Even cosmopolitan Basel doesn’t see this every day: over 200 experts from zoos and the field of species conservation gathered in the Swiss border town from 3 to 6 June 2026 to discuss the future direction of zoological institutions in German-speaking countries, and in particular the One Plan Approach to species conservation.
Project planning and networking
With 71 scientifically managed zoos, which welcomed over 40 million visitors last year, the Association of Zoological Gardens (VdZ) is one of the key players in species conservation across Europe. As it is also one of the three shareholders of Citizen Conservation, it was clear that CC would be represented at its annual conference held at Basel Zoo ‘Zolli’ at the invitation of its director and CC supervisory board member Olivier Pagan. Managing Director Björn Encke and co-founder Heiko Werning set out to report on CC’s progress, provide updates on the latest developments in ex-situ species conservation, and network.
And, of course, they also took a look at the Harlequin or Rio Pescado Stubfoot toads (some call them one thing, others another…) which are being bred there very successfully by curator Fabian Schmidt and his team – it is with no small amount of pride that we note that the VdZ selected precisely this CC species as the eye-catcher and lead story in its press release.
CC Managing Director Björn Encke presenting the current status of our conservation breeding initiative at the VdZ conference
Looking to the future with the One Plan Approach
The VdZ Annual Conference began on Wednesday with the so-called ‘Association Meeting’, which places particular emphasis on the spirit of networking: this is where representatives from key associations within the zoo community come together to discuss current developments. CC also had the opportunity to present the progress made on its projects over the past year. In true style, amidst the group of elephants that had just arrived in Basel and the astonishing number of wild storks visiting the city, the icebreaker evening was held in glorious weather, before the high-profile Zoo and Wildlife Forum took place on Thursday at the Hyperion Messehotel, featuring numerous presentations on the theory and practice of species conservation, including animal husbandry in human care. The event focused on the One Plan Approach as its central theme, an initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which states that species conservation must bring together measures in natural habitats, animal husbandry in human care and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders. CC is fully aligned with this philosophy, as our aim is to integrate the hitherto untapped resources of civil society into joint conservation breeding programmes by involving private and institutional keepers beyond the zoos.
Björn Encke and Heiko Werning are examining the masterplan model of Basel Zoo, including the planned CC building
CC is also presented in detail in the Master Plan Pavilion
The first project to be implemented as part of the masterplan: the zoo’s new entrance area, featuring tropical domes and the CC building, as shown in the model
Dinner at the Zoo
Zoo VIPs on a visit to the zoo: Wilhelma Director Thomas Kölpin and ZGAP Managing Director Arne Schulze befriend a pufferfish
Another known zoo-goer: ‘Zoolotse’ Marcel Stawinoga in front of the underwater exhibit featuring a Nile crocodile
Even longtime zoo-goers are reaching for their camera phones: Tobias Kohl, director of the Artenschutz Foundation, films a hippopotamus having a splash
Group photo of the invited association representatives after the association meeting
Exciting prospects ...
On Friday and Saturday, the association’s internal workshop took place, during which Björn Encke, among others, presented the CC report. During the concluding visit to the zoo, conference participants were not only able to see for themselves the already excellent animal husbandry standards, but also had the master plan up to 2049 explained to them – which envisages, as one of the first steps, the construction of a CC building, the precursors of which may as early as 2028 enable the husbandry and breeding of a whole range of CC species with the involvement of private individuals. As the largest single sponsor, Basel Zoo is one of the key enablers of our conservation breeding initiative – with the exciting future plans on display to interested visitors in a dedicated pavilion at the zoo, this outstanding collaboration will be further intensified in the future.
... and an impressive track record
The official VdZ figures presented at the conference are also impressive: over the past five years, 59 million euros have been channelled into 155 species conservation projects across 55 countries – CC is delighted and proud to be part of this community in the fight against the biodiversity crisis.