The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is an umbrella organisation which provides membership to regional accrediting bodies for zoo and aquarium acround the world. WAZA seeks to provides leadership for zoos, aquariums, and other partnering conservation organisations, with a focus on supporting animal care and welfare, conservation of biodiversity, environmental education and global sustainability.
History In 1935, a collective of zoo directors and curators gathered together in Basel, Switzerland, to discuss forming a global association. This meeting resulted in the establishment the first iteration of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG). Due to the geopolitical impact of World War II, the organisation was subsequently disbanded somewhere between 1938-1939. In 1946, a cohort of zoo directors from both allied and neutral powers met in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to reform under the same International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG) title. In this second iteration of the organisation, directors from axis powers were excluded from membership. In 1950, the IUDZG became a member of the International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUPN), now known as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In June 1951, Tadamichi Koda from Tokyo Zoological Park Society became the first member from a former-axis power to be admitted into the IUDZG. In 1958, Germany became the first former-axis power to host the IUDZG annual meeting. In 1991, the IUDZG was rebranded as the World Zoo Organization (WZO), revising membership rules to include regional zoo associations. In 2000, the organisation was again restructured into the current World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), as to better reflect the organisation's international approach.
Membership WAZA offers four categories of membership: Associations, Institutions, Affiliates, or Corporations. Application requirements vary dependent on the geographic region and nature of organisation seeking affiliation. As of 2026, there are over 400 WAZA-affiliated institutions and organisations.
Members In addition, about 1300 zoos are linked to WAZA through membership in one of the about 25 regional or national association members.
Outside of the WAZA associations with direct memberships, there are also regional organizations who are members of the WAZA through an affiliated regional organization.
Conservation
WAZA-Branding of In Situ Projects Members of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the wider WAZA Network undertake or support thousands of in situ, or combined ex situ-in situ projects. It is estimated that zoos, aquariums and zoo and aquarium associations jointly expend in excess of 50 million euros per year for such projects. Reintroduction and restocking projects have been undertaken with about 200 species. In addition, in situ activities include now often also educational programmes aimed at the local people and at the politicians, biological programmes (research and monitoring), socio-economic projects, social work among the local people, public relations activities and much more on a national and international scale – all in order to secure the conservation efforts far into the future. Since these efforts are largely invisible to the general public, in 2003 WAZA started allowing organisations to request and use the WAZA brand on projects executed or supported by the WAZA constituency. Currently more than 150 projects around the world are WAZA branded.
The World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy
In 1993, The World Zoo Organisation (IUDZG) and the Captive Breeding Specialist Group of The World Conservation Union (IUCN) published The World Zoo Conservation Strategy. That strategy defined, for the first time in a single document, the responsibilities and opportunities that the international zoo and aquarium community needed, in order to be fully involved in nature conservation. The pressures and threats to wildlife remain and have indeed increased. The need for help in conservation has intensified. It is therefore an opportune time for all zoos and aquariums to re-examine the ways and means by which they can consolidate and increase their support and involvement in conservation. In 2005 a revised, second strategy, "Building a Future for Wildlife: the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy", was published by the World Zoo and Aquarium Association (WAZA). This document reinforces and expands the overall themes of the first document and presents a vision of the roles that all zoos and aquariums can and must play in the conservation of wildlife and of their ecosystems. The 72-page document, which is the result of assistance and advice from over 350 people, is truly international in its scope and in its production. The Strategy is aimed at all zoos and aquariums, however large or small, however rich or poor, and not just those that are members of WAZA. The Strategy provides a common philosophy for zoos and aquariums across the globe and defines the standards and policies that are necessary to achieve their goals in conservation. The 2005 Strategy will be of use and interest not to only zoo and aquarium people but to anyone concerned with biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. The document begins with a supportive foreword from the Director General of The World Conservation Union (IUCN), and a preface by the President of WAZA and by the Chair of the WAZA Conservation Committee, that set out the genesis and production of the Strategy. The document comprises nine chapters, with each chapter having a summary, a vision statement, a main text, conclusions, and a series of recommendations. This Strategy will be used by individual zoos and aquariums, by national and regional associations, and by WAZA itself, as the basis for the development of action plans for the implementation of the recommendations. The document is available today in English, German and Russian. Bahasa, French, Japanese and Polish versions, as well as Urdu, Hindi, Bengali or Bangla, Dari and Singala summaries are currently under preparation. In 2009, the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy (WZACS) was especially implemented for the international aquarium community in the document entitled Turning the Tide: A Global Aquarium Strategy for Conservation and Sustainability.
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