English Information

The Zurich Nature Center is a new educational initiative focused on nature in urban areas within the canton of Zurich. It highlights the importance of biodiversity for quality of life, the climate, and health in the city—and shows what each of us can do to make a concrete contribution.

Biodiversity in urban areas

The Zurich Nature Center is one of seven nature centers in the canton of Zurich. Unlike the other nature centers, however, it is not located in a nature reserve, but right in the heart of the city of Zurich. Its main focus is on nature and biodiversity in urban areas. The Zurich Nature Center aims to fascinate visitors with the diverse flora and fauna found in the densely populated greater Zurich area and to demonstrate how vibrant, valuable, and worthy of protection nature is in urban areas. It brings people closer to nature by offering families, school classes, and professionals a wide range of educational, experiential, and advisory programs, enabling them to deepen their knowledge, recognize nature and wildlife in their daily lives, and actively advocate for an intact flora and fauna and greater biodiversity in their living environment. The “Zurich Nature Center on the go” – a nature mobile – also brings these topics to communities.

Location and Sponsorship

The future location of the Zurich Nature Center will be the Mythenquai Aviary, which is centrally located within the Zurich Arboretum’s waterfront grounds. The Zurich Aviary Society has operated this historic bird rescue center since 1900 and has been supported by Zurich Animal Welfare for decades. As joint sponsors of the Zurich Nature Center, they aim to expand the aviary into a bird and nature center and, in particular, to focus on their protection in urban areas.