Its mission is to provide leadership and support for zoos, aquariums, and partner organizations of the world in animal care and welfare, conservation of biodiversity, environmental education and global sustainability.

In addition, in situ activities include now often also educational programmes aimed at the local people and at the politicians, biological programmes (research and monitoring), socio-economic projects, social work among the local people, public relations activities and much more on a national and international scale – all in order to secure the conservation efforts far into the future.

That strategy defined, for the first time in a single document, the responsibilities and opportunities that the international zoo and aquarium community needed, in order to be fully involved in nature conservation.

The Strategy provides a common philosophy for zoos and aquariums across the globe and defines the standards and policies that are necessary to achieve their goals in conservation.

This Strategy will be used by individual zoos and aquariums, by national and regional associations, and by WAZA itself, as the basis for the development of action plans for the implementation of the recommendations.

Bahasa, French, Japanese and Polish versions, as well as Urdu, Hindi, Bengali or Bangla, Dari and Singala summaries are currently under preparation.

Conservation breeding programmes (such as the Species Survival Plan (SSP), established 1981, or the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), established 1985) are typically organized at the level of the regional associations, in particular AZA and EAZA, because the exchange of animals between regions is expensive and - mainly due to veterinary restrictions - difficult.

Two examples of WAZA supported projects on the occasion of the International Year of the Gorilla 2009 are: The Nouabalé - Ndoki Project in Democratic Republic of the Congo is supported by the WCS (USA), Toronto Zoo (Canada), La Palmyre Zoo (France), La Vallée des Singes (France), USAID (CARPE program), USFWS, and FFEM.

Since the early 90s, WCS aims to help conserve biodiversity in Congo by working with the government, local communities and private sector partners to adopt a landscape scale management approach, establishing and maintaining a network of well-managed protected areas, including the Nouabalé - Ndoki National Park.

The Cross River gorilla project in Nigeria has four main components: WAZA provides interactive, structured educational workshops, classes, and resources tailored to meet the specific needs of groups, zoos and aquariums and contribute to learning and understanding as part of local and national curricula frameworks.

From May 2010 to September 2018, the WAZA Executive Office was situated in the heart of IUCN's newly built Conservation Centre in Gland, Switzerland.