Conservation Starts with People

Conservation is at the heart of everything we do, and it starts with the connections we make between people and nature every day. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is an international, nonprofit conservation organization committed to a world where all life thrives. The San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park are our two front doors—inspiring a passion for nature—and making our mission, conservation work, and partnerships possible.

With more than 100 years of expertise, we integrate wildlife health and care, science, and education to develop sustainable conservation solutions across the globe. As an Alliance, we partner with allies in eight strategic regions worldwide. By pooling our strengths, knowledge, and resources, we have a greater impact as we work together to safeguard the future of our planet, it’s wildlife, and the dynamic ecosystems we all share.

From orphaned elephants and giraffes on the savannas of Africa, koalas and platypuses in the Australian forest, tigers and orangutans in the rainforests of Asia, and polar bears and penguins learning to adapt across the world’s oceans, we are working with partners and local communities to create sustainable conservation solutions and save wildlife around the globe.

As the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, the Congo Basin ecosystem is rich in wildlife and critically important to the health of our planet. This biodiversity hotspot, home to an abundance of rare plants and some of the most endangered primates on Earth, also acts as a globally significant carbon sink, helping mitigate global warming. In Cameroon’s Ebo forest, we work hand in hand with local communities to save and protect the unique biodiversity found nowhere else, including a vanishing population of lowland gorillas, tool-using chimpanzees, and the Preuss’s red colobus monkey.
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Some of the world’s most iconic—but endangered—wildlife roam Africa’s savannas. Covering nearly half the continent, these beautiful yet fragile, carefully balanced grassland ecosystems are the vital foundation for complex food chains, great migrations, and integral to the pastoralist livelihoods of local people. On the savannas of Africa, we partner with local communities and organizations on innovative, comprehensive conservation strategies. From emergency orphaned elephant care to long-term zebra conservation and ecosystem sustainability, we integrate cutting-edge science with our expertise in wildlife care and health. Our collaborative efforts here save wildlife and elevate local voices.
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Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. They’re critically important to the health of our planet, and are closely interconnected with life across the globe. Oceans pull in over two billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year, and billions of people depend on them for food and livelihood. With the health of our oceans threatened by human activities resulting in climate change and pollution, the need for protection and greater understanding of these immense ecosystems is urgent. With support of our allies, we’re protecting oceans and marine life. Through innovative technologies and collaborative partnerships, we apply our expertise, skills, and expertise working with wildlife in San Diego, across the Arctic, and in southern Africa, to safeguard and protect two of the ocean’s most iconic predators—polar bears and penguins.
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Southeast Asia is home to nearly 15% of the world’s tropical forests, including multiple biodiversity hotspots and an abundance of wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. However, human behaviors like illegal logging and wildlife trafficking are taking a toll on species across Asia. In these ancient forests, habitat fragmentation is threating the future for Sumatran tigers, orangutans, and sun bears. Together with local communities and partners, we’re working to protect this region’s unique wildlife. To devise sustainable and inclusive conservation strategies, we collaborate with our allies to better understand the needs and relationships of local people and wildlife, reduce the trafficking and use of wildlife products, and preserve species and ecosystems for future generations.
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As the largest tropical rainforest in the world, Amazonia is often referred to as the “lungs of the planet.” It generates oxygen, affects weather patterns worldwide, and plays a vital role in mitigating climate change. It’s also one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, with countless species found nowhere else. Nevertheless, many regional and global challenges threaten Amazonia’s wildlife, local people, and habitats. We deploy cutting-edge technology, apply expertise in genomics and wildlife monitoring, and contribute to local efforts as part of our commitment to protecting the biological and cultural richness of the Peruvian Amazon, so that iconic wildlife—including the jaguar—thrive for generations to come.
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The Pacific Islands are home to an abundance of wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. Their incredible biodiversity—including some of the rarest birds and reptiles—and unique habitats are found from coastal reefs to mountain ridges. Despite their remote locations, the islands are highly vulnerable to invasive species and diseases, habitat fragmentation, and the devastating effects of climate change. With initiatives on the islands of Hawai’i, Fiji, Rota, and the Galápagos, we collaborate with local communities and partners to save species already extinct in their native habitats, recover threatened populations, safeguard vanishing wildlife and ecosystems, and establish sustainable solutions to preserve biodiversity.
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Found primarily along the northern and eastern coasts of the continent, Australian forests are home to some of Earth’s most unique and iconic wildlife. Eucalyptus forests account for most of these habitats, and while they provide food, shelter, and resources for wildlife and local people, they’re also highly vulnerable to the bushfires that are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change and habitat fragmentation. We’ve been caring for koalas at the San Diego Zoo for nearly 100 years, and the Safari Park is home to the only platypuses being cared for outside of Australia. We work closely with our Australian conservation partners and Indigenous communities to put our expertise into action, studying the effects of wildfires on environments and wildlife, caring for displaced wildlife, and developing strategies to both increase habitat resilience to fires and maintain healthy habitats for native species.
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Headquartered in the most biodiverse county in the continental United States, we’re proud to safeguard and celebrate the wildlife and ecosystems in our own backyard. The Southwest—a cross-border area spanning Southern California and northern Mexico—sprawls from coasts to deserts, and incorporates diverse landscapes, including wetlands, forests, grasslands, and mountains.The distinct habitats of the Southwest are home to an array of wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. With projects across the region, we protect and restore the Southwest’s unique species—including burrowing owls, mountain lions, pronghorn, and countless others—using cutting-edge science and technology to monitor wildlife, boosting populations and reintroducing threatened species, and identifying and reducing threats to these diverse ecosystems.
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Our responsibility.

Over the course of our 106-year history, we’ve conceptualized, developed, and honed a unique set of skills and strengths that fuel conservation efforts worldwide. The honor of caring for wildlife at each stage of life, with intimate access to each plant or animal’s unique biology, comes with the responsibility of using that knowledge to safeguard the future for wildlife.

Whether it’s our nutrition teams refining formulas for endangered orphaned elephant calves, disease experts strategizing to safeguard wildlife and delicate ecosystems, or breeding and reintroducing endangered species back into protected native habitats, all of our conservation efforts are made possible by our everyday work at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park—and fueled by Allies like you around the world.

Your gift today will make a world of difference for wildlife.

As an international, nonprofit organization, none of our efforts at the San Diego Zoo, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and for wildlife worldwide are possible without the support of Allies like you.Your support will make a lifesaving difference for vulnerable wildlife across the globe. Your tax-deductible gift today will rescue and protect vulnerable species, care for countless animals and plants in San Diego and around the world, and offer hope to the world’s most extraordinary wildlife relying on us to thrive—and survive—each and every day.

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You will fuel critical conservation efforts where they’re needed most, saving endangered species and protecting wildlife worldwide.