The Los Angeles Zoo has a successful history in conservation and saving species including their contribution to the conservation of California condors (“Topa Topa “was the first California condor in human care) to yellow-legged mountain frogs to Peninsular pronghorn antelope (berrendo). With that work as the foundation, the Zoo announced its first strategic plan for conservation. This bold plan identified  a set of new focused objectives for future work while strengthening existing conservation partnerships and establishing new ones. The plan features conservation initiatives ranging from the Zoo’s own home in Griffith Park to California-wide and global initiatives. It also reflects and seeks to engage the unique diversity of the City of Los Angeles. 

Zoo Advisors was pleased to assist in facilitating the process to develop this plan under the leadership of Denise Verret, the Los Angeles Zoo CEO and Director and Dr Jake Owens, hired in 2019 as the LA Zoo Director of Conservation. The process, led by ZA experts, Dr. Eric Miller and Kathy Wagner, coordinated the input of a broad range of Zoo staff and community members and worked with the Zoo team to identify six focus areas:

1. Social & environmental justice,

2. Human-wildlife co-existence,

3. California conservation,

4. Reduction of the illegal wildlife trade,

5. Conservation translocations, and

6. Evidence-based conservation.

ZA believes the plan is a critically important step as the Los Angeles Zoo enhances the conservation impact of a Zoo in 1) one of the world’s most important metropolitan areas and 2) one of the world’s most biologically diverse regions.  Listen to LA Zoo leaders launch the plan to continue to save species in the Zoo’s backyard and around the globe.

Zoo Advisors congratulates the Los Angeles Zoo leadership, the entire planning team, and community partners for their expertise and contributions in developing a thoughtful vision and deliberate goals for saving wildlife and engaging their diverse population as they look to conserving the future of the species in their care.