Citizen Conservation / Organization
Organization
Citizen Conservation was founded to make a countable contribution in the fight against species extinction
History and Background
The threatening acceleration of species extinction on our planet is one of the great challenges humanity is facing. Coordinated research and captive breeding is an essential element if we are to halt this trend. We still know far too little about many factors of coexistence within habitats to effectively protect these habitats. Understanding species offers a key to this. Where we fail temporarily or completely to conserve habitats, species will be able to persist in human care alone. We bear responsibility for the future of life on Earth.
Zoos, research institutions and many dedicated private owners have always been committed to the protection of animals and species. In Citizen Conservation, they join forces to counter the new dimension of the threat with a powerful set of instruments.
Organization
As a non-profit limited liability company, the Citizen Conservation Foundation pursues exclusively idealistic goals. The articles of association state that the aim is “to contribute to the fight against global species extinction, with a focus on the coordinated conservation breeding in captivity.” Started in 2018 as a joint project of Frogs & Friends, with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde DGHT and the Verband der Zoologischen Gärten VdZ the non-profit limited liability company was founded in 2022 with the three initiators as shareholders.
Partners
Citizen Conservation is open to all institutions and people who are committed to animal and species conservation and see the current wave of extinction as a challenge for society as a whole.
The following partners contribute financially to the development of Citizen Conservation: Deutsche Tierpark-Gesellschaft e.V., Zoo Köln
The following partners support Citizen Conservation on a professional level: Zoo Köln, Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Zoo Schwerin, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Tiergarten Nürnberg, Allwetterzoo Münster, Zoo Leipzig, Zoo Frankfurt
The following cooperation partners support Citizen Conservation with benefits for CC participants: Six feet to eat
Organizational structure
The shareholders’ meeting, formally the highest body of the gGmbH, is composed of the respective chairmen of the associations, namely Prof. Dr. Jörg Junhold, PD Dr. Mark-Oliver Rödel, Dr. Markus Monzel and Marco Schulz.
A supervisory board chaired by Dr. Tim Schikora (Director of Schwerin Zoo) was established as a controlling body, in which, in addition to representatives of the shareholders, other key content and financial partners are given a voice.
The operational business is run under a management agreement in joint operation between Frogs & Friends and Citizen Conservation under the management of Björn Encke.
The Scientific Advisory Board serves to support the management in the professional and entrepreneurial development of CC. In addition to various individuals, it also includes the respective advisory boards for the individual animal groups. These are composed of private and institutional experts and are significantly involved in the selection of species as well as the design of the CC programs.

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Team
The operational business is managed by the CC office in Berlin. Heiko Werning, Vanessa Dubberke and Tina Nagorzanski are in charge of the core content business, animal and participant management on the one hand, and the day-to-day editorial business on the other. Johannes Penner as curator for research & zoology is mainly responsible for higher-level questions of population management and research cooperation, and as project manager for the development of Wild at Home. Otherwise, given the size of the team, it goes without saying that we support and represent each other to the best of our abilities.

Vanessa Dubberke

Björn Encke

Tina Nagorzanski

Johannes Penner

Heiko Werning
Members of the Supervisory Board
Dr. Tim Schikora (Chairman) | Director Zoo Schwerin |
Saskia Kress (Deputy Chair) | CEO Filmtank GmbH, CEO
Interactive Media Foundation |
Dr. Markus Monzel | Chairman DGHT (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde) |
Marco Schulz | Chairman DGHT (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde) |
Dr. Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck | Director Tiergarten Schönbrunn |
PD Dr. Mark-Oliver Rödel | Chairman Frogs & Friends |
Gert Emmrich | President DTG (Deutsche Tierparkgesellschaft)
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Members of the Scientific Advisory Board
Volker Ennenbach | Owner Tropenparadies Oberhausen |
Alexander Kühnen | CEO Bahlsen GmbH & Co KG |
Dr. Arne Schulze | CEO Zoologische Gesellschaft für Arten- und Populationsschutz e.V. (ZGAP) |
Dr. Tobias Kohl | CEO Stiftung Artenschutz |
Matt Goetz | Head of Herpetology Durrel Wildlife Conservation Trust/Jersey |
Amphibian Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. Thomas Ziegler | Curator Aquarium & Koordinator Naturschutzprojekte
Kölner Zoo |
PD Dr. Tobias Eisenberg | Veterinary specialist in Microbiology Head of Bacteriological and Mycological Diagnostics |
Dr. Karl-Heinz Jungfer | private animal keeper |
Dr. Axel Kwet | CEO DGHT (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde) |
Dr. Joachim Nerz | private animal keeper |
Christian Proy | private animal keeper |
Fish Advisory Board
Anton Weissenbacher | Curator Tiergarten Schönbrunn |
Stefan Inselmann | Project Manager Sander Aqua Design |
Ariel Jacken | Seniorcurator Zoo Leipzig |
David Kasih | Curator 1000-Arten-Project |
Dr. Holger Kraus | Head of Zoology NaturaGart Deutschland |
Benjamin Wilden | Project Manager Paroshpromenus Project |
Reptile Advisory Board
Dr. Philipp Wagner | Curator for Species Conservation Allwetterzoo Münster |
Gregor Geisler | Private keeper and Veterinary |
Felix Hulbert | Private animal keeper & Employee Zoo Frankfurt |
Christian Langner | Director International Center for Turtle Conservation, Allwetterzoo Münster |
Thomas Lindner | Private animal keeper & Independent herpetological expert |
Anna Rauhaus | Head of animal keeping Terrarium Kölner Zoo |