The 81st WAZA Annual Conference in Cologne was an opportunity for our global community to exchange knowledge, strengthen connections and consider the challenges ahead. Since 1935, WAZA has served as a global alliance of leading zoos and aquariums and their national and regional associations, advancing conservation and animal welfare through collective action. The conference also marked an important moment for WAZA’s future. At the Annual General Assembly on 29 October 2026, members adopted the 2027–2031 WAZA Strategic Plan, setting the direction for the next five years.
Behind that decision lies a wider body of work: a clearer articulation of WAZA’s purpose, our first set of organisational values, and a strategic planning process informed by members’ experiences and expectations. Here are five things every WAZA member should know about what comes next.
The 2023–2026 strategic cycle helped WAZA define what makes it distinctive: the ability to convene a global community, set the bar for excellence and speak with a collective international voice. It provided the foundation for the WAZA Animal Welfare and Population Management Goals, an updated Animal Welfare Strategy last year, a new International Studbook Framework and a stronger presence in global conservation and policy discussions. WAZA also advanced collaboration and sought to make participation more accessible across regions.
These foundations remain relevant. Rather than replacing them, the 2027–2031 new WAZA strategy builds on them, retaining the four existing strategic pillars while identifying where WAZA needs to go further. The emphasis shifts towards more demonstrable impact, stronger implementation support, meaningful global participation and evidence-based influence.
The direction is consistent. The ambition for delivery is greater.
The new plan was developed through an eight-month strategic exercise involving dedicated WAZA Council discussions, workshops with WAZA Committees, analysis by the Executive Office and consultation with members. The aim was not simply to consult widely, but to ensure different regional, institutional and professional perspectives could shape our direction.
A key input was the first WAZA Compass Survey, conducted between 18 February and 2 April 2026. It received 212 usable individual responses from 188 member organisations — 53% of the 357 active members eligible at the time.
The results offer encouraging signals. 84% of respondents agreed that WAZA membership provides good value, 88% trusted WAZA to represent the community fairly, responsibly and credibly, and WAZA recorded a Net Promoter Score of +33, a positive result indicating that respondents who are highly likely to recommend WAZA significantly outnumber those who are unlikely to do so. Some 85% said WAZA’s Global Goals strengthen membership value.
But the survey also identified a challenge: while members support global frameworks, 68% said WAZA resources inform decisions or actions within their organisations. Respondents asked for more practical guidance, adaptable tools, examples of implementation and materials they can use locally. They also placed particular value on WAZA’s representation in international policy forums. While 87% felt able to explain WAZA’s global role, 75% recognised added value beyond national and regional associations — an important reminder to make our distinct contribution more tangible.
Participation matters, too. Lack of time (53%), limited budgets for in-person events (39%) and engagement primarily through national or regional associations (39%) were the most frequently reported barriers to engage with WAZA. These findings reinforce the need to work closely with associations and offer more accessible ways to contribute, whatever an organisation’s location, size or resources.
This survey will become an annual member-listening exercise, allowing WAZA to track satisfaction, test whether our actions are making a difference and keep members’ voices central to future decisions.
A strategy describes what an organisation intends to achieve over a defined period. Its mission, vision and values should endure beyond any single strategic cycle: why we exist, where we aspire to be and how we work.
WAZA has therefore updated its mission to reflect the unique role established during the previous strategic cycle:
“WAZA unites and mobilises the global zoo and aquarium community, sets the bar for excellence, and amplifies its collective voice to advance conservation and animal welfare worldwide.”
Every part matters. Unites and mobilises recognises WAZA’s convening power across institutions, associations and partners. Sets the bar for excellence reflects the global WAZA Goals and our role in advancing standards and continuous improvement. Amplifies its collective voice recognises that global advocacy is stronger when the community works together. Conservation and animal welfare remain at the heart of all three.
Our vision remains unchanged: “A globally recognised and trusted leader advancing conservation and animal welfare.”
