Quantifying the 60-Year Contribution of Japanese Zoos and Aquariums to Peer-Reviewed Scientific Research

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Today’s zoos and aquariums claim to be shifting from being entertainment facilities to centers for the conservation of biodiversity. To make this shift, scientific research, including understanding the biology of endangered species and improving the environment of captive animals, is essential. Several studies have examined the trends in the number of research papers published by zoos and aquariums globally and indicated that this number has increased over the past few decades. In this study, we examined the trends in the number of papers published by Japanese zoos and aquariums over the past 62 years to determine whether research activities are also developing in Japan. We found that the number of research papers has significantly increased and that the research fields have diversified since around 1990. However, we also found some problems: about a quarter of the institutions have published no papers, research targets in zoos were biased toward captive mammals and that aquariums conducted little research on animal welfare. Addressing these issues, we would argue, will help Japanese zoos and aquariums to make further progress. ABSTRACT: With the shift in their social roles, modern zoos and aquariums are required to develop scientific research. Although zoos and aquariums worldwide have reported an increase in the number of papers they publish and the diversification of their fields in recent decades, the specific circumstances in Japan are slightly unclear. We listed peer-reviewed papers authored by Japanese zoos and aquariums using search engines and quantitatively evaluated the changes in the number of papers published over 62 years. Our results showed that papers published in Japan have increased remarkably since the 1990s, and research fields have diversified as in the rest of the world. In particular, joint research with research institutes has seen an upward trend, and the instances of English-language papers have increased. Meanwhile, the content of the research was biased. In zoos, research on animal welfare has been increasing, but the focus was heavily biased toward captive mammals. Aquariums contributed to the understanding of local ecosystems through the fundamental study of wildlife, but there were fewer papers on improving husbandry. Our results indicated that while research by Japanese zoos and aquariums is developing, research on welfare, conservation, and education regarding native endangered species must still be improved.