Wilder Institute

The Wilder Institute collaborates with local and global partners to develop science-based solutions that help wildlife and people. We aim to make a difference by working with landowners, local communities, researchers, and other conservation organizations around the world. We engage with governments to develop policies and practice that can yield scalable benefits on national and international levels. Our efforts to help endangered species, restore ecosystems, and improve human livelihood are simply trying to make the world a better place. Our past successes give us the confidence to take on any challenges in the future. We know that conservation works, and we see immense hope when people join forces to make a difference. Together, we know that we can restore balance for wildlife and human life for generations to come.

While restoring balance to the planet is our focus, our roots are planted deep in the rich soil of the Alberta conservation community. We draw nourishment and cutting-edge science from the decades of innovative reintroduction work of the Calgary Zoo, a passionate community of conservationists and volunteers over 1,000 strong. In addition to the conservation translocation and community conservation programs through the Wilder Institute, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo contributes to conservation by participating in 46 Species Survival Plans (SSP) and advocates for education by inspiring youth through the zoo’s Conservation Champions program.

Restoring balance

The Wilder Institute operates Canada’s largest conservation breeding and research facility dedicated to the return of endangered species to the wild. The Wilder Institute engages in collaborative partnerships around the world to innovate and apply science-based solutions to achieve long-term benefits for wildlife conservation. Through our 15 global and national conservation programs, we work together with our government, academic, industry and non-profit partners to develop and implement conservation strategies that will benefit species-at-risk.

Our research expertise

Our scientists regularly publish peer-reviewed papers on conservation insights and innovative conservation approaches in some of the world’s most respected scientific journals. While most article titles by necessity are in the language of science, many titles such as “Compassion in Conservation Means Caring for Individuals, Populations and Species” and “Advancing Amphibian Conservation Through Citizen Science in Urban Municipalities” reveal the ways in which Wilder is advocating for inclusive conservation. Science alone can’t restore balance. We need to work together with people.

Our approach

Using innovative science, our teams are working to save threatened and endangered species and return them to the wild, where our planet needs them to be. Our conservation expertise is in conservation translocations and community conservation, where we collaborate with community members to positively impact both nature and local communities.