We are delighted to announce Dr. Gerald Dick, Executive Director of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums as a keynote speaker at the 2015 ICOM NATHIST conference at the Taiwan National Museum.
Dr Gerald Dick did his PhD in behavioural ecology under the supervision of Hans Winkler and the late Konrad Lorenz. After working in applied nature conservation, he was responsible for international conservation projects and relationships in the Austrian Ministry of the Environment and was lecturer for international conservation at the University of Vienna. After working for environmental development cooperation projects in Thailand and Nicaragua, he joined WWF Austria in 1995 and later was responsible for WWF International’s species programme in Europe and the Middle East. He became executive director of WAZA in 2008. Under his leadership the association grew in membership and the international presence has been intensified via working relationships with other global conservation bodies like IUCN or CBD and lately ICOM NATHIST. As part of the conservation work of WAZA he initiated and designed the project “Biodiversity is Us”.
ICOM NATHIST and WAZA have signed an memorandum of understanding to collaborate on projects of mutual benefit. His presence greatly enhances our thinking about the future of natural history museums, the theme of this conference.
For more information about the conference itself, please see the our dedicated conference page for regular updates.