Edinburgh Zoo

Campaigns

One of the greatest strengths of modern zoos is our ability to expose literally millions of people to vitally important conservation messages. In the UK, more than 15,000,000 people visit zoos and safari parks every year – giving us a fantastic opportunity to spread the conservation message.

Campaigns are one of the most successful ways in which we can raise visitor awareness and encourage direct and effective action.

On the understanding that working collectively is more effective than going it alone, Edinburgh Zoo has always supported networked campaigns organised by the UK’s Zoo Federation and/or the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

The EAZA Campaign is just part of the RZSS commitment to conservation and compliments our expanding portfolio of conservation projects with which we have more direct involvement (e.g. Budongo, Falklands Conservation).

Year of the Frog - 2008 EAZA Campaign

After thriving for over 360 million years, one third to one half of all amphibian species could disappear in the immediate future – this means Earth is facing the single largest mass extinction since the disappearance of dinosaurs!

Amphibians are severely affected by habitat loss, climate change and pollution, but the most urgent enemy facing them now is chytrid fungus - a disease that is deadly to hundreds of amphibian species. This disease was discovered less than a decade ago, and since then dozens of frog species have completely vanished. In the environments where the disease thrives, the fungus can kill 80 percent of the amphibians within months, leading to widespread amphibian extinctions.

The main goal of the 2008 EAZA campaign is to generate public awareness and understanding of the amphibian extinction crisis. The funds raised will help support Amphibian Ark (a programme coordinated by The World Conservation Union) activities and finance regional initiatives such as rescues, training workshops and cooperatively managed centres.

There will be a campaign launch evening on Thursday 6 March in the Lecture Theatre of the Education Centre at Edinburgh Zoo, with talks given by the reptile keepers about the plight facing these amphibians. There will also be a range of fundraising and awareness-raising activities taking place in the forthcoming months.

Arovako i Madagaskara!

The EAZA 2006/2007 campaign did not focus on a type of animal, or even a specific habitat, but instead focused upon the island of Madagascar.

Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island and is classified as a ‘biodiversity hotspot’. The island is home to a huge diversity of life that is found nowhere else. In fact all the terrestrial mammals native to Madagascar are unique to the island, as are 90% of the amphibians, 90% of the reptiles, 85% of the plants and 51% of the birds. 

 Unfortunately, the island has also seen 90% deforestation and has a growing human population.

 This campaign supported 20 different projects including - tree planting, research, ecological study, habitat regeneration, ecotourism, community programmes and education. 

Save the Rhino- 2006 EAZA Rhino Campaign

The 2006 EAZA campaign aimed at rhino conservation. Edinburgh Zoo made a cash donation to this campaign, along with running a variety of events to raise awareness of the critical issues facing rhino species.

 
Shellshock - 2004/2005 EAZA Turtle and Tortoise Campaign

The 2004/2005 EAZA campaign was 'Shellshock'.  Turtles and tortoises have been on our planet for over 200 million years. They have witnessed the rise and fall of dinosaurs, they have seen the first birds fly, and they have observed our own evolution from the most harmless of primates. Now, in the space of less than twenty years they are being wiped from the face of the planet.

In this year of campaigning, Edinburgh Zoo raised awareness through a variety of events and also made a donation of £15,000. This donation earned the Zoo a platinum certificate, awarded by EAZA. 

 
21st Century Tiger

In 2003, the Zoo joined the EAZA 21st Century Tiger campaign, run by a partnership between the Zoological Society of London and Global Tiger Patrol.  In the past hundred years, two of the seven sub-species of tigers has become extinct, and the global population of all tigers has fallen from 10,000 to 5,000. There may be fewer than 400 Amur tigers left in the wild, in fragmented populations around the Amur river valley in the far east of Russia.

We dedicated various resources at Edinburgh Zoo in support of this campaign, including special graphic interpretation boards, and a dedicated ‘touch table’ set up and staffed by volunteers to highlight the plight of tigers. Thanks to the generous donations by visitors in 2003, we were one of the first EAZA members to raise €10,000 and be credited with a Gold certificate. The 21st Century Tiger campaign will continue throughout 2004.

 
Atlantic Rainforest

In 2001/2002, EAZA turned its attentions to the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil, and the Zoo used its recently-opened ‘Magic Forest’, which houses several species of south American marmosets and tamarins, to raise awareness and funds that enabled local Brazilian conservation groups to reconnect fragmented remnants of rainforest through the planting of ‘corridors’ and the reinstatement of forest vegetation on former agricultural land.

 
Bushmeat

In 2000/2001, Edinburgh Zoo joined the EAZA bushmeat campaign – raising awareness of the increasing problem of the unsustainable harvesting of threatened wildlife, particularly in central Africa.  Edinburgh Zoo collected thousands of signatures that contributed to the European-wide petition of 1.9 million signatures. The petition was submitted to the European parliament in January 2002, demanding action to reverse the bushmeat trend that is facilitated by road building in tropical forests by European logging concessions. In January 2004, the European Parliament voted in favour of adopting the EAZA bushmeat report. However, there is still much more work to be done, and the campaign continues.

 
Scotland - 'everyone'

Edinburgh Zoo is also involved in conservation and environmental campaigns outside the zoo community.  As a member of the Scottish Environment LINK organisation, we have contributed to the advisory and lobbying process that has recently seen the development of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act.  In 2002 ScotLINK’s campaign ‘Everyone’ which called for government policies that would deliver clear goals on environmental justice and sustainable development.

Edinburgh Zoo is owned by The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, registered charity number SC 004064
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, EH12 6TS, t: 0131 334 9171, f: 0131 314 0384 info@rzss.org.uk