Research and conservation

The Barcelona Zoo has as a main mission to take part in the conservation, research and dissemination of wildlife and its natural habitats.  This task, developed in collaboration with other Zoos, universities and research centres, follows the guidelines and strategies stipulated by the research committees of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and it is protected by the current legislation in conservation.

 

Nowadays we are participating in 97 EAZA ex-situ conservation programmes of threatened species (European Endangered Species Programmes, EEP and European StudBooks, ESB). More tan 85% of the species we host are included in the IUCN ‘Red List’ of Threatened Species, and during the last years, almost a 30% of the animals born in the Zoo have been released into their wild habitats.

 

Since 2009, through the Conservation and Research Programme (PRIC) and the Barcelona Zoo Foundation, we have developed 108 programmes of institutional collaboration, 110 specific research and/or conservation programmes, we have awarded 75 PRIC grants, 9 Snowflake grants and 4 Antoni Jonch grants. This has meant a direct investment in research and conservation of more than 1.5 million Euros. More than 50% if the projects developed by the Zoo grants during the period 2009-2016 have been focused in local species.