For the first time, WAZA has also articulated five organisational values to guide how we work, lead and make decisions:
The 2027–2031 plan retains Transformative Leadership, Species Impact, Global Members and Reputation in the Strategy. What changes is the precision of the work within each pillar.
Transformative Leadership: from setting goals to demonstrating progress
WAZA will continue defining and advancing excellence in zoos and aquariums, but place stronger emphasis on accountability, implementation monitoring and measurable delivery of the WAZA Goals. We will also assess whether additional Goals would create sufficient impact, considering strategic value and the capacity needed to deliver them, and explain more clearly how existing Goals reinforce one another.
A further priority is to make excellence more recognisable beyond our own community. WAZA will help relevant sectors and influential third parties understand the standards and professional practices that distinguish high-quality zoos and aquariums — and encourage them to recognise and endorse institutions demonstrating strong animal welfare, conservation and professional practice. This goes beyond asking others to trust our sector: it means making the basis for that trust clear, and helping credible institutions gain recognition for standards they can demonstrate.
Species Impact: connecting conservation efforts and demonstrating results
WAZA aims to strengthen the link between in situ and ex situ conservation, connecting the expertise of zoos and aquariums with the wider conservation community. This includes facilitating cross-regional discussions on global species prioritisation, supporting contributions to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and engaging governments around species-positive outcomes, including National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).
Equally important is making collective contributions visible and credible. The strategy calls for a stronger global evidence base covering conservation, animal welfare and societal outcomes, supported by monitoring of WAZA Goals. It also seeks greater recognition of members’ expertise in ex situ care and breeding, wildlife health and community engagement — capabilities that can contribute directly to species recovery. WAZA’s intended role is to connect and facilitate, not replace regional expertise: identifying where coordinated action adds value, helping align efforts with biodiversity targets and turning collective experience into credible information for conservation partners and decision-makers.
Global Members: from global presence to meaningful participation
Representing a worldwide community requires more than having members in many parts of the world. WAZA will use member insights and segmentation to tailor its value proposition to different regions, organisational needs and capacities, while developing targeted approaches to attract and retain members where representation remains limited or absent.
The plan also commits to identifying and addressing financial, geographical, linguistic and capacity-related barriers. This means closer collaboration with national and regional associations, better pathways into WAZA activities and ongoing monitoring of who participates and whose voices are heard. Particular attention will go to increasing participation and leadership representation from under-represented regions. The aspiration is for members to experience WAZA’s global value in ways relevant to their circumstances — not only through participation in international meetings, but through accessible opportunities to contribute expertise and influence priorities.
Another new emphasis is coordinated member action: using the strength of our regional networks not only to connect people, but to advance shared conservation priorities and amplify advocacy.
Reputation: strengthening influence through evidence and external engagement
WAZA will continue representing the community where international conservation and animal welfare policies are shaped. The next phase calls for more coordinated advocacy across members and stronger evidence to support positions, partnerships and policy engagement.
It also expands the focus beyond traditional conservation forums. WAZA intends to engage the tourism sector and other relevant industries to explain the positive contributions of scientifically managed, high-quality zoos and aquariums. Building public and stakeholder understanding of the standards behind credible institutions is essential to securing recognition, trust and influence. This requires explaining both the contributions of progressive organisations and the scientific and ethical expectations that differentiate them. Evidence from members will be fundamental to making those messages persuasive beyond our own networks.
Adoption in Cologne established the direction; implementation will determine its success. In January 2027, the WAZA Executive Office will begin translating the five-year strategy into action by defining priorities, activities and responsibilities across departments and mapping how delivery will progress year by year. This will give each team a clearer line of sight between its work and the overarching strategic priorities, while creating a basis for reviewing progress and adjusting implementation when needed.
This work will connect WAZA’s enduring foundations with tangible initiatives, the global WAZA Goals, monitoring and accountability. It will help ensure that our ambitions can be assessed not only by what we announce, but by what we achieve with and for members.
The 2027–2031 strategy belongs to a global community whose perspectives helped shape it. Its success will depend on continuing that dialogue — listening, collaborating and turning shared priorities into collective impact for animals, nature and the people working to protect them.
