Conservation resources

Research

RZSS is a world leader in conservation science, ranking in the top five of over 400 European Association of Zoo and Aquaria (EAZA) institutions for our volume of published research (Hvilsom et al. 2020). Our research informs our evidence-based conservation efforts and addresses gaps in knowledge across conservation and veterinary science. You can find our current list of publications and reports below.

Research Ethos

We believe in making research accessible to the global community of scientists, conservation practitioners and policy makers. We strive to share our data in a timely manner to support conservation decision-making on the ground and prioritise making our research open access wherever possible. We unashamedly prioritise real-world impact over impact factor and believe in using science and conservation planning to support sound decision-making in species recovery and veterinary medicine.

Genetic data sharing 

As the only zoo in the UK with a conservation genetics laboratory onsite, RZSS WildGenes, we have a responsibility to support global data sharing. We deposit all published genetic and genomic data on data sharing platforms such as ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ , encouraging our partners to do the same. We also aim to share data in real time, especially when conservation decisions need to be made quickly.

Nagoya Protocol

RZSS adheres to the Nagoya Protocol to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of genetic resources. Our work never involves the commercialisation of genetic resources for agricultural, medical or other reasons, and we recognise that we have a duty to ensure that the benefit of any work we do is fully realised within the country of origin.

CITES Scientific institution

The UK is a signatory of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which aims to regulate transboundary movement of biological products so that trade does not threaten the survival of any species. We are a registered CITES scientific institution specialising in species conservation research.

Biobanking

The RZSS WildGenes team also manage an onsite biobank at Edinburgh Zoo to maximise the value of biological samples to conservation research and management objectives. We are the UK’s hub for the EAZA Biobank and a partner on the CryoArks biobanking initiative. Zoological biobanking has a vital role to play in supporting current conservation aims and the long-term preservation of biodiversity provides a secure resource for the needs of the future, We work with a network of partners to promote the value of biobanking to the public and zoo communities. You can find out more about our biobank here.

Authorship standards

RZSS follows ICMJ standard on defining the role of Authors and Contributors in scientific publications 

Partnerships

RZSS believes that it is rarely possible for an individual or even a single organisation to save a species and that conservation and research projects that deliver results are underpinned by fair and transparent partnership agreements. We receive a large number of partnership requests in relation to research impact. Our view is that, all too often, academic grants allocate far too little resource to partnerships within the NGO sector. Our involvement in research partnerships is guided by an assessment of whether the work will have real world impact and delivering for conservation on the ground.

Animal ethics

Our Animal Welfare and Ethics Group (AWEG) independently reviews welfare and ethics within the collections at Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park. The AWEG provides advice on animal welfare and ensures best practise is applied within our zoo collections and conservation research projects.

Conservation Advisory Group (CAG)

RZSS has an advisory group of internal and external conservation experts that advise and review key conservation strategies of the organisation.

Student projects

We occasionally support student research projects, however as an NGO with limited resources we have limited capacity. To express your interest please contact us here: conservation@rzss.org.uk.