The Zoological Lighting Institute
"Supporting the Sciences of Light and Life Through the Arts For Animal Welfare and Wildlife Conservation."
Help us fund the sciences of light and life to save animals and protect our environment.
The Zoological Lighting Institute (ZLI) has been supporting the sciences of life and light through the arts for animal welfare and wildlife conservation since 2012. As an international nonprofit organization and leader within the field of Photo Sciences, our mission is to promote life-saving research and creative initiatives to foster innovation, dialogue, and collaboration worldwide.
Light is vital to animal (biological) welfare, and so wildlife conservation, and so human well-being. To be understood and assessed, light needs to be monitored in appropriate ways. Because all light conditions are crucial for life from darkest night to brightest day, new strategies are needed to overcome design strategies that developed without this understanding. Finally, to educate and engage audiences as to the relevance of light to the UN SDGs, quality media is necessary if appropriate animal welfare and wildlife conservatino strategies are to be pursues globally. ZLI sets itself to all four of these tasks, but we need your help.
Sciences
ZLI Framework
Arts
PhotoDiversity Media
Animal Welfare
Light and the Five Domains
Wildlife Conservation
ZLI Campaigns
LIGHT SHAPES LIFE ON EARTH... From the migration of birds to the courtship signals of fireflies, living systems create and depend on natural patterns of brightness, darkness, and seasonal change. Physically speaking, we are all 'beings of light'.
The Zoological Lighting Institute (ZLI) advances research, storytelling, and practical solutions that protect animals and ecosystems affected by changing light environments. Through collaborations with scientists, artists, and conservation partners, ZLI works to improve animal welfare, strengthen biodiversity, and promote healthier relationships between human development and the natural world.
ZLI Campaigns
ZLI’s Campaigns translate light science, animal welfare, and cultural engagement into practical conservation initiatives. These projects address key aspects of human welfare, recognizing the importance of light across Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and for human dignity.
Current ZLI Campaigns include:
- Accommodation – supporting wildlife-sensitive development and human coexistence
- Activation –supporting reproductive and sexual health
- Adaptation –countering bias and hate with evolutionary science
- Bearanoia – advancing neurogical health by managing anxieties through play
- Insect Apocalypse – protecting pollinators, food security, and agricultural continuity
- Monkey See – education, technology/training, and ecological responsibility
- Otohime's Time – recognizing the importance of natural light for whole life awareness / participation
- Save a Billion Birds – improving nature access while reducing bird collisions with buildings
- Synchronicity – researching biological timing for ecological viability
Together these campaigns promote wildlife conservation as an actionable response to biodiversity loss and climate change, connecting scientific research to practical environmental solutions.
ZLI Departments
Mission Focused Coordinated Strategy
Research Focus
ZLI Endowments
Provide grant and scholarship offerings
Data-Driven Science
ZALA Monitoring
Assess field conditions properly
Action from Science
AWASH Design
Apply best practices
Engage Communities
PhotoDiversity Media
Respectful conversation starters
Natural light is essential to all life
Let's light up the scientific path towards a brighter future!
