The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), a global federation of regional associations, national federations and institutions, has announced that it will represent the international zoo and aquarium community at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The COP will be held in Cali, Colombia, from October 21st to November 1st. On 27 October at 4pm (UTC-5), WAZA will host an event at the IUCN Pavilion alongside EAZA, ZAA Australia, AZA, AFdPZ, SDZWA and Species360.
The live-streamed event will focus on the theme “Achieving the Goals: The Role of Zoos, Aquariums and Botanical Gardens in Conservation.” Speakers from the host organizations will include representatives from IUCN SSC, BGCI, Cali Zoo Foundation, Reverse the Red and ZSL.
Encouraging collective action
WAZA members attending CBD COP are invited to contact the association to plan co-representation of the global zoo and aquarium community. This COP is an important forum to discuss and encourage group action towards biodiversity conservation.
The association states: “WAZA and Reverse the Red recognize this as a unique opportunity to unify National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to achieve ambitious and important goals at national, regional and global levels. We recognize this shared responsibility to “combine our community's efforts and expertise toward a common strategy to halt extinction and restore populations.'' ”
WAZA's commitment to biodiversity conservation emphasizes the important role communities play in conservation efforts, and to date 50 members have pledged their support.
WAZA members are invited to sign the declaration here. Members who sign and share their logo by October 23 will be recognized during the WAZA event at the IUCN Pavilion.
WAZA last month announced the keynote speakers for its 2024 annual conference, to be held at Sydney's Taronga Zoo from 3 to 7 November.
