ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2016-17 Close-up of the blue and yellow wing feathers of CONTENTS a macaw Welcome 3 Trustees’ Report 4 Objectives and activities Vision, mission and aims 6 Strategic aims 8 Achievements and performance Working around the world 10 Monitoring our planet 12 Developing conservation technology 14 Saving threatened species 16 Improving wildlife health 18 Conservation for communities 20 Engaging with business 22 Encouraging lifelong learning 24 Our Zoos 26 Making our work possible 28 Plans for the future A future with wildlife 32 Supporting ZSL Getting involved 34 Support 36 Financial Review and Governance Financial Review 38 Principal risks and uncertainties 44 Governance 46 Financial Statements 48 2 ZSL Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17 zsl.org WELCOME The President and Director General of the Zoological Society of London introduce our review of 1 January 2016 to 30 April 2017. Welcome 3 s President of ZSL (Zoological Society of London), his period has been a fantastic one for ZSL. We I am pleased to present our 2016-17 Annual Report. continue to adapt to a changing world and this Trustees’ Report 4 This marks the second year of my Presidency, and Annual Report reflects key highlights of the vast it is an honour to be a part of an organisation that amount of work that ZSL is doing in communities Objectives and activities conducts such diverse and fundamental work. worldwide. We are at the forefront of science and Vision, mission and aims 6 Humanity sits on the precipice of great change, conservation, and I am proud to lead this Society. much of it self-inflicted, and our scientists are At our Zoos, we launched new, landmark exhibits. Strategic aims 8 world leaders in the race to both understand At ZSL London Zoo I had the pleasure of inviting and lessen its impact on wildlife. Our 2016 Stamford Raffles Lecture ZSL’s Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, and His Royal Highness The Duke of focused on the effects of climate change on biodiversity; we Edinburgh to open Land of the Lions, an award-winning exhibit designed co-publishedA a significant report on the impact of climate change Tto transport visitors to Sasan Gir in India and celebrate our Asiatic lion Achievements and performance on species movement; and our researchers journeyed to the Chagos conservation work in the region. In spring 2017, we opened two world- Archipelago to study coral reefs after the 2016 bleaching event. The class exhibits at Whipsnade: the state-of-the-art Centre for Elephant Working around the world 10 Living Planet Report 2016, published jointly by ZSL and WWF, predicted Care, giving our herd of Asian elephants an enriching and comfortable that vertebrate populations will decline to just 33% by 2020, based indoor space amid 20 acres of paddocks, also opened by The Queen and Monitoring our planet 12 on population sizes in 1970, emphasising the downward trend ZSL The Duke of Edinburgh; and a new enclosure for an all-female group of Developing conservation technology 14 is working so hard to reverse. African hunting dogs. Zoo visitor numbers have reflected these feats, However, if we are to engage the public and inspire the with a combined total of more than 2.6 million over the past 16 months. Saving threatened species 16 conservationists of tomorrow, we must focus on the successes, as well ZSL’s conservation programmes continued to play a crucial part in as defining the challenges. For this very reason we co-organised the first the preservation of wildlife, at home and abroad. We are delighted to Improving wildlife health 18 Conservation Optimism Summit, alongside the University of Oxford and be part of a collaborative initiative with the Government of Chad and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, where we heard about triumphs the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, which, together with an array Conservation for communities 20 such as the return of the iconic scimitar-horned oryx to the Sahara, and of partners led by the Sahara Conservation Fund, has released the first the Philippines fishing communities removing waste fishing nets from scimitar-horned oryx – the only African mammal classed as Extinct in Engaging with business 22 their beaches for recycling into carpet tiles. the Wild – back into their former wild habitat in Chad. Encouraging lifelong learning 24 In other good news, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Closer to home, we launched the #OneLess campaign to free London Nature) and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered of single-use plastic water bottles by 2020, reducing the amount of Our Zoos 26 Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) conferences both ruled to close plastic ending up in our oceans, and we trained more than 200 citizen domestic ivory markets. The Great British Oceans campaign, led by ZSL, scientists for our Thames surveys on water quality, European eels, Making our