About Us
EAZA’s mission is to facilitate cooperation within the European zoo and aquarium community towards the goals of education, research and conservation. We believe that zoos and aquariums have a strong role to play in protecting nature and wildlife both at our institutions and out in the field, by:
- Providing funding and manpower to in situ conservation projects aimed at protecting animal populations and their habitats
- Maintaining viable populations of animals in human care to ensure their survival over the long term
- Educating our visitors about animals and their habitats and providing them with the knowledge and opportunities they need to live sustainably as part of nature
- Researching all aspects of animal biology to improve our understanding of animals and how they live and interact
What We Do
In addition to our ex situ work EAZA also runs Conservation Campaigns focused on specific regions and/or species. The following two Campaigns are particularly relevant to ASAP species:
EAZA Southeast Asia Campaign (2011-2013)
This Campaign was run in partnership with the IUCN Species Survival Commission. It’s aims were to:
- Raise awareness in the European public, European institutions and European business community of the amazing, yet threatened, animal species of Southeast Asia;
- Create a fund for Southeast Asian species conservation projects;
- Assist in reducing trade and hunting of Southeast Asian species at risk;
- Influence European consumer behaviour, demonstrating how this can positively impact on conservation issues.
Over 125 EAZA Members and 12 non-EAZA participants joined the campaign and raised in total €270,000 for conservation projects in Southeast Asia. Many campaign participants collectively joined in the ‘Saola Awareness Month’ event, during which zoo visitors were offered lots of opportunities to learn about the amazing animals in Southeast Asia, and how they are under threat from poaching, wildlife trade and habitat destruction.
This Campaign also resulted in strong links between EAZA and ASAP that continue until the present day.
EAZA Silent Forest Campaign - Asian Songbird Crisis (2018-2019)
The EAZA Silent Forest Campaign (www.silentforest.eu) is the first EAZA conservation campaign that focuses primarily on birds, particularly songbirds of Southeast Asia. Songbirds have become the subject of an excessive and strong culturally rooted consumption for trade, singing competitions, pet trade, export traditional medicine and food.
The aim of the campaign is to improve the situation of Asian songbirds in their natural habitat and to develop an increased knowledge and understanding of the threats to these birds and how zoos can contribute to save them.
258 participants from 32 countries joined the Campaign, 55 of whom were non-EAZA participants. The Campaign raised over €550,000 that went to a range of selected projects in Asia.
Where We Work
EAZA Members are predominantly located in Europe and Western Asia however, we carry out conservation work all over the World.
Photo Credits
Featured image: Andrew Owen