Life on earth
Biodiversity experts believe that animals and plant species are being wiped out at an increasing rate because of climate change and loss of habitat, and we need to do something about it – fast. They argue that our health, wellbeing and very survival are dependent on healthy and diverse ecosystems.
At a meeting in Japan in October, scientists and politicians will assess progress towards preserving biodiversity agreed at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. Most indicators show the rate of biodiversity loss is increasing.
This is why the United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). The UK has its own IYB partnership, which is being coordinated by the Natural History Museum (NHM) and is supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Making the public aware of the significance of biodiversity loss is one of the key aims of IYB-UK, and museums are among the organisations trying to make that happen.
“The challenge is to make biodiversity part of mainstream thinking and decision-making around the world – that’s what the International Year of Biodiversity is all about,” says Huw Irranca-Davies, the minister for the natural environment.
IYB-UK is aiming to build on the networks and experience gained during last year’s bicentenary of Darwin’s birth, when organisations came together, also under the NHM, to develop events to celebrate the scientist’s life and legacy. Many museums were involved in Darwin200 and found that being part of a coordinated national campaign was a good way to support their activities.
“Darwin200 worked well for us so we decided to build on last year’s momentum and produce a more extensive programme of events this year,” says Steve Judd, the deputy director of World Museum Liverpool and head of zoology at National Museums Liverpool. The biodiversity programme at the Liverpool museum includes temporary exhibitions, performances, talks and workshops.
The Horniman Museum in south London is also following up its Darwin200 activities with biodiversity related events. “Campaigns like IYB and Darwin200 are a really useful way of focusing institutional interest, which in turn facilitates the provision of an increased range of activities for our audiences,” says Paolo Viscardi, the deputy keeper of natural history at the Horniman.
“I certainly consider that it is the galvanising of organisational effort in support of these campaigns that makes the real difference – getting the publicity, learning, exhibition and curatorial departments to interact in a unified way yields great results, but a common goal is vital to make that collaboration happen.”
The Horniman has used its biodiversity activities as a chance to work with other organisations, something it also did with Darwin200. A recent debate organised with the Royal Society had speakers from the NHM, the Grant Museum of Zoology, the Society of Biology and Norwich Castle Museum.
Other museums had a good experience of Darwin200, but have decided not to do anything for IYB. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum developed a new display, devised an evolution trail, and had various gallery sessions related to Darwin.
Getting support
“When we pitched the exhibition to our museum’s exhibition committee, it was useful to be able to link into a national event, such as Darwin’s bicentenary,” says Jeanne Robinson, curator of entomology at Culture and Sport Glasgow. “But as a museum with finite resources, we are unable to follow up with a similar tribute to the International Year of Biodiversity so soon after Darwin. It is someone else’s turn now for the money and staff.”
But Culture and Sport Glasgow will be using the IYB banner to market the natural history events it would have run anyway. The National Trust is taking a similar approach.
“To some extent, what we are going to be looking at is rebranding existing events,” says a National Trust spokesman. “We are known for our historic properties and gardens, but less for our conservation work so it is the chance for us to put our foot on the gas in relation to this. There will probably not be a large amount of new things but it will help to provide a bit of focus and context to why nature conservation is important.”
IYB-UK seems to have attracted fewer museums than Darwin200, even though there are about 340 organisations involved in total, more than for the Darwin campaign. Darwin was a big draw for museums because many hold material directly related to the scientist.
Also, galleries such as the Baltic in Gateshead, Falmouth Art Gallery in Cornwall, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge found the theory of evolution was a good subject for art exhibitions.
Biodiversity is a harder sell than Darwin, something acknowledