Mission and objectives

The Barcelona Zoo’s main aim is to contribute to the conservation of wild fauna and global biodiversity, by working in partnership with other zoos, institutions, universities and research centres. To achieve this, it must undertake decisive actions in the fields of both public education and entertainment in order to raise awareness of the world’s ecosystems, habitats and species. For this reason, the Zoo should take on a leading role in the city’s  biodiversity conservation strategy.

The entertainment and fun the Zoo provides visitors would be a highly valuable and powerful tool in promoting the need for biodiversity conservation.  The Zoo also contributes to the development of scientific knowledge through its own  research as well as its collaboration with other research centers. Another of the Zoo’s primary objectives is to incorporate and promote sustainability values such as corporate social responsibility and environmental protection. These values must infuse all the work carried out at the Zoo and must be promoted on the Zoo’s Website (Agenda 21).  In short, the values that must permeate daily work at the Zoo are transparency,  commitment and spirit of service, both to the natural environment and to the community.

The future role of Barcelona Zoo will be shaped by the basic concepts set out in the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy, which encourages zoos to expand their conservation activities in situ (in nature) and to develop research programs both in situ and ex situ (in the Zoos, themselves).

This will require the development of more educational programs to proactively involve the public, both in local and global initiatives. 

It will also call for the construction of innovative facilities to attract visitors and give them a more realistic picture of the types of habitat animals live in, while also ensuring the welfare of those animals at all times. Furthermore, if ethical principles underpin all of the Zoo’s activities, it will be easier to generate more funds for conservation activities.