Blog: Habits, Habitats & Veganuary – making the case for sustainable foods in zoos

Jessica Leaper of Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park argues that zoos need to be doing more to encourage visitors to eat sustainably.

January is traditionally a time to reassess and think about resolutions for the future, especially when it comes to health, diet and nutrition. Most often we over-indulge over the festive season and by January, our focus turns to healthier habits. World-wide, Veganuary is gaining traction and every year, participation is increasing the world over. In 2021, 580,000 participants signed up to Veganuary, from over 200 countries. 46% of these participants are doing it for the animals, 22% for their own health and 21% for environmental reasons. (1)

But a broader change is underway. Industrial farming, for meat and dairy products, is having a devastating and an often underplayed impact on our environment and our health. In fact, the easiest  way for individuals to reduce their carbon footprint is by giving up or reducing their meat and dairy intake. Global meat consumption has increased considerably during recent decades at the same time questions have been raised about the sustainability (not to mention ethics) of livestock systems. In 2012 the UN called for a drastic reduction in meat and dairy consumption in order to reduce climate change and rainforest destruction. “By 2050, dietary changes could free up several million square kilometres of land, and reduce global CO2 emissions by up to eight billion tonnes per year, relative to business as usual, the scientists estimate”. (2)

Many of the species of animals we house in zoos are affected by habitat loss and are subsequently endangered or threatened with extinction. Much of this habitat loss is directly related to things we do in our every day lives, from plastics in ocean habitats and waterways, to rainforests cleared for soy production to feed cattle in Europe and the USA, to greenhouse gasses and the impacts of climate change. Our food choices, eating habits and food-consumption patterns affect climate change, deforestation, biodiversity, and the use of oil, water, and land all affect our planet and the species we share it with. There is a critical conservation need to ensure our diets are more sustainable.

Many of our everyday habits are inadvertently helping to destroy habitats for species all over the world. Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park’s (AWCP) ‘Habits for Habitats’ campaign is designed to highlight these impacts and encourages visitors to take small steps to replace old habits with new habits to make a positive change to habitats (and therefore, species) all over the world.

There is no doubt that major changes are need to take place at a global and governmental level, but small actions by many can still have a big impact. Options for eating sustainable meat; venison or wild boar or organic and grass-fed cattle can reduce the impacts significantly, so can cutting down meat consumption to a more reasonable level. Just one meat-free day a week, can have a positive effect.

There are already many actions and campaigns taking place in zoos around the world that are having a positive impact on habits and habitats, but why has the ‘cow in the room’ been glossed over by many zoos? I believe that as progressive, forward-thinking zoos, we can lead the way, by encouraging our visitors to think about the sustainability of their diet, and increasing the sustainability of the food we offer our visitors.

So, how can zoos help?

By utilising the captive audience that is getting up close and personal with the very species affected by this destruction; our visitors. By raising awareness of the issues and encouraging and inspiring better choices and habits from our visitors and communities.

There are a range of ways in which this can be done; switching to plant-based menus in our zoo cafes and restaurants, showcasing meat-based menu days and events, informative and hard-hitting infographics, suggestions for better food choices and a range of tasty and inspiring plant-based options on our menus. But most crucially, explaining why it is so important that we make these changes and what the potential positive impacts of these more sustainable choices will be, on the species and habitats we work so hard to protect.

At the AWCP we have been running the Conscious Eating campaign locally to encourage more sustainable diets, for health and for the planet. Since 2016, we have seen a definite increase in plant-based options all around the community. Far more people are incorporating plant-based foods into their diet, to reduce their intake of meat and dairy. We evolved the campaign in 2019 to encompass other habit changes that can have a positive impact on habitats, with our Habits for Habitats campaign. We are too small to have a restaurant, but since 2016, all our catering for our events has been plant-based.

This year, the AWCP’s Habits for Habitats campaign, has introduced an online call to action: ’Act Wild’ with the aim to change 10,000 habits in 2022. Challenges such as ‘eat like a monkey’, or ‘swap like a hermit crab’, encourage sustainable actions, every day. Designed primarily for school participation, pupils and classes are encouraged to get involved by logging their daily ‘Wild Acts’. Our younger generation will be the first to experience the true devastation of climate change and habitat destruction. Our zoos inspire and educate thousands of children every year. If anyone can do it, we can.

(1) https://veganuary.com

(2) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02409-7

(3)  https://www.awcp.gi/actwild

By Jessica Leaper,

Park Manager, Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park (AWCP)

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not a reflection of BIAZA's positions.