The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has dished out more than US$500,000 (€447,000, £381,500) across two separate schemes to a selection of 50 projects run by zoos and aquariums worldwide.

The AZA has handed out 37 ‘Nature Play Begins at Your Zoo & Aquarium’ grants, which have been awarded with support from the Disney Conservation Fund.

Presented to AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums to encourage family nature play and conservation education, the grants of either US$5,000 (€4,500, £3,800) or US$10,000 (€9,000, £7,600) provide financial, logistical and creative support to increase or enhance family-centered nature experiences in each zoo or aquarium’s respective community.

Between the 37 grant recipients, the AZA awarded a total of US$270,000 (€241,500, £206,000), with Miami Zoo’s ZooNature Family Adventures at Zoo Miami, Dallas Zoo’s WildFUN, and Tennessee Aquarium’s Nurturing Our Next Nature Nuts among those selected for funding.

A further US$250,000 (€224,000, £191,000) has been awarded to 13 projects as part of the AZA’s Conservation Grants Fund (CGF), a scheme which supports the cooperative conservation-related scientific and educational initiatives of AZA members and their partners.

Also supported by the Disney Conservation Fund, the CGF has provided more than US$7m (€6.3m, £5.3m) to almost 390 projects worldwide since 1991. Major areas of funding for conservation and animal care have been recognised, including research, field conservation, education and outreach, animal welfare, animal health and animal management.

Following a competitive review of 79 applications, 13 projects were selected, with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s ‘Saving Sea Turtles in Nicaragua’ and the International Crane Foundation’s ‘Effective Rehabilitation of a Distressed Species: Grey Crowned Cranes in Rwanda’ both included in the list.