World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy Group
- Photo by Jorg Junhold.

Sally Walker, Founder/Mg. Trustee of Zoo Outreach Organization, attended a strategic meeting of zoo personnel from around the world, held at the Leipzig Zoo, 5-6 May 2014. In what seemed a very short time of two days a vast input of new ideas for the new updated document of the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy was collected. This version of the Strategy, which was first initiated some years ago, will be in tune with the times as an electronic version. It is envisioned that it will be launched by October 2015.

Dr. Rick Barongi, Director, Houston Zoo hosted the first meeting of this project in Houston, Texas a year ago, and Dr. Jorg Junhold, Director, Leipzig Zoo, hosted the recent meeting. Rick commented that the new document will be more compelling and user-friendly for a broader audience of zoos and aquarium leaders. He said “Convincing others that they need to do much more for biodiversity conservation involves just the right combination of hope and incentive and not so much gloom and doom, crisis tones.” He spoke of the need to address common questions and excuses for inaction and replace them with a top ten reasons why a conservation culture within our organizations will reap many benefits.