Perspectives on the Role of Zoos in Conservation from Non-Zoo Conservation Professionals.

Modern zoos have increasingly positioned themselves as conservation organizations. However, it is unclear to what extent conservation professionals from other types of organizations view zoos' roles in conservation. This research explored the perceptions of 116 conservation professionals to understand how they view zoos in the broader conservation context. We examined how participants perceived the current role of zoos in conservation and their beliefs regarding how zoos can increase their conservation impacts. Education was described most frequently as both a current role and an important way to increase impact. Ex situ conservation was another frequently described current role of zoos, although fewer participants suggested this as a means to increase impact. Instead, suggestions included supporting in situ efforts and collaborating with non-zoo conservation organizations and local communities. By understanding the perceptions that non-zoo conservationists hold toward zoo conservation efforts, zoos can better identify ways to improve collaborations, communication, and capacity sharing with other organizations to increase our collective conservation impact.