Stakeholder engagement

Every year at Chester Zoo, we engage, inform and collaborate with a broad range of audiences. Accurately mapping our stakeholders is a vital first step in ensuring that we fully understand their interests, needs and influence. This in turn allows us to build effective relationships, in pursuit of our mission of preventing extinction. Below are some examples of how we interacted with key stakeholder groups in 2021.

Parliamentarians Peer organisations

Chester Zoo is committed to shaping the political agenda when it comes to policies and debates that affect wildlife here in the UK and overseas.

We measure this by:

• Measuring progress against our Conservation

Masterplan policy target • Monitoring the political environment and our prominence within parliament and other political settings • Mapping our stakeholders and tracking levels of engagement.

Our focus issues for 2021 included:

• Animal welfare • Deforestation-free commodities • Conservation education • Biodiversity and climate change • The conservation and wider societal and economic impact of zoos.

Our wide-ranging engagement in this area includes activities such as:

• Hosting stakeholders in the zoo and building direct relationships with politicians and their advisors • Responding to government consultations and calls for evidence • Attending and speaking at conferences and events.

Chester Zoo aims to be a leader within both the zoo and conservation sectors and, as the most visited attraction in England outside of London, play a vital role within the visitor economy.

We track this via numerous means, including:

• Considering what constitutes our unique

Chester Zoo contribution when interacting with peer organisations • Measuring the breadth and volume of relationships and partnerships we engage in • Assessing the reputation and profile of the

UK zoo sector.

Our engagement with this stakeholder group is shaped by issues such as:

• Regulation, legislation and government policy • Financial stability and sustainability • Public attitudes towards conservation, the environment, and the role of zoos.

Chester Zoo is by nature a collaborative organisation, none more so than with our peers. In 2021 this included:

• Joint campaigning and lobbying • Working with membership bodies (such as BIAZA and ALVA) and as part of charity coalitions • Peer-to-peer relationships, spanning many different specialisms.

Corporate partners

As important as it is, our relationships with corporates are not just about raising money to support our mission. Our aim is to work in genuine partnership, helping companies to engage their employees with vital conservation issues and to pursue more sustainable business models.

Chester Zoo works with partners whose intent is to find opportunities to inspire and engage their employees, to build confidence in their brand and reputation, and for a trusted partner to help guide them on their sustainability journey.

In developing our corporate portfolio, we seek balance across the following:

• We think holistically about our policy targets, funding needs and ability to influence corporate practice • We aim to maximise our reach, both geographically and the number of employees and customers we engage • We seek to partner with companies with positive corporate governance and regulatory affairs • We look to create a fit with our audiences and with consumer trends.

Our engagement with corporates spans a range of approaches and activities:

• We are helping companies to reduce their environmental impact through our

Sustainable Palm Oil Communities project. • We invite partners to visit the zoo and see our incredible work for themselves, as well as offering volunteering opportunities. • We lead by example by pursuing our own ambitious sustainability and procurement goals.

General public

We engage with our general public audience both on-site at the zoo and through owned and paid media channels.

As well as engaging around visits to the zoo, we also engage the public around a wide range of issues such as:

• Our work in preventing extinction through breeding programmes at the zoo • Our field work in conservation • Ongoing scientific programmes and breakthroughs • Our schools and education programmes • Our policy work – for example, sustainable palm oil • Lifestyle and behaviour changes that our audiences can make to benefit the environment.