Excitingly Global Eco 2011 will be held around Sydney Harbour. On Monday 7 November the Indigenous Tourism Forum and ASEAN and OCEANIA Tourism Forum will be held at the Australian National Maritime Museum. The Plenary Days and Theme Stream Workshops (Tuesday 8 to Thursday 10 November) will be held at Taronga Zoo.

Harbour Transfers
Conference transfers to Taronga Zoo are available for booking through the online registration form; alternatively there are regular ferries to Taronga Zoo departing from Circular Key.

Australian National Maritime Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) is situated on the western shore of Sydney’s Darling Harbour. The distinctive main building features a roofline evoking waves and sails stands out in this lively heritage precinct.

The ANMM is the proud owner of one of the largest fleets of any museum in the world – 14 vessels. These vessels include a former navy destroyer, a former navy submarine and a full-scale replica of Captain Cook’s ship HMB Endeavour. Further, the museum features a range of permanent and temporary exhibitions ranging from Indigenous lore and European seafaring to aquatic sport and the maritime defence of Australian shores.

The ANMM is truly a museum for all Australians and through its outreach programs connects to regional Australia with travelling exhibitions; voyages on the HMB Endeavour replica which is currently circumnavigating Australia; and its online Australian Register of Historic Vessels. And annually the museum welcomes many visitors nationally as well as from overseas.

Visit the museum’s website for more information www.anmm.gov.au


Taronga Conservation Society Australia

Securing a shared future for wildlife and people
The Taronga Conservation Society Australia is one of Australia’s best known zoo and conservation agencies. Operating Taronga Zoo in Mosman and Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, the Taronga Conservation Society Australia is also in the forefront of environmental education, research and wildlife conservation initiatives.

Taronga Zoo has the largest native and exotic animal collection in NSW, caring for over 4,000 animals in more than 50 exhibits. With much of Taronga’s collection threatened by extinction, Taronga is a prominent and irreplaceable asset to Australia’s wildlife conservation, environmental education, and research and tourism industries. Taronga Zoo recently won the Best Major Tourist Attraction Award at the 2010 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards and offers an unforgettable day out.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is a safari style adventure in the heart of NSW. Located in Dubbo with more than 300 hectares of bushland, Taronga Western Plains Zoo is home to over 1,500 animals from all over the world. It is widely recognised as Australia’s greatest open range zoo and receives international recognition for its breeding programs.

With 1.7 million people visiting the two zoos annually and with over 50,000 Zoo Friends, Taronga is uniquely placed to build conservation awareness, understanding and positive action across a wide community base.

Sustainability
Apart from the comprehensive education and visitor learning programs run by Taronga to promote conservation of biodiversity, the organisation is taking steps toward sustainability in many ways. Through focus on wastewater, heritage and bush regeneration, along with ecologically sustainable development, Taronga is committed to an environmentally sound future across the organisation.
Conservation

In addition to many home-grown initiatives, the expertise of Taronga staff is shared on a global level with involvement in conservation programs around the world. Field Conservation grants, ongoing conservation and breeding support projects internationally.

Taronga’s role in conservation is to create direct and positive connections between wildlife and people. Through the organisation’s efforts, they protect endangered species, increase understanding of wildlife and inspire community action. Taronga is dedicated to ensuring their efforts have tangible and measurable conservation outcomes through:

Focussing on delivering long-term direct benefits for wildlife and also driving community conservation behavioural change
Effectively communicating conservation outcomes to all stakeholders
Continually improving their environmental sustainability
Recognised as a leading conservation organisation in Australia

Eco Certification
Taronga’s ‘Roar and Snore’ programs at both Taronga Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo are Eco-tourism certified and are popular ways for visitors to connect with wildlife in a memorable and unique way. Both programs offer the opportunity to sleep in luxurious safari style accommodation in zoo grounds and enjoy up-close animal encounters not usually available during normal opening hours. Visitors gain a rare insight of the zoos at night, while learning about how they can make changes to impact the sustainability of the environment.

Community Engagement
The Taronga Conservation Society Australia holds a unique position of responsibility and privilege to help determine the future for wildlife and the planet we share. Taronga is reaching out to engage the community further through education and inspiring wildlife experiences to achieve tangible conservation outcomes.

Taronga is dedicated to sharing ways that people can make positive actions for wildlife in their own community, by providing useful information and simple, fun activities that people can be involved in. This is communicated via Taronga’s website, shows, keeper talks, tours, signage, education programs, Zoo mobile visits and promotional material.

Please support Taronga’s work by visiting their zoos, becoming a member or making a donation. www.taronga.org.au