An ambitious plan for a new tropical science discovery centre in Norfolk has been unveiled.

Banham Zoo could be at the heart of research into South American biodiversity and its links to the region under a multi-million pound proposal.

The Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA) and the University of East Anglia have teamed up to create the Germinal project, based around the theme of growth.

And although in its early stages, and without any funding, the visitor attraction could provide on-site resources for academic research as well as encouraging greater interest in the sciences within five years.

At the heart of the plans is an eyelid-shaped tropical house, filled with Brazilian fauna and flora, which will be built on the edge of the south Norfolk zoo site. The South American country was chosen because of its emerging economy and the avenues which could open if the East Anglian region worked with it.

Martin Goymour, the managing director of Banham Zoo, where ZSEA is based, described the blueprint as a 'six-figure project' and said although it was in its infancy, he believed it was an exciting prospect for the region. 'I wanted to create something that would be unique in Norfolk – a new zoo concept,' he said. 'It could be a fantastic resource – not just to our visitors but to the UEA too.'

The Norfolk proposal is part of UK-wide partnerships between zoos, wildlife parks and universities across the UK, known as The Big Zoo Experiment. The partaking universities in Edinburgh, Sheffield, Liverpool and Bangor share the same aims as the UEA, to widen scientific research and get the public involved.

The Germinal's tropical house could include waterfalls, running streams stocked with tropical fish, free-flying butterflies and birds and more. A hot house environment could aim to encourage plants to grow at fast rates. Sustainable food production would be a priority area of research, in terms of the East Anglian region and global crop development issues across the world.

Mr Goymour said the centre could provide a better understanding of the modern zoo whilst giving a tourism boost to the region.

'Norfolk has numerous other well established and widely respected institutions, such as the UEA and John Innes Centre and so it seemed to me that ZSEA should explore the prospects of co-operation to make our collective resources more available and used by more people,' he said.

A spokesman for the UEA said: 'This partnership is part of a wider, national initiative between zoos and universities in the UK. The UEA will be working with the Zoological Society of East Anglia over the coming months to investigate how this partnership can combine scientific research with efforts to achieve a more sustainable future for wildlife and people.'

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