This webinar was organised by the IUCN NCUK’s Education and Communication working group, on the topic of “Where is wildlife conservation going? Do zoos have any part in it?” as presented by our speaker, Simon Garrett and chaired by Sophie Stenson.
Note from the speaker:
The views expressed in this video are my own, as an independent conservation communicator, speaker and lecturer. This webinar presents a discussion on how wildlife conservation organisations, including zoos, could learn more from the social sciences about how best to encourage and enable people to bring about social change for a sustainable future. For more information on the latest developments of the IUCN’s position statement on the Role of Botanic Gardens, Aquariums, and Zoos in Conservation, please see the link below:
Most people like wildlife, at least a bit, and yet we seem to be losing it. Conservation organisations big and small have been battling on for well over 100 years, but apparently making little headway. Why is it so hard to protect something that people like? What are conservationists doing wrong? In this webinar, I share my thoughts on the conservation movement in general, zoos in particular, and throw in a bit of communication theory and behavioural science. I challenge some current practice, take a different look at things, and share some inspirational examples of real success. Perhaps all is not lost! I have worked in education and public engagement for over 30 years, at Bristol Zoological Society, and as part of the Natural History Consortium including developing the annual Communicate conference. My main interest is understanding the drivers of human behaviour, and using communication as a tool for wildlife conservation. I have developed and led a masters module on Communication for Conservation.
This is the fourth in our webinar series so far, we have been lucky enough to host some brilliant speakers covering the topics of Nature education for sustainability and Youth engagement. If any of these sound like they’re up your street, you can find the recordings on our website. We also have some exciting webinars coming up, the next of which will host Jessie Panazollo, the Founder of The Lonely Conservationists. If you haven’t heard of it already, it’s a fantastic online community that advocates for better mental health and support for conservationists. We’ll be talking about support for people who work in conservation and will be confirming a second speaker very soon!
So to keep up with news about upcoming webinars and other events, you can follow us on social media at IUCN NCUK or sign up (for free!) as a CEC member to join our mailing list.
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