living sustainably.

Wild Futures’ UK conservation and sustainability aims

• To enhance and manage existing site for important species and to encourage biodiversity.
• To offer education on conservation of British wildlife and sustainable living.
• To work with other organisations to protect local wildlife and promote sustainable living.
• To manage our Sanctuary operations in order to minimise our carbon footprint.
• To link global climate change and deforestation issues with local solutions through promotion of sustainable gardening and food production.

How Wild Futures meets those aims

• By managing the Sanctuary grounds and gardens carefully to enhance and protect the varied habitats therein. We work specifically to safeguard the habitats of the more notable and important species.
• By allowing public access to the site and use by school groups to provide information on, and promoting the application of, wildlife gardening.
• By operating by an environmental policy linked to various areas including supplier management, waste and resource management, utilities, catering operations and employment practices.
• By maintaining links with local organisations to promote action on a local level.

Successes

• The Sanctuary gardens are open to 30,000 visitors annually. They are an important part of the visitor experience, where a range of techniques for encouraging wildlife into a garden can be seen.
• By working with Cornwall Butterfly Conservation Group in managing the Pearl-bordered fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne), we ensure that this rare and declining butterfly (which is a Biodiversity Action Plan priority for conservation) has a population within our grounds.
• Our grounds have been home to a colony of the rare lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) for many years. Their roost site is sensitively managed in order that this species, one of the UK’s most endangered mammals, continues to thrive.
• Offering protection to a wide range of species, including at least 385 species of plant. Scarce or localised species include: slender birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus angustissimus), hairy birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus subiflorus), grey bush-cricket (Platycleis albopunctata albopunctata), great green bush-cricket (Tettigonia viridissima), dingy skipper (Erynnis tages) and the adder (Vipera berus)
• By investing in solar panels on site on the monkey enclosures and Treetop cafe.
• By carrying out a carbon footprint project which initially led to a reduction in site electrical consumption of 50% and providing us with a further road map to follow.
• The site is a County Wildlife Site and a regular winner of the district council’s “Caradon in Bloom Wildlife Garden Award”.
• Our Monkey Sanctuary was awarded gold for Environmental and Wildlife Attraction by Visit Cornwall 2013.
• Our Monkey Sanctuary was awarded gold for the Green Tourism Business Scheme 2013.
• Our charity won second place at the Cornwall Sustainability Awards 2013 for two categories: Best Medium Sized Business and Resource Management.

Please contact us if you would like any further information or if you are interested in having an educational session at your school, University or workplace on any of our aims and operations.