How will RI change by 2050? For RI zoo, changes are already underway

Predicting the future isn't easy. Back in 2000, who would have thought that by 2025 the Pawtucket Red Sox would no longer exist, or Rhode Island's first female governor would be telling people to "Knock it off" as a pandemic shut down the state?

Now, as we embark on the second quarter of the 21st century, what could Rhode Island look like in 2050? The staff at The Providence Journal asked leaders in their field for their respective thoughts on what they think Rhode Island will look like in 2050. Here's what they have to say.

Name: Stacey Johnson

Hometown: Rehoboth, Massachusetts

Job title: Executive director, Roger Williams Park Zoo

How will Roger Williams Park Zoo be different in 2050?

The Roger Williams Park Zoo has been here for more than 150 years, and the zoo's executive director, Stacey Johnson, has no doubt it will be here in 25 years.

The zoo's "exciting future," according to Johnson, will likely feature some different animals and more indoor attractions. Out of necessity, the zoo's efforts at conservation and species protection will increase.

Technology has already started playing a role in the zoo experience through virtual reality, QR codes and cell phones, Johnson noted, and it's likely to increase. He envisions a future where, "Folks will be at the zoo in Providence, and they'll also be in the Amazon Rainforest and the African Plains at the same time."

"I think the zoo experience is going to be a much richer blend of three-dimensional, hands-on experiences, technology and interaction with zoo staff," he said.

"When I first started as a zookeeper, the last thing a zookeeper was going to do was to engage with the guests," Johnson said. "Now, they're actually into doing that, and we're able to engage a lot more, and the guests just eat it up. They love that stuff."

The zoo is involved in species conservation, including efforts to reintroduce red wolves to the wild. Johnson sees the Providence and other zoos doing more.

"I think we will be focused more on maintaining populations of endangered species than we are now, because we'll have to be," he said.

Over the next quarter century, the zoo will see other changes in species, but Johnson said it's difficult to predict exactly which will come and which will go.

"We will probably focus on fewer species but more on the reproductive and endangered side than we already do," Johnson said. "As we continue to see the effects of climate change and human impact on the natural landscape ... we're going to see more and more critically endangered species that if we don't do something about it, it's going to be too late."