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2004 IZE Conference Opening Address

Hong Kong 2004

By Annette Berkovits, President of IZE
Presented by Tom Naiman

Good morning Colleagues, Friends and Esteemed Hosts -

We are fortunate to be recipients of your gracious welcome. It is appropriate, indeed, that this conference be held in Asia and in China in particular. After all, this is the historic cradle of zoos. Around 1,000 BC, Emperor Wen Wang appreciated the beauty of wild animals and the wisdom they conveyed when he started the first imperial zoo calling it the Garden of Intelligence. Then, the animals were kept for the enjoyment of the imperial family. Now the legacy of observing and marveling at exotic animals continues, but they are available to millions of people in our zoos and aquariums. The lessons derived are different today than when Emperor Wen Wang started his collection of animals. No longer do we wonder in amazement only at the incredible adaptations of animals. We also wonder about their prospects for survival in the wild.

It has been the goal of our profession in recent years to go even beyond engendering a concern for wildlife and the environment. I know that many of us are working to promote conservation action. This conference offers all of us a rich opportunity to learn from one another, to gather new ideas, to understand what succeeds with our myriad audiences and to expand our professional horizons.

Our hosts, Suzanne Gendron, Shirley Wong and Joyce Kwok have worked tirelessly for well over a year to make this conference the best ever. You will have a chance to listen and to be heard, to attend lectures, workshops and field trips. I hope you will partake in all these opportunities. I also hope you will seek out our colleagues and scholarship recipients from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, Zambia, South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Slovenia. They have traveled far to bring us word of the plight of species, both human and animal in their home countries. Often they work without the support, financial and material, that many of us enjoy. They are the true heroes of our profession.

Let me now summarize briefly the accomplishments of our association since I took office in Guadalajara in 2000. Working with my outstanding colleagues on the IZE board, we organized or helped organize several professional meetings. Included among them was the wonderful conference in Vienna in 2002 (and we are very lucky to be getting Gaby Schwammer back on the Board). Francis Maina, our African regional representative presided over two AZOREN conferences ¡V first in Kenya, and last year in Zambia. As you should know, AZOREN is the African Zoo and Reserve Educator¡¦s Network and a regional subset of IZE. More than 70 African educators participated in these conferences, moving conservation education forward in this region, so critical for wildlife survival.

Sally Walker, our indomitable Asian Region representative whose term has just ended, helped sponsor many workshops and publications throughout Asia. Maria Eugenia Martinez, our Latin American Representative, organized a conference in May 2003. Of course in Europe, the U.S. and Australia, there were productive meetings attended by IZE members as well ¡V but too numerous to mention.

Besides these important face-to-face exchanges, we developed the IZE website where you can learn more about the outcomes of the conferences I mentioned, check out our association¡¦s statutes, read the education chapter of the World Zoo Conservation Strategy, biographies of our officers, regional updates and member programs.

Our most important achievement is the recognition our association has received form zoo and aquarium directors and from their professional associations. At long last, WAZA, the World Zoo and Aquarium¡¦s Association has integrated IZE fully as its official education arm. We are honored to have with us at this conference the WAZA President, Mr. Ed McAllister, Director of the Adelaide Zoo. I believe this is the first time in our history that the IZE meeting will be keynoted by the WAZA president. But there is more. WAZA has designated Mr. Henning Julin, Director of the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark, as the Chair of its Education Committee and he, too, thought our conference important enough to travel the huge distance. Please give these gentlemen a rousing welcome. I know that both of these WAZA members will work with us to move education forward to a new level and that by the next conference substantial progress will be reported.

Not only WAZA, but EAZA and AZA have become cognizant of the effectiveness of IZE. All three of these associations provided IZE with funds, for the first time ever, to support several of our scholarship recipients. So IZE has arrived. Now it must deliver more and better programming, more collaborative projects that cut across institutional territorial boundaries and egos, more community conservation resulting directly form the impact we should be making on our audiences.

As I step down from the office of IZE President and retire into an advisory role as a Board member, we are getting two seasoned education professionals to steer the association into new waters. I choose my adjective advisedly. Mr. Chris Peters, Senior educator in the Rotterdam Zoo in Holland, comes to us from a very ocean oriented city. Chris has been my right hand as IZE¡¦s Vice President, or President Elect. Now he is going to assume the role of IZE President. Stephen McKeown, Head of Education at the Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom will be his Vice President, or President Elect. IZE is lucky to have these two intelligent, hard working educators at the helm. Both have dedicated a great deal of energy to move our scholarship program forward and elevated our profession. Now let me tell you something about Chris and Stephen.

Chris Peters has been an education officer at Rotterdam Zoo, for the past 27 years. He started his career at Rotterdam Zoo as the founder of the Blijdorp¡¦s Information System (BIS). This system included all kinds of information about zoo animals. Because of his extensive knowledge built through this system, he was asked to join the education department in 1982. Since that time Chris has been involved in a wide range of educational activities, such as designing education programs, coordinating the creation of all zoo signage and providing educational input into the design and production of new exhibits. In 1982 Chris joined an IZE Conference for the first time. He was so impressed and touched by the stimulating contacts with educators from all over the world that in 1993 he sought greater involvement with the IZE organization. Thanks to support from the Dutch government¡¦s Department of Foreign Affairs, Chris was able to invite three educators from developing countries to join the IZE Conference 1996 in Copenhagen. During that conference he was elected as the IZE Regional Representative for Europe/Africa/Middle-East. On his initiative the successful African Zoo and Reserve Educators¡¦ Network (AZOREN) was set up. The IZE membership in Chris¡¦ own region increased by 35% during his tenure as regional representative. Chris is also an active member of the Education Contact Group of the Dutch Zoo Federation, the Education and Exhibit Design Committee of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

Stephen McKeown left his post as regional editor for Europe/Middle East and Africa in 2002 to become IZE¡¦s Journal Editor, one of the most challenging IZE posts. As I said, he is the Head of Education at the Chester Zoo, the most visited zoo in the UK. A former teacher, zookeeper (once for ten days!), Sunday newspaper journalist and part time presenter for the BBC, Stephen is still involved in making science programs for BBC Radio. He has proved his commitment to spreading the conservation message by whichever means possible. He has been instrumental in securing considerable financial support for the work of zoo and reserve educators in developing countries and I know what a great supporter he will be Chris.

Joining Chris and Stephen on the Board are some new faces such as Elena Boadas, Head of Education at the Barcelona Aquarium, Gabby Schwammer, Head of Education at the Vienna Zoo, and John Gardner, Education Officer at the Adelaide Zoo. They will be the Secretary, Regional Representative for Europe/Middle East/Africa, and Regional Representative for Australia and New Zealand. Someone else joining the Board is the new North American Representative, my colleague at the Wildlife Conservation Society, Tom Naiman. Many of you know Tom from his work with AZOREN and ARNIZE, our Asian network of educators. Please help me welcome all of them and wish them well.

I can step down from the office of the President because I know IZE is in a much improved position to make an impact and because I know I¡¦m leaving it in the hands of capable and passionate educators.

I would like to thank Chris, Stephen and the entire Board for their support during my tenure and wish all of us a great conference.

Thank you.