CAZA believes that we all have a part to play in protecting the natural world. By providing opportunities to millions of zoo and aquarium visitors annually to come face to face with and learn about wildlife, CAZA believes these connections motivate individuals to do their part to protect the environment and everything in it. Learning opportunities in zoos and aquariums range from a casual visit where interpreters are often on hand to impart insights into the animals, to formal education programming often developed in collaboration with schools and school boards.

CAZA member institutions also engage the public regularly through outreach programs that take the zoo and aquarium to receptive audiences that might otherwise not have the opportunity to interact with their animals.