Zoos: the forgotten green space?
As COP17 procedes, Chester Zoo scientists ask how zoos should be considered in biodiversity reporting
As global biodiversity targets become more pressing, zoos play an increasing role in meeting these crucial goals - though greater consistency in reporting is needed to fully reflect their contribution
In a paper recently published in Urban Ecosystems journal, our researchers looked at 208 zoos in Europe, and found that while zoos made up a small proportion overall of urban greenspaces, they typically had a bigger individual footprint than other recognised greenspaces, like parks, gardens and graveyards.
“All greenspaces are important,” said researcher Bridget Johnson, a scientist with Chester Zoo and Nottingham Trent University, “but bigger spaces have unique benefits for people and nature that isolated smaller spaces in fragmented urban landscapes cannot. ”
The publication of this study, which provides a data-rich snapshot of zoo greenspace across Europe, is timely, as Chester Zoo representatives, including Ms Johnson, are attending the COP17 Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, Armenia to showcase how zoos can support biodiversity goals.
The conference will assess participating country’s progress towards meeting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets around biodiversity, including Target 12: to significantly increase the area and quality and connectivity of, access to, and benefits from green and blue spaces in urban and densely populated areas sustainably.
But currently, zoos are not consistently included as greenspace in the datasets that could be used to support the monitoring of progress towards Target 12.
Ms Johnson said: “There is plenty of evidence that urban greenspaces are important to biodiversity and human wellbeing, and zoos are slowly building evidence that they too provide these benefits to their visitors.
“If zoos and other complex greenspaces are not consistently included in the category of greenspace contributing to meeting Target 12, the accuracy of monitoring will be weakened. While zoos present a small fraction of the overall greenspace footprint, it does raise the question of accurate reporting and our ability to track progress towards the targets.”
Ms Johnson also argues that definitionally, zoos do fit greenspace criteria, though their funding models may raise questions about their inclusion.
She said: “Zoos rely on ticketed income to support the maintenance of their spaces, and their broader conservation work, which does limit public accessibility, but conversely zoos do offer access programmes.
“If they were officially acknowledged as important greenspaces, it’s possible they would have access to funding which would enable them to make these spaces more accessible.”
Read the paper here.