Reputation and biodiversity
Two star systems decide Franchise accreditation: zoo Reputation from your zoos, Biodiversity from your Wildlife Reserves. Everything else is a means to those two numbers.
Frontier clarified the mechanism on 14 October 2026: in Franchise, your accreditation tier rises with zoos at high Zoo Reputation and Wildlife Reserves at high Biodiversity Rating. Career is separate and uses medals.
What the two numbers read
| System | Earned from | Read by |
|---|---|---|
| Zoo Reputation | The quality and state of a zoo — welfare, guests, how finished it is | Accreditation (zoos at 3 stars) |
| Biodiversity Rating | Wildlife Reserve restoration and releases | Accreditation (reserves at 3 stars) |
Which one to push first
Look at your current tier requirement and count the gap in each system. The larger gap is the bottleneck, and it is usually the reserves: a zoo at 3 reputation stars is achievable with one well-run zoo, while higher tiers want two or three reserves.
- Tier 2 needs one 3-star zoo — reputation only.
- Tier 3 adds one 3-star reserve — the first biodiversity requirement.
- Tier 4 and 5 want two and three reserves respectively, so biodiversity becomes the long-term blocker.
What is not measured
- Cash balance — a rich zoo with poor welfare still has low reputation.
- Number of animals — overstocking hurts welfare, which is what reputation reads.
- Career medals — they do not touch Franchise accreditation (Frontier, 14 October 2026).
FAQ
Common questions about this topic.
Do reputation stars and biodiversity stars mix?
No. Zoo reputation counts for zoos, biodiversity counts for reserves, and each tier states how many of each it wants.
Can one zoo carry me to tier 5?
No. The higher tiers require multiple zoos and multiple reserves at 3 stars; the counts are in the tier table.
Is biodiversity just about releasing animals?
Releases are one input; reserve restoration is the other. The rating reads the reserve, not only the count of releases.