Species conservation

We nurture and promote biodiversity.

Species conservation is one of Zoo Zurich’s four main tasks, alongside nature conservation, research and education. In the field of species conservation, the zoo seeks to prioritise endangered species in its animal population. The aim is to prevent extinction of these species in the global zoo network.

Successfully protecting species

About 150 species disappear from the wild every day – animals, plants, fungi. Unless we do something, up to two million species are at risk of disappearing by the end of the century – a loss of biodiversity on an enormous scale at a rapid pace.

We humans are responsible for this extinction. But we also have the power to save biodiversity. Modern, scientifically managed zoos can make a key contribution here.

Thanks to their knowledge of the husbandry and breeding of endangered species, modern zoos can form international insurance populations. They serve as «reinsurance» if an animal species becomes extinct in the wild. Once a reintroduction project is under way, zoos can provide animals from their breeding programmes.