10、Museum-zoo collaboration essential for conservation of wildlife, habitats, and cultural diversity in Asia and Africa

 

Tomoaki Nishihara

Wildlife Conservation Society Congo program

 

The most important role of both museums and zoos as educational institutions is to change the hearts and minds of the general public through information provided in their exhibitions. Both types of institutions have long contributed to biological and cultural sciences, but it is vital to scale up the focus on wildlife, habitat, and cultural conservation across the globe by a cross-cutting approach of information exchange between zoos and museums. Forest elephants, a key species of Central African forest ecosystems, currently face extinction due to ivory poaching. In Japan, forest elephant ivory has been the accepted and preferred ivory type for traditional music instruments, and thus is considered a part of Japanese cultural heritage. Immediate actions for forest elephant conservation are essential for their survival, whilst understanding cultural values in Japanese traditions. Thus, museums which showcase and inform about culture, art, and traditions need to partner with zoos to seek a balance between wildlife and cultural heritages. It is also urgent to create effective information-sharing systems connecting Africa and Asia. My role as a Japanese citizen is to spread the conservation message to zoos and museums in Asia, linking African field information and Asian culture.