United by the Pacific

2023 Board of Trustees

OFFICERS

Javade Chaudhri, Chair

Steven G. Tappan, Vice Chair

Gary E. Knell, Vice Chair

Steven S. Simpson, Treasurer

The maximum depth, in miles, of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean—the deepest place on Earth.

With growth rates between 0.3–10 centimeters per year, it can take up to 10,000 years for a coral reef to form from larvae.

137 Islands, islets, and atolls make up the state of Hawai‘i.

Spanning a geographic area larger than the continental United States, the Pacific Ocean contains more islands and reefs than all the world’s other oceans and seas combined. Its islands have mineral-rich soils that support almost every kind of vegetation, and some of the planet’s rarest and most elusive wildlife call the region home. Despite their isolation, Pacific Islands increasingly face the impacts of climate change. We’re working together with our allies in the Pacific Islands conservation hub to safeguard the biodiversity of these fragile ecosystems. 800+

Richard B. Gulley, Secretary

TRUSTEES

Rolf Benirschke

Kathleen Cain Carrithers

E. Jane Finley

Clifford W. Hague

Linda J. Lowenstine, DVM, Ph.D.

Bryan B. Min

~1,570

Hawaiian monk seals remain in the wild, making them the most endangered seal or sea lion species in the US.

10,000

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Berit N. Durler

Thompson Fetter

George L. Gildred

Robert B. Horsman

John M. Thornton

Executive Team

Paul A. Baribault

President and Chief Executive Officer

Shawn Dixon

Chief Operating Officer

David Franco

Chief Financial Officer

Erika Kohler

Executive Director, San Diego Zoo

Lisa Peterson

Executive Director, San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Nadine Lamberski, DVM, DACZM, DECZM (ZHM)

Chief Conservation and Wildlife Health Officer

Wendy Bulger

General Counsel

David Gillig

Chief Philanthropy Officer

Aida Rosa

Chief Human Resources Officer

David Miller

Languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea alone. The Pacific Islands represent the most linguistically diverse region on Earth.

Chief Marketing Officer

(SDZWA)

Horticulture Visits Palau

San Diego Zoo Horticulture team members made a conservation trip to Palau, where their goal was to work with the local community to help preserve Palauan plant life—notably orchids, palms, and a cycad endemic to the region. Our team conducted propagation and seed collection workshops, contributed irrigation expertise to a local nursery, and collected seeds and other propagules for our ex situ plant collection. SDZWA has been involved with conservation in Palau since 2015, and we have several endemic Palauan plants in our greenhouses on grounds. The team is currently propagating seeds collected from the recent expedition.

Turtles Journey Home

Found only on the small island of Roti, Indonesia, the Roti Island snake-necked turtle is one of the rarest freshwater turtles in the world, having been pushed to near-extinction by habitat loss and rampant international pet trade. SDZWA is a participant in the ongoing effort to reintroduce the species. The San Diego Zoo has a group of Roti Island snake-necked turtles that laid 33 eggs just prior to the pandemic; the eggs were incubated and hatched in our facilities. After two years under our care, these turtles recently joined a group of additional turtles at Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo, New York), completing the first leg of their upcoming journey to reintroduction on Roti Island.

Botanical Survey of the Ebo Forest

Delta Lion Genetics

We are working with partner Zambeze Delta Conservation Foundation to integrate genetics into their ongoing effort to monitor lions reintroduced to the Zambezi Delta, Mozambique. SDZWA conservation researcher Caitlin Curry, Ph.D., recently helped collar lions to monitor their movements, and collected biological samples to start accumulating genomic data. These data will help us in creating a pedigree (“family tree”) and in doing assessments of genetic diversity. This work supports the long-term survival and growth of the Delta lion population. We are planning to make additional trips in the future to collect more samples from this flourishing lion population, which has grown from 24 lions in 2018 to over 90 lions today.

Together with international partners, our African Forest team conducted the first-ever extensive botanical survey of the Ebo forest. This intensive fieldwork surveyed almost 1,000 square kilometers, encompassing all habitats within the forest. Trekking deep into the forest, the field team collected and dried samples for later genetic analyses; over 4,000 specimens were collected. The team was composed of world-renowned botanists working collaboratively to gather the best botanical information, which will likely result in scientific identification of new species and will be key to determining the future of the forest.