The Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) stands as a beacon for wildlife conservation, animal welfare, and community education across the region. Representing almost 100 diverse organisations from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the South Pacific Islands, ZAA is a crucial collective voice advocating for the interconnectedness of wildlife and human health.
In an in-depth interview with ZAA executive director Nicola Craddock, we explore the association‘s mission, strategic initiatives, and significant impact on its members and the broader conservation landscape.
Introducing ZAA, the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia
Craddock begins by providing an overview of the association’s breadth and depth.
“We represent the voices of just under 100 zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks in Australasia,” she says. “These organisations vary widely in business models and objectives. But their passion for animal welfare and conservation work alongside community engagement and education unites them. We have members who care for native and exotic animals. Many of those animals are threatened species, and many of our members participate in threatened species recovery programs.”
This unification is essential, given the diverse nature of ZAA’s members. These include privately owned operations, large government-supported institutions, council-owned entities, charitable foundations and corporate-backed organisations. Despite their differences, they all share a common goal: fostering a positive relationship between people and wildlife to drive conservation and biodiversity efforts. This diversity is what makes the community strong and inclusive.
The association’s vision, “Positive outcomes for wildlife and people”, encapsulates its mission. Craddock elaborates on this, emphasising the importance of balancing the needs of wildlife with human activity:
“We believe that if you have a balance and a unity between wildlife and people, you’ll get better results that speak to One Health and better outcomes for biodiversity,” she says. “I don’t think you can look at one without the other.” This philosophy drives ZAA’s efforts to build respect and understanding for animals, promote pro-conservation behaviour and raise awareness about biodiversity challenges and climate change impacts.
Central to this mission is ensuring that positive animal welfare underpins all activities. “Without positive welfare practices being as good as they can be, none of the other priorities — conservation work, community engagement, or education — fall into place.”
ZAA membership benefits and standards
Being a member of ZAA represents a commitment to rigorous animal welfare standards and a collective effort towards conservation. Members can participate in conservation and recovery programs, regional species planning and management and ZAA’s respected accreditation program.
“There are different business models, including private owner-operators and family-owned zoos through to the larger government-supported organisations and charitable institutions. Within those different business models, there are varying objectives for each of those organisations. Regardless, there is this collective similarity coming together in one understanding of what best practice for welfare is.
“Being a member provides the opportunity to be part of a wider conservation effort. Cooperative planning and management are crucial for healthy and sustainable species populations. For threatened species recovery, you need many organisations for resources, long-term planning and sustainable genetic diversity. Having this number of organisations is very important to achieve conservation outcomes.”
ZAA’s accreditation program is recognised globally. It allows ZAA member organisations to demonstrate to government, community, and tourism entities that they operate to the highest animal welfare standards and keep pace with advancements in animal welfare science.
“The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) has criteria that a regional association must meet for what a good animal welfare assessment program needs to be, and the ZAA program fits those criteria. WAZA has endorsed ZAA as having a solid and robust animal welfare assessment program.”
The Five Domains model
The cornerstone of ZAA’s animal welfare approach is the Five Domains Model. “It’s science-based and evidence-based,” Craddock says, “allowing animal carers to demonstrate through data and evidence that their animals have the opportunity for positive experiences. Their findings, supported by evidence, are compared with published literature.
“The five domains are five paradigms in which the measurement of those positive experiences can be aligned. The first four are nutrition, environment, health and behaviour. These outputs help inform us about the animal’s various experiences and how they react to those experiences. Therefore, we can infer the fifth domain, the mental state of that animal.”
The model’s versatility means it is suitable for any species, ensuring tailored care for every animal. This helps organisations ensure that all animals in their care have the opportunity for positive experiences daily.
“Our accreditation program requires members to assess their animals at a species level and an individual level. Where one animal may engage with an experience or an environment positively, it may not work for another. It is this granular level that will ensure that the animals in our member’s care have the opportunity for positive experiences.
“When an organisation is accredited, we know they are working to that science-based animal welfare assessment model. It’s based on systems and processes, evidence and literature, and can account for every species and every specimen.”
ZAA’s strategic goals
ZAA’s three-year strategy revolves around three pillars: Resilient Organisations, Progressive Practices, and Connected Communities. Each pillar contains objectives designed to enhance the association’s impact and member support. For instance, Resilient Organisations includes a professional development and leadership training program for individuals within the membership: “We are always looking at ways to better serve our members so that their needs are met.”
Meanwhile, Progressive Practices aims to ensure the latest animal welfare science and conservation methods are used across ZAA’s accreditation, animal welfare and species management programs.
“We aim to keep pace with animal welfare science and conservation practices as they continue to evolve,” says Craddock. “ZAA’s regional species management program follows ex-situ management guidelines from the IUCN Species Survival Commission. This ensures that conservation and species management decisions are based on science.”
