The Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA) is the peak body representing the collective voice of zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries and wildlife parks across Australasia. Each year, ZAA members connect 22 million visitors with nature, educate 1.1 million students about wildlife, and contribute over $20 million to conservation. Through the ZAA Species Management Program (SMP), ZAA administers over 100 ex situ programs in support of conservation, research and advocacy; and, through the ZAA Threatened Species Unit (TSU), also known as the IUCN SSC Centre for Species Survival (CSS) Australasia, ZAA supports the Australian Government with extinction risk assessment of species for protection under Australia's national environment legislation, as well as facilitating the development of statutory conservation planning instruments for threatened species.

James Biggs has worked across the ex situ sector for ~20 years and is now Director of Conservation and Population Management, overseeing the ZAA SMP and TSU Teams. Through building partnerships, he is responsible for ensuring that sector outputs in conservation continue to grow. James works with scientists and others in applying cutting-edge science and structured decision-making processes to fix real-world problems in biodiversity conservation.

James drives ZAAs engagement at the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD). He is also Director of the IUCN SSC CSS Australasia and is involved with IUCN SSC Specialist Groups, including the Australasian Monotreme and Marsupial SG, Conservation Planning SG, and Animal Biobanking Conservation SG. He is committed to ensuring that conservation assessment, planning and action in the Australasia region is integrated across the in situ ex situ spectrum.