Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA)

Founded	1990
Type	National not-for-profit organisation
Focus	Zoo and aquarium accreditation and advocacy
Location	Sydney, Australia Taronga Zoo (Sydney), Australia Zoo
Area served	Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific
Method	Accreditation
Website	zooaquarium.org.au

The Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), formerly known as the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA), was established in 1990 "to link zoos and aquariums in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific in a cooperative regional network for wildlife conservation."^[1]

The organisation is based in Sydney, Australia.

Wildlife conservation

Under the ZAA's Australasian Species Management Program^[2] member institutions co-operate to plan and manage the populations of wildlife they hold in ways that improve their sustainability and their conservation value.

The ZAA's Wildlife Conservation Fund^[3] provides critical funding to projects that aim to protect and conserve threatened species in the wild.

The ZAA holds workshops, meetings and conferences for zoo and aquarium specialists.

Through its specialist advisory groups, ZAA manages networks for over 500 zoo and aquarium specialists in fields such as wildlife research, veterinary science, environmental education and horticulture. These networks develop and share resources and develop Australasia-wide initiatives in wildlife conservation and environmental education.

Capacity building for zoos and aquariums

The ZAA acts as a focal point for unifying the efforts of zoos and aquariums in contributing to wildlife conservation. The ZAA publishes news, guidelines and management plans for zoos and aquariums.

Through ZAA's Accreditation Program,^[4] standards for the operation of conservation-focused zoos and aquariums have been developed and a program to assess zoos and aquariums, and assist members to implement these standards has been launched.

Governance and Operations

The ZAA is overseen by a Board^[5] elected by the members. ZAA's headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia and are hosted by the Taronga Zoo.^[6] The ZAA New Zealand Branch office is hosted by Auckland Zoo in New Zealand.

ZAAQ

The Queensland branch of ZAA is known as ZAAQ, it was formed after the merger of the Queensland Wildlife and Parks Association (QWPA) and the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria in 2003. It also operates its own separate Species Management Program (QSMP).^[7]

The current ZAAQ Management Committee is:

• President – Al Mucci, Dreamworld
• Vice-President – Michael O'Brien, Cairns Tropical Zoo
• Secretary – Kelsey Mostyn, Australia Zoo
• Treasurer – Matt Hingley, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
• committee member – Adam Northam, David Fleay Wildlife Park

Membership

The ZAA offers a number of different membership options.

Notes

References

• Laura M. Mumaw (1991) ARAZPA: developing the Australasian zoo industry as a conservation resource International Zoo Yearbook 31 (1), 9–12. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1991.tb02353.x