WAZA Conservation Projects

In the years 2000/2001, WAZA organised three in situ conservation workshops searching for a strategy on how WAZA should become involved in in situ conservation. One recommendation was that WAZA (with the goal of becoming a globally recognised conservation organisation) should brand suitable conservation projects. The idea behind the WAZA branding is to create a win-win situation: the brand promotes the project, and the brand allows WAZA to use the project to convey what zoos and aquariums do for conservation.

Projects (or programmes) are branded on application, with three sets of endorsement criteria, focusing on biological, operational, and institutional and partnership issues. Applications may be submitted by either the project organisation or a WAZA member supporting the project. Since inception of the scheme in 2003, the number of WAZA-branded projects has steadily increased to 165 in December 2009.

Getting the WAZA brand implies:

• Branded projects remain fully independent and WAZA in no way interferes with the implementation of the project.
• A branded project is called "A WAZA Conservation Project" for the purpose of promoting both the project itself and the in situ conservation efforts of the world zoo and aquarium community. However, WAZA always recognises the organisation that owns the project.
• The project organisation may use the WAZA logo in conjunction with the statement "A WAZA Conservation Project" in their publications, on their website, etc.
• A short article about the branded project is published in the WAZA News, with the possibility for a longer article in the WAZA Magazine.
• A project description is published on the WAZA website. WAZA provides a link to the project organisation's website and expects the project organisation to do the same reciprocally.
• WAZA looks into the possibility of raising funds for branded projects through its website and other means.
• The project organisation is expected to annually submit a short progress report to WAZA.

Please contact us for further information and/or to obtain an application form.