Global and local wildlife conservation requires sustained effort from many people working in a variety of fields. Taronga has wide-ranging expertise in our Zoos that sets us apart in our ability to provide support to wildlife conservation initiatives. Taronga recognises the need to develop conservation partnerships with like-minded organisations, community groups and conservation experts in order to stop the poaching and trafficking of wildlife, protect and regenerate vegetation and increase understanding of our impact on wildlife within communities.

Early in 2016 Taronga established a conservation partnership with Girringun Aboriginal Corporation to protect the Southern Cassowary (Gunduy) in a co-managed Indigenous Protected Area. Gunduy is a totem species and is of great cultural significance to Traditional Owners.

The Greater Bilby is an iconic threatened marsupial that was once widespread throughout arid and semi-arid Australia. Today, their distribution has declined to about 80% of the original range. 

Taronga is working with The University of New South Wales (UNSW) on a study to assess the impact of river fragmentation on the health of Platypus populations.

The research will lead to a deeper understanding of threats to Platypus in the wild and to help guide conservation initiatives at a national level. 

Koalas face many threats, including habitat loss, clearing and degradation, drought, fire, climate change, predation by dogs, roadkill, disease and inbreeding.

In 2010 the Koala population in NSW was estimated to be 21,000 individuals, a 33% decline since 1990.

Taronga is a founding member of the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) and continues to provide financial and administrative support for many of its activities in both Asia and Africa.

Our veterinarians, pathologists and reproductive biologists have actively engaged in collaborations with the IRF, the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary at Way Kambas and the Asian Rhino Project to ensure the health of the rhinos and the viability of the population overall.

The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) in Kenya was established to develop resilient community conservancies that transform people’s lives, secure peace and conserve natural resources. In 2012 Taronga established a partnership with Biliqo-Bulesa Conservancy, one of the largest community conservancies under the umbrella of NRT. 

The Jane Goodall Institute Australia (JGIA) promotes the conservation of Chimpanzees and other great apes through community-centred programs in Africa, and empowers young Australians to be environmentally responsible citizens. 

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is committed to combating global wildlife crime, one of the biggest threats to species survival. Their approach is five-fold: through good governance, fostering relationships, building knowledge, engaging communities and disrupting trade networks. 

In 2012 Taronga commenced a partnership with the Komodo Survival Program (KSP) an Indonesian-based not-for-profit organisation. KSP work to protect and conserve the Komodo Dragon, its habitat, and the food web upon which it relies. 

Since 1997, Free the Bears has employed a range of strategies to strengthen the conservation of wild bear populations through ranger training, wild habitat surveys and long-term population monitoring to increase knowledge of their range-states in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) conducts youth and adult education activities, such as school talks in remote rural areas where conflict with carnivores is rife; educational bush camps to give students exciting, experiential learning; adult capacity building including farmer and teacher training workshops and also awareness-raising events to spread the conservation message to the general public.

Taronga, the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales and the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust are working together to reduce this human-wildlife conflict through the i-Cow project, where eye patterns are painted on cattle to assess their effectiveness to deter attacks by Lions and Leopards.

The Turtle Survival Alliance is a global partnership committed to achieving zero turtle extinctions in the 21st century, through breeding programs, field research, conservation plans, conservation education, and advocacy of greater enforcement of wildlife laws.

Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW) rescues several hundred critically endangered Sunda Pangolins each year, all confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade. Since the organisation’s inception in 2014, it has received over 800 Sunda Pangolins.