2016 has been another remarkable year for ICOM NATHIST. Among our many achievements, we launched the website of the ICOM NATHIST Wildlife Working Group, which has been reporting on news related to natural history museums and this global problem. We signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and contributed to several of their initiatives. We bid farewell to two board members and, in their place, took on two new ones: Linda Knowles as Secretary and Jesse Rodriquez as Treasurer. Our work culminated in our annual conference at the National Taiwan Museum, unquestionably one of the best conferences had to date. At this conference we ratified the “Taipei Statement on Natural History Museums and Biodiversity Conservation“, setting the bar for activities across the sector.
The year ended as excitingly as it has began, with the announcement of translations of the ICOM Code of Ethics for Natural History Museums into Russian and Czech, part of an ongoing effort to translate the document into at least 10 languages. We have also launched our inaugural student bursary for attendance at the 2016 General Assembly in Milan.
We’re very grateful to the many people who have contributed so much to making ICOM NATHIST an ongoing success. We send you and your families warmest wishes for the holiday season and wish you a very happy new year.
– The Board of ICOM NATHIST
Photo: Pseudotriton ruber nitidus – Blue Ridge Red Salamander John Clare 2011. This image has been cropped. All applicable rights reserved.