Canadian zoos and aquariums are increasing their contributions to conservation and research

With the widespread loss of biodiversity, zoos and aquariums are striving to become leaders in conservation and research. Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) is a non-profit organization representing 30 institutional members as agencies of conservation and science, which is reflected in their accreditation standards.

We followed methods used by researchers who had previously examined research output of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) members to characterize scientific research by CAZA members from 1993 to 2017.

We demonstrated that the number of peer-reviewed publications produced increased over time, more than the background publication rate.

CAZA members published the most in veterinary science, with fewer publications in conservation. However, the number of conservation publications has increased substantially in recent years, perhaps because zoos and aquariums are hiring more permanent conservation scientists.

Read this open access paper on the FACETS website.

Institutions with research-oriented mission statements published more than those without. Missions statements that pledge to contribute to scientific knowledge may be an indicator of organizational attitudes that prioritize and value research.

Additionally, older, larger organizations produced more publications than younger, smaller organizations. Older organizations have had time to acquire more resources, such as money, partnerships, and community engagement, whereas small organizations are constrained by their size and what research they are able to perform.

CAZA members also published less than their counterparts at the AZA predominately in the United States, most likely because the AZA is comprised of older and larger organizations.

Zoos and aquariums should continue to produce peer-reviewed publications, especially in conservation science, because it facilitates knowledge sharing between conservation practitioners. The credibility of zoos and aquariums as conservation organizations in the eyes of the general public can only be enhanced by the production of peer-reviewed science in this field.

Understanding publishing patterns among CAZA members is important for understanding the contributions zoos and aquariums bring to conservation. This information can also be used by CAZA and its members in their strategic planning to identify areas for investment in their programs.

Read the paper — Peer-reviewed scientific contributions from Canadian zoos and aquariums by Breanna E. Pyott and Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde.