Zoos and aquariums worldwide play a crucial role in helping members of the public understand biodiversity and how they can protect animals in their natural habitats, according to new research.

Published in the journal Conservation Biology, the study carried out by the University of Warwick – in conjunction with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and Chester Zoo in the UK – involved 5,661 respondents at 26 zoos and aquariums across 19 different countries.

The study found that there was an increase in respondents demonstrating some positive evidence of biodiversity understanding from pre-visit (69.8 per cent) to post-visit (75.1 per cent). Researchers also found an increase in respondents who could identify something they could do to help protect biodiversity from pre-visit (50.5 per cent) to post-visit (58.8 per cent).

“Zoos and aquariums are in a unique position to contribute to the goal of raising understanding of biodiversity conservation. Indeed the majority have an institutional and, in some cases, legal commitment to public education,” said Dr Eric Jensen, from Warwick’s Department of Sociology.

“But because these establishments tend to be viewed as providers of entertainment by the public, it has been unclear to what extent zoos’ educational messages are effective and, as there has been no previous global evaluation of their impact, it has been impossible to assess their importance on this scale – until now.

“For the first time, there is strong evidence that many people leave these attractions not just with greater awareness but also a better understanding of biodiversity and conservation. the challenge for zoos and aquariums now is how to use these findings to directly improve the conservation of biodiversity, because it’s important to remember that an increase in knowledge does not necessarily lead to a change in behaviour.”