A wild new vision for San Francisco Zoo.
EcoPark SF
● About
Where the Wild Runs Free
In a windswept corner of San Francisco, where the edge of the city meets the open Pacific, a new idea is rising.
The San Francisco EcoPark reimagines what a zoo can be — trading cages for connection and spectacle for stewardship.
Here, visitors move through living habitats, witness real conservation in action, and learn how to care for the wild — not contain it.
Every path invites curiosity.
Every zone tells a story.
Every visit plants a seed for change.
This is more than a park — it’s a living landscape where nature, art, and science intertwine, and a new relationship with the natural world begins.
For over a century, zoos were built around display — animals confined, visitors separated by glass and bars.
But times have changed. We now know animals deserve better.
In recent polls, a clear majority of San Franciscans support reimagining the zoo as a place of rescue, education, and ecological restoration, not confinement.
In the most innovative, tech-forward city on Earth, it’s time to disrupt a Victorian-era model and lead the city toward something new — a living vision where compassion replaces cages and creativity runs free.
76%
Agree or Strongly Agree that the zoo site should be re-imagined.
57%
Say they DO NOT support keeping animals in captivity.
59%
Disagree or Strongly Disagree that the SF Zoo should bring in pandas.
Transforming the Zoo into an EcoPark for All
The San Francisco EcoPark marks a turning point — a transformation from the old idea of a zoo built for display to a new model built for renewal.
Where barriers once stood, living landscapes now unfold: native forests, coastal dunes, and restored wetlands alive with movement and meaning.
This is a place where learning and restoration happen side by side, where visitors don’t just observe nature but become part of its recovery.
Guided by educators, ecologists, and artists, the EcoPark invites a shift in perspective — from watching the wild to helping it thrive, from separation to connection, from the past to what’s possible next.
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![Illustrated map of a zoo featuring various animal exhibits like birds, aquatic life, mammals, and reptiles across labeled pathways and areas, with water bodies, green spaces, and buildings.]()
Explore The Park
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![A colorful illustration of a coastal scene during sunset, featuring a boardwalk with two women walking, a sandy beach with people, flying birds, a creek with birds, a scenic ocean view, a tree, and vibrant plants and animals including a lizard and a bird.]()
The Living Edge: Coastal Climate Buffer Zone
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![Illustration of an aquarium interior with visitors observing marine life, including penguins, a shark, and various fish in large tanks, with a futuristic ceiling structure.]()
The Ocean Action Lab
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![People sitting and playing in a large pink bubble-filled room with a ceiling showing a sky with clouds and birds, surrounded by pink bubbles.]()
The Domes
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![People walking, climbing, and sitting on a large, elevated treehouse structure with slides, bridges, and platforms surrounded by trees and birds in a nature setting.]()
Ocean Edge Playground
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![A lively farm scene with a greenhouse, a windmill, and a crowd of people gathered around a table with baked goods. In the background, there are fields with farmers working and children playing. There are flowers and sunflowers in the foreground, and jars of preserves on a small wooden table.]()
The Farm
Learn more
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![A digital illustration of a science exhibit at a museum, featuring a large tree with glowing blue branches in the center, surrounded by enthusiastic visitors observing fungi and insect displays, with a mythological lab and informational posters in the background.]()
The Hidden Worlds
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![An illustrated map of a zoo layout featuring a predator sanctuary grove, a quiet forest buffer, a partner village, a medical and intake center, an education and interpretation plaza, a raptor rehabilitation aviaries area, an urban wildlife neighbors section, a geodesic dome exhibit, a large habitat with water and trees, and various walkways connecting these areas.]()
California Wildlife Rescue & Recovery Hub
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![Children playing in a whimsical mushroom treehouse playground in a forest, with colorful slides, stepping stones, and dragonfly decorations.]()
Mushroomland Playground
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![A scenic illustration of a zoo or wildlife park, featuring a building with outdoor and indoor sections, surrounded by green trees. The outdoor area has a river with children and adults playing, as well as a small pond and a maze of garden paths with people walking or riding bicycles. The indoor section shows visitors inside, with a large white bird flying above. The building has a staircase leading to the entrance, with people socializing on the steps.]()
The Climate & Action Center
What People Are Saying
"Reimagining the San Francisco Zoo as an EcoPark is more than simply an act of reform — it would be a milestone of weaving together compassion, conscience, and science. This most important move offers a unique and inspirational opportunity for our idea of ‘care’ to finally align with both knowledge and empathy.”
-- Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder; author of The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy―and Why They Matter
“Having led the transformation of the Buenos Aires Zoo myself, I recognize the rigor behind EcoPark SF. Its sequencing, stakeholder strategy, and operational path are solid—and it offers a clear path for San Francisco to evolve from exhibition to restoration while advancing animal welfare, biodiversity, and public benefit.”
—Tom Sciolla, Fondation Franz Weber; former Director, Buenos Aires EcoPark
“The San Francisco EcoPark represents a bold new vision – one that understands real change demands a new direction. By moving beyond the outdated zoo model, this innovative project embraces an approach that truly educates, protects, and inspires respect for the environment and the interconnected systems that sustain wildlife, plant life, and human communities.”
—Ed Stewart, Co-founder and President of the Board of Directors, Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Be part of reimagining how SF cares for the wild.
Support the transformation of the San Francisco Zoo into a living EcoPark — a place rooted in care, creativity, and coexistence.
→ Add Your Name
Change starts here — in our city, for our planet.