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WAZA and IZE Formalise Long-standing Partnership
Posted: 22 July 2021
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and the International Zoo Educators Association (IZE) have formalised their long-standing cooperation with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The two organisations will jointly strengthen their collaboration to continue to enhance the capacity of members in biodiversity conservation through communications, visitor engagement and a large variety of educational and interpretive programmes for all ages.
The MoU establishes a strategic partnership and framework to promote and amplify joint communication activities focusing on conservation education, interpretation, and behaviour change. IZE will additionally assist WAZA’s mission by providing expertise and guidance on conservation education. Both organisations will share knowledge and materials to extend the reach and impact of both entities’ work.
WAZA and IZE have a close working relationship as they shared a central office from 2004 to 2010 in Switzerland. Since then, the organisations have continued to work on complementary missions with the same vision for global biodiversity conservation, which included a multi-year effort to establish nature play programmes at zoos and aquariums around the world. In this respect, IZE and WAZA published in 2020, Social Change for Conservation – The World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Education Strategy, the first unified global strategy on conservation education. Through its set of recommendations, the strategy guides zoos and aquariums to achieve educational, behavioural social outcomes crucial to their organisational missions.
WAZA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr MartÃn Zordan, said: “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with IZE, an organisation with whom we share the same values for the future of biodiversity conservation. Both WAZA and IZE are committed to helping and supporting our members to develop and foster visitor engagement.”
“As we continue to face the challenges of climate change, habitat alteration, invasive species and other factors that affect biodiversity, our partnership with WAZA is even more important,” said IZE President Debra Erickson. “As we work together to provide the resources our members need to connect people to wildlife and conservation, they will continue to develop an empathy and caring in their guests for animals and plants, which will lead to our global audiences’ support of efforts to protect biodiversity.”
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About IZE:
Founded in 1972, the International Zoo Educators Association is an international organisation committed to engage their more than 300 members worldwide to achieve biodiversity conservation by encouraging sustainable behaviours in people that visit zoos and aquariums. The association’s vision is the conservation of the world’s biodiversity through effective zoo and aquarium education programmes. Find out more at: http://izea.net
About WAZA:
Founded in 1935, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the global alliance of regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums, dedicated to the care and conservation of animals and their habitats around the world.
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the global alliance of regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums, dedicated to the care and conservation of animals and their habitats around the world.
WAZA is a member of the following organisations:
