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World Zoos of Europe and the Middle East

IZE Regional Report
December 2006
By Regional Representative Gaby Schwammer, Vienna Zoo

Many European educators organised regional meetings to share their experiences in developing a variety of programs and special events. Some educators worked collaboratively on events such as Earth Day, Dream Night, World Ocean Day and Koala Day.

The purpose of these educational activities are to influence visitors’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about wildlife and wild places. The work of zoo educators, both in-situ and ex-situ, is of great importance to furthering the impact of conservation education.

Relationship between IZE/EAZA

Since 2000, the International Zoo Educators (IZE) Association and EAZA have been working together cooperatively to benefit both organizations. Since then all IZE Board members who are located in Europe are automatically members of the EAZA Education & Exhibit Design group.

The goal of this collaborative effort is to focus on developing quality educational programs and activities, as well as, promoting strong communication between EAZA member institutions. The objectives are to encourage and assist EAZA members in supporting the World Zoo & Aquarium Conservation Strategy as well as EAZA Education Standards.

Since 1987 European educators have organised a biannual conference. These European meetings were originally called the European Zoo Educators (EZE) Meetings. However the name changed in 2006 to the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) Zoo Educators Conference after a committee was formed to assist and plan the European conferences such as in Leipzig 2003 and in Beauval 2005. The next EAZA Education Conference will be held in Budapest in Spring 2007 (more details: http://www.zoobudapest.com/eze2007/ ).

EAZA Conservation Campaigns

Each year since 2000, EAZA educators have selected specific conservation issues as a theme for the European campaigns. These campaigns increase the cooperation between EAZA and important conservation organisations.

2000-2001 Bushmeat Campaign
2001-2002 Rainforest Campaign
2002-2004 Tiger Campaign
2004-2005 Shellshock Campaign
2005-2006 Rhino Campaign
2006-2007 Madagascar Campaign

Many European zoo educators worked hard to organize these campaigns by fundraising, developing public programs, informing local media, and forming partnerships with local associations to promote the campaign in broader ways. EAZA offered packets that included content information, photos and guidelines on the specific campaign to be used by each EAZA member institution.

Save the Rhinos Education Awards 2005-2006

Next to fundraising, education was a primary focus of the Save the Rhinos Campaign. Therefore during the last EAZA conference in Madrid (September 2006) education awards were handed out to participants that organised the most original or innovative education programme or activity for the Save the Rhinos Campaign. The education awards were available in two categories: rhino-holding institutions and non-rhino holding institutions.

Winner of a rhino holding institution: Dvur-Kralove Zoo/Czech Republic Winner of a non-rhino holding institution: Landau Zoo/Germany

EAZA Education Award

During the EAZA Conference in Madrid (September 2006) GaiaPark Kerkrade Zoo was awarded an EAZA Education Award for its entire educational oeuvre. This brand new zoo is the first zoo with one central theme: the Gaia theory, which views the Earth as a living planet. Visitors can choose four different expeditions, each with its own exciting adventures and encounters. For children of different ages special tours and educational materials have been developed and a special 'GaiaCamp' has been established. At their camping site, several educational activities will be organised.

EARAZA Meeting for Zoo Education June 5-9, 2006,
St. Petersburg

The ERAZA Meeting was held June 5-9, 2006 in St. Petersburg, Russia. More than 40 people took part in the 5 day education workshop on informal education of zoo visitors, exhibit design and graphic signs. Gaby V. Schwammer, the IZE Regional Representative of Europe and the Middle East, was invited by ERASA to present the EAZA Conservation Campaign and to promote conservation educational initiatives among member organizations.

The seminar dealt with issues like: How to find the best message? How to create exciting programs with little resources? How to engage the visitors in conservation topics? How to choose the right story? How to write in short concise ways for brochures and signs? How to design enclosures in the children’s area? What does a great children’s zoo look like? How to communicate effectively with the visitors? How to play an active role in conservation education? And, how to evaluate programs?

To answer these questions content was presented, discussed and analyzed. There were also two very impressive workshops under the topics Exhibit Design and Labels and Signs. Participants were split-up into small working groups each group with a special theme for each workshop-session. At the end of each workshop the results were presented by a group member in the plenary and were intensively discussed and analyzed.

The education meeting took place at the St. Petersburg Zoo. It was organised by the whole staff and was hosted by the educators, zoological curators, veterinarians and the director, all of whom were interested in the presentations. Visits to the new Oceanographic Aquarium and to St. Peterhof were part of the meeting. Guided tours of the St. Petersburg Zoo were also offered to the participants.

The participants exchanged knowledge and experiences in a creative atmosphere. Everyone agreed that this type of educational workshops should be offered on an annual basis. Therefore the director of the Moscow Zoo wrote an official letter of invitation to host the next meeting. As soon as there are details (date, program, etc.) - more information will be shared.

Gaby Schwammer
IZE Regional Representative – Europe
Schonbrunn Zoo, Austria

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Institutional members are marked with an *.

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