What is it about?
Modern zoos and aquariums occupy a unique position in conservation. Millions of people visit them every year, yet debate continues over whether their collections truly reflect conservation priorities or simply showcase the charismatic animals visitors want to see.
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Photo by Georg Eiermann on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Although collection planning within modern zoo and aquaria remains biased towards globally non-threatened species and species non-native to the UK, these findings demonstrate the capacity of UK zoos to contribute to native and priority species conservation and underline the importance of maintaining comprehensive captive populations for regional management and globally shared taxonomic data.
Perspectives
Something the data couldn’t measure was perhaps one of the most important contributions zoos and aquariums make. For many visitors, these institutions provide their first real encounter with wildlife. Watching a jellyfish drift through an aquarium, hearing the call of a gibbon or seeing a critically endangered frog for the first time can create a sense of wonder that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. Those experiences matter because people are far more likely to protect the natural world when they feel connected to it.
Justin Lennon
University of Brighton
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Taking stock: Can captive species contribute to biodiversity conservation?, PLOS One, August 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0354602.
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