Connected Communities emphasises the strength of the network within ZAA’s membership and its relationships with government, tourism, and conservation stakeholders. This interconnectedness is vital for sharing knowledge, resources and support across the region.
Conservation highlights
ZAA and its members are deeply involved in various conservation programs, some of which have seen remarkable success. Craddock highlights the Tasmanian Devil insurance population as a prime example:
“Around 40 ZAA member organisations have involvement in this program,” she says, “maintaining a healthy, genetically diverse population as insurance for their wild counterparts. The ZAA membership has invested heavily in this program for many years.”
Other conservation programs include efforts to protect the brown kiwi, North Island kākā, the brush-tailed rock wallaby and the orange-bellied parrot, to name a few. These projects require extensive collaboration among ZAA members, government bodies, academia and the community. “It’s a collective effort that goes into supporting threatened species and their long-term sustainability.”
ZAA’s Conservation work demonstrates its commitment to the CBD Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (consisting of global targets to be achieved by 2030 to safeguard biodiversity) and the work being done by national governments’ commitments and National Strategic Action Plans.
“With ZAA member conservation programs we have a commitment to supporting the Action Plans and the targets that governments in this region are working towards.”
Addressing climate change
Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity. ZAA is also committed to addressing this issue. Many members are working towards net-zero models, reducing their carbon footprints and promoting sustainability. “It is important to make efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We encourage our members to consider their contributions to climate change and challenge themselves to innovate and drive change,” Craddock says.
With an annual visitor footprint of around 22 million people, ZAA members have a unique platform to educate the public on climate change and conservation.
“These messages have heavy weight and are very important for community engagement. We have an engaged audience, and through a clear connection with nature, ZAA members are able to explain the impact some of our day-to-day activities have on protecting wild animals moving forward. It’s a unique, trusted platform through which to try and influence those changes.”
The ZAA annual conference
One of the highlights of ZAA’s calendar is its annual conference. This year, it takes place in Sydney under the theme “Leading the Way for Wildlife and People.” The conference aims to push thinking towards the future, addressing the evolving biodiversity and climate change needs. “Our responsibility is to look at those needs and then lead by example,” Craddock explains.
The three-day event features keynote speakers, plenary presentations and workshops designed to challenge delegates to think critically about current practices and future requirements.
“The workshop schedule is set to challenge delegates’ thinking around what we’re doing now in the zoo/aquarium sector, what we feel the requirement of social license or the landscape in ten to twenty years might be, and what the priorities should be for discussion, planning and change.
“We have a strong lineup with our keynote speakers. The Honourable Tanya Plibersek, Minister of the Environment and Water, will join us for the opening keynote. Dr Erin Giuliani, CEO of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, will follow her. It is exciting to have these two keynote speakers on day one. Then, because a good ethical discussion is always important, Dr Mike King, senior lecturer in bioethics at the University of Otago, is the keynote speaker on Thursday.”
Craddock herself will lead the keynote discussion on day two. This will look at data and trends from the community and across the globe regarding expectations and perceptions in relation to conservation and animal welfare:
“We’re speaking to that big piece; what does a community want? What are their expectations for the future? How do we challenge ourselves to continue to increase our standards? How do we challenge ourselves to continue to do better moving forward?”
Outcomes for attendees
Speaking about the benefits of attending the ZAA annual conference, Craddock says:
“The world is moving very fast, and the landscape is evolving. You must continue to challenge your assumptions and what you are doing. From a sustained resiliency perspective, zoos and aquariums are not in a bubble. It is important to understand the influences, risks and opportunities around us.
“We are passionate conservationists. But we will only be able to achieve the bigger, high-level global goals we talk about if we work together. We want to be part of the conversation and need to think more broadly for the future. We aim to reflect this through the conference’s theme.”
Into Aqua and Aquatic Design Engineering Construction are gold sponsors for this year’s event, joined by major sponsor the Australian Trade and Investment Commission and bronze sponsors Grande Experiences and Jetpets. Advanced Aquarium Technologies and Phoenix Mesh are exhibiting sponsors, and blooloop is the media and communication partner.
“We’re looking forward to seeing around 160 delegates coming for this three-day event in the Sydney Masonic Centre. Optional events surround those busy days with the support of our local zoo and aquarium members. We have an icebreaker hosted at Taronga Zoo and a zoo day visit at Sydney Zoo in the west of Sydney. There is also a gala event with SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium.
“It is an action-packed three days of collegial activity, hard thinking and forward planning.”
Positive outcomes for wildlife and people
The Zoo and Aquarium Association of Australasia plays a pivotal role in promoting animal welfare, conservation, and community education across the region. Through rigorous standards, strategic initiatives, and collaborative efforts, ZAA and its members are making significant strides towards positive outcomes for wildlife and people.
As the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, ZAA’s commitment to leading the way for wildlife and people is more crucial than ever.
Top image: Kiwi at Kiwi Park in Queenstown, New Zealand
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