Wildlife and heritage conservation in Africa is the theme of an international conference hosted by the Global Consortium for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (GCPCH), a coalition of universities and museums.

This year’s event, taking place Oct. 17-21, is hosted by the University of Pretoria in South Africa (the site of the conference) in collaboration with the Victoria & Albert Museum, Yale’s Global Cultural Heritage Initiative, and the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. Yale and the University of Pretoria were each among the founders of the GCPCH last year.

The event will focus on the benefits that both wildlife and heritage conservation can have on African nations following periods of crisis or disaster. Talks will draw parallels between the two types of conservation, which, while they share a common ethos, rarely share the same practices. The conference aims to stimulate a cross-disciplinary approach, with organizations from a variety of backgrounds in attendance. Its goals include raising public awareness, creating templates of key successes, and constructing a network of individuals and organizations in Africa and beyond who are committed to protecting world heritage.

A series of satellite events will accompany the main programming. These are open to the public and include art exhibitions and roundtable forums. For information, visit the University of Pretoria website or contact program coordinator Isabelle Mcginn at isabelle.mcginn@up.ac.zaor at + 27 (0) 12 420 5181.