Sustainable practices at animal care organisations

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important topic in the management of zoos, aquaria, and other animal care organisations,  recognising their responsibility to reduce their environmental impact and promote sustainable practices. Many organisations are involved in conservation, education and research, and sustainability is essential to the success of these efforts too. Visitors expect contemporary institutions to be leaders who promote sustainable practices and demonstrate their commitment to environmental preservation.

Animal care organisations play an important role in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Annually, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums provide information about their green business practices through AZA’s Green Practices survey. The database created from this survey serves as a tool for members to document their staffing, the sourcing of local food,...

Flying bamboo?

A free paper from the AnimalConcepts team is available open access and you can download it below.

This paper is part of the book Transforming food systems: ethics, innovation and responsibility by Donald and Ann Bruce, and discusses the challenges zoos face to be more environmentally-conscious and make decisions in regard to the sourcing of food for both animals and people. This paper also highlights the efforts undertaken by zoos to mitigate these challenges.

Abstract

Contemporary zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, and other facilities housing animals in human care (hereafter zoos) are concerned with their core values of animal wellbeing, education, and nature conservation. There is a wide variety of species living in zoos worldwide, spanning across many different taxa, which results in an enormous diversity of diets – each bringing its own set of challenges. Meats, fishes, insects, fruits, vegetables, and browse are some, among many, of the necessary components for...

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect." - Chief Seattle

Monday 5th June we celebrated World Environment Day, an event intended to raise global awareness and take action on pressing environmental issues. It is organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and serves as a platform for promoting positive environmental action worldwide. This year the theme will focus on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.

Every year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced, with half of it intended for single-use purposes. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. Around 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and oceans, exacerbating the problem. Currently, plastic pollution is evident in overflowing landfills, ocean contamination, and the release of...