Blog: zoos must up their game for the planet

Dr Jo Judge, CEO of BIAZA, on the challenges facing the sector and the need to adapt to meet ecological and societal challenges.  

Zoos and aquariums have so much to be proud of, but there are changes that still need to take place to meet the challenges of the 21st century. I joined BIAZA in February 2021, and immediately I was impressed by the passion, expertise and the energy of the zoo sector. Across BIAZA’s membership extraordinary and innovative work is taking place to improve care for animals, to conserve wildlife and to connect people and nature. But it is not enough. We have far to go as zoos and aquariums adapt to the demands of the major ecological crises we face and the demands of wider society.  

I firmly believe that conservation is at the heart of modern zoos and aquariums. To be frank, those zoos and aquariums not engaging in conservation have no place in our society. Our nature faces a dual crisis of biodiversity loss and a changing climate, all of us have to act and zoos and aquariums, as guardians of wildlife, have a responsibility to lead the way.  

BIAZA has been leading and, I am proud to say, will continue to lead the way. Over the years BIAZA working groups, committees and projects have enabled, enhanced and improved countless conservation activities. At the moment, in the UK we have been regularly talking to government officials and MPs about the Kept Animals Bill which will see conservation become a benchmarked-requirement of the zoo licence system. Last month BIAZA launched a new conservation policy that will enable our members to share and articulate their conservation outputs.  

The new, mandatory policy will encourage all members to re-examine what they currently do with an eye for going even further.  

We must lead in other ways too. Our new sustainability policy challenges all our members to ensure they’re contributing to the fight against climate change – we must practice what we preach. We have come so far on animal welfare but we must continue to go further and call out practices that need to end, that is why I am proud my team has been working with Defra officials on the legislation to end the practice of keeping primates as pets in the UK. It is why I am proud the zoo elephant- community came together to call for an end to low welfare practices across the world. 

Yet there are still those who question the role for zoos in the 21st century. We must answer those questions fully. We are not perfect but we have seen over the past few decades how the sector can change and improve. The challenge is to keep momentum going as we answer questions old and new. We must make zoos relevant to upcoming generations, generations that are deprived of nature but are more likely to care about the climate crisis, generations that are more likely to be vegan and more willing to stand up for the causes they believe in. 

It is my vision that all BIAZA members are recognised as world leaders, that good zoos can be found at the top table of conservation, environmentalism and education. That good zoos are respected by public and governments for their incredible expertise. This vision requires us to double down on our conservation efforts as well as to double the volume at which we speak about them. Our heads must be above the parapet loudly calling for all to join our conservation movement.  

Simply put, zoos and aquariums must continue to do what they’ve proven they are good at – and they must up their game to take on some of the biggest challenges our world has ever faced.  

By Dr Jo Judge  

CEO of BIAZA