work possible 28 saw the UK Government deliver on its promise to designate a marine juvenile fish and invasive species. reserve in the waters of UK Overseas Territory the Pitcairn Islands and Our scientists boosted the fight to understand and treat chytrid announce plans for three more reserves in the South Atlantic by 2020. fungus, a disease that has devastated amphibian populations globally, ZSL conservationists continue to work closely with the Government by proving the effectiveness of fungicide on improving the health of Plans for the future in Nepal, in 2016 assisting in the extension of the Parsa Wildlife Reserve, wild mountain chicken frogs. Meanwhile, our UK Cetacean Strandings home to Bengal tigers and greater one-horned rhinos. We were Investigation Programme held a symposium and a postmortem A future with wildlife 32 also delighted to be part of the discovery of a new species, the Skywalker examination of a stranded dolphin that was streamed live on YouTube. hoolock gibbon in south-west China, and, in French Polynesia, led a The subject garnered significant media attention, educating audiences reintroduction of Partula snails previously declared Extinct in the Wild on the work of our veterinarians and bringing the toxic legacy of Supporting ZSL for almost three decades. polychlorinated biphenyls to greater public attention than ever before. At our Zoos, we welcomed many newborn animals, including twin Finally, as we begin to look forward to 2018 at ZSL, I must take this Getting involved 34 Sumatran tiger cubs and Fea’s tree frogs at London, and an Asian opportunity to announce my own retirement. It has been a privilege to elephant calf and four West African dwarf crocodiles at Whipsnade. serve as Director General and, after more than 13 years at the helm of Support 36 ZSL is tireless in its mission to create a world where animals are this incredible Society, I will be handing over the reins at the end of 2017. valued and their conservation assured, and I would like to thank our ZSL is nothing without its people and I would like to thank everyone staff, volunteers, supporters, and members – their endless dedication for making the work ZSL does possible. I look forward to seeing what’s Financial Review and Governance makes that mission possible. next for this remarkable organisation. Financial Review 38 Principal risks and uncertainties 44 Governance 46 Professor Sir John Beddington CMG, FRS Ralph Armond President, Zoological Society of London Director General, Zoological Society of London Financial Statements 48 zsl.org ZSL Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17 3 ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Our impacts at a glance At ZSL, we’re working for wildlife around the world. From investigating the health threats facing animals to engaging with global businesses, inspiring conservationists and working with world leaders, we are committed to ensuring a future for , 4indigenous820 trees were planted by threatened species. communities around Lake Ossa, Here are just some Cameroon, restoring habitat for animals such as the Vulnerable African examples of what manatee. Find out more about how we we achieved are promoting conservation for communities on page 20. in 2016-17. new species were assessed for the Living Planet Index 2016. See page 12. poaching 648camps were dismantled through the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) approach. See page 14. angelsharks 12were released unharmed critical care unit was from charter fishing boats 1opened in the ZSL London after accidental capture in Zoo veterinary hospital, the Canary Islands, with the with a new oxygen generator help of our best-practice for respiratory cases. Read guide. Read more about how more on how we are improving we are saving threatened wildlife health on page 18. species on page 16. 4 ZSL Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17 zsl.org Almost 10 millionpeople were reached through the global communications of our Conservation Optimism Summit. Find out more about how we are encouraging lifelong learning on page 24. million 2.6people visited ZSL Zoos between January 2016 and April 2017 – a yearly rise of 3%. Find out more about the work of our Zoos on page 26. fewer single-use plastic water bottles were sold in London thanks to the #OneLess campaign, which encourages Londoners to switch to reusable bottles and keep litter out of the ocean. Find out more about how we are engaging with business on page 22. zsl.org ZSL Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17 5 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Vision, mission and aims As an organisation, we’re driven by a number of principles and aims for the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats – here, we outline the core aims that shape our work. he Trustees present their Annual Valuing everyone we work with Report and Accounts of the charity We support and value teamwork and collaboration, strive for 1 January 2016 to 30 April 2017.