Working with 20 zoological institutions in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Portugal, the team led by Professor Paul Dierkes investigated how participation in zoo education programs influences people’s sense of connection to nature. Overall, participation in zoo education programs led to a short-term increase in people’s sense of connection to nature. The findings, the researchers say, offer valuable guidance for the future development of zoo education programs. Whether these increases in people’s connection to nature persist over the longer term remains an open question for future research. “That makes them uniquely well placed to strengthen people’s connection to nature across many different groups of visitors.”