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Refugia: co-designing a creative and equitable engagement programme for conservation science with refugee and asylum seekers.
Conservation and caring for wildlife and our planet are often seen as a privilege, but despite not having stable housing and food access, asylum seekers and refugees have a deep respect for nature and an interest in how they can protect it. That's where Refugia comes in.
Refugia is a programme of co-created, equitable engagement with people who have lived experience of forced migration, including people seeking asylum, people with refugee status and people with irregular and undocumented status.
The Refugia programme was developed in collaboration with the New Art Studio, a therapeutic arts group for asylum seekers and refugees, which is funded by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Over six months, we created a space for therapeutic art practice alongside wildlife conservation.
The programme focused on topics relevant to both the lived experiences and cultures of asylum seekers and refugees and wildlife conservation; hence the name ‘Refugia’, meaning ‘areas in which a population of living things can survive through a period of unfavourable conditions.’
With access to art materials, translators and London Zoo, participants shared insights on topics including urban wildlife, wildlife and people, life in water, forests and animal migration. The programme enabled a safe and inclusive environment for mutual learning, expression, discussion and understanding.
By making art together, participants connected in profound ways, immersed in the therapeutic benefits of nature and art. A co-produced exhibition was hosted to share artwork and reflections, allowing the wider public to engage with the role of zoos in conservation and the lived experiences of migrant artists.
Five sessions were held monthly between September 2022 and January 2023, exploring five conservation topics. As sessions progressed, the New Art Studio members shared their work and practices with ZSL participants; for example, by teaching printmaking during a session on forests. In this way the engagement became a mutual exchange.
To celebrate the project, we co-produced a pop-up public exhibition with the New Art Studio and ZSL where we welcomed 600 people see over 250 art pieces made over 2 weeks.
We're delighted to share that a smaller version of this exhibition is went to COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan. The COP team estimate we had c.7,000 – 8,000 visitors who would have viewed the ZSL Refugia gallery in the Pavilion.
The images were also hosted in the Delegation Offices which hosted senior leaders at COP29.
The Pavilion events hosted influential stakeholders from:
DESNZ Secretary of State
Foreign Secretary
Minister Creagh
Chris Stark
Mia Mottley
Podcaster Tom Carnac
Rachel Kyte (UK Special Representative on Climate)
Ruth Davis (Special Representative for Nature)
The first iteration of Refugia provided proof of concept for an expanded programme that now includes a range of partner organisations that work with asylum seekers and refugees, including befriending groups, family groups, parents and children, youth groups and adult walking groups.
In our expansion we are delighted to have worked with Babylon Migrants Project, JUMP befriending project, Fences & Frontiers: Museums and Me; Fences & Frontiers: Never Walk Alone, Future Leaders, Care4Calais and Refugee Education UK