Partner Highlight: Wildlife Restoration Foundation

Wildlife Restoration Foundation: Building Partnerships for Wildlife Recovery

By: April Eling

The Wildlife Restoration Foundation (WRF), a partner organization of the Rocky Mountain

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (RM-CESU), works to strengthen wildlife conservation

through collaboration. The organization often serves as a convener—bringing together wildlife

agencies, tribes, zoos, researchers, and conservation practitioners to develop practical

approaches to restoring wildlife populations and habitats.

WRF’s work is rooted in the idea that conservation challenges are best addressed through

partnerships across sectors. Many conservation efforts occur in parallel, with agencies,

organizations, and communities working toward similar goals but without formal mechanisms for

collaboration. WRF helps bridge these gaps by facilitating partnerships that align expertise,

resources, and shared conservation objectives.

One of the organization’s foundational initiatives is its Zoo–Park Partnership model. These

collaborations connect AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums with national parks, wildlife refuges,

tribes, and other land managers to support wildlife conservation in the field. In these

partnerships, zoological institutions contribute scientific expertise, veterinary capacity, animals

raised for restoration, wildlife rehabilitation, and public engagement tools that complement

on-the-ground wildlife management in parks and protected areas.

Zoo–Park Partnerships typically combine three elements: collaborative field conservation

projects, interpretation that connects zoo visitors to wildlife conservation in protected areas, and

community stewardship activities that engage the public in hands-on conservation efforts. By

linking institutions that care for wildlife with those responsible for managing wild landscapes,

these partnerships expand the capacity for restoration projects while building broader public

awareness of wildlife challenges in parks.

WRF has also expanded its work in bison conservation, helping develop conservation-intent

herds at zoological institutions. These herds can support broader restoration efforts by

maintaining animals with strong genetic integrity and known lineage. In some cases, bison born

in these programs have contributed to the growth and diversification of herds managed by tribes

or other conservation partners.

Looking ahead, WRF will host the Second North American Bison Summit in April 2027 in

Denver, Colorado. The gathering will bring together tribes and First Nations, ranching

communities, conservation organizations, researchers, and government agencies to discuss the

future of bison and grassland conservation. Workgroups will focus on topics such as herd

genetics and health, tribal buffalo programs, grassland restoration, and cross-sector

collaboration.Through these efforts, the Wildlife Restoration Foundation continues to connect people,

institutions, and landscapes in support of a shared goal: restoring abundant and resilient park

wildlife populations across North America.