TORONTO, ON, Friday, March 8, 2024: Your Toronto Zoo is proud to announce Dolf DeJong, CEO Toronto Zoo, was elected Vice President of the Canadian Committee for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (CCIUCN). Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of our more than 1,400 Member organizations and 15,000 experts. This diversity and expertise makes IUNC the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
“As we face the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, it’s more important than ever to work together for the conservation of nature” says Robin Lawson, President, CCIUCN. “I am very excited to be leading the Canadian Committee for IUCN, alongside a strong board of nature champions working towards a brighter future. Dolf’s proven commitment to nature and species conservation aligns very well with our mission and I look forward to working with him in his new role”.
The CCIUCN is a member-based organization of caring Canadians who wish to see, and are working toward, a world that values and conserves nature. It exists to bring people, organizations and ideas together with the common goal of protecting biodiversity in Canada. Through the CCIUCN, individuals and organizations that support the IUCN in Canada actively share information and create opportunities for collective action. As a community, they have a particular interest in working intergenerationally and with diverse cultures (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) to ensure different world views and perspectives are represented.
The CCIUNC annual general meeting took place at your Toronto Zoo on February 15, where the Vice President position was announced along with a new Board of Directors which includes the following:
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Robin Lawson, President
Dolf DeJong, Vice President
Danika Goosney, Treasurer
Kate Le Souef, Secretary
Andrew McMaster, Board Member
Shuya Huang, Board Member
Andrea Lafond, Board Member
Lisa Young, Board Member
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IUCN’s Reverse the Red is a global movement that aims to reverse the current negative trends in species survival highlighted by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and Ecosystems. Your Toronto Zoo proudly participates in this movement as we aim to use our expertise in reproductive science, welfare science, species recovery, nutrition science, veterinary science, and research and compliance operations to broaden our understanding of animals in our care and in the wild as we strive to Reverse the Red.
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“Conservation is a team sport, and we need more players” says DeJong. “As your Toronto Zoo prepares to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2024 it is so important that we participate in communities like the CCUICN as these critical collaborations will lead to successes in saving and protecting our natural world. It is an honour to be elected to the Vice President position for the CCUICN, a team of dedicated professionals committed to generating ideas and action plans for ways we can collectively make a positive impact on the future for wildlife and wild spaces”.
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The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.
An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.
Toronto Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
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