The Getty Conservation Institute, in partnership with the Center for Cultural Materials Conservation (CCMC) at the University of Melbourne, held its second Directors' Retreat for the Advancement of Conservation Education July 20–22, 2004, at Trinity College on the University of Melbourne campus.

The event, which focused on conservation education in the Asia-Pacific region, was developed by CCMC and the GCI in consultation with the Heritage Conservation Centre of Singapore. Twenty-five participants from Australia, East Timor, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, and Vanuatu attended the retreat.

Participants in the GCI's Directors' Retreat for the Advancement of Conservation Education, organized in partnership with the Center for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne. Photo: Katharine Untch.

The retreat provided a forum for educators and senior-level decision makers to discuss issues they consider important for the Asia-Pacific region and to explore opportunities for advancing conservation education. Through facilitated discussions and exercises, participants were able to learn from one another's challenges and successes, and to identify priorities for conservation education in the region. These include increasing governmental recognition, drawing upon local expertise, improving access to resources, fostering collaboration, and working toward achieving sustainability of conservation efforts in the region.

Launched in 2002, the GCI's program of Directors' Retreats for the Advancement of Conservation Education is an ongoing series of meetings for leaders in conservation education. Reflecting the Institute's long-standing commitment to the development of conservation education, the Directors' Retreats program aims to encourage strategic thinking and action among educational institutions, to increase the exchange of ideas and information, and to promote cooperation and collegiality. Further information about the Directors' Retreats can be found on the Getty Web site at www.getty.edu/conservation/education/drsretreat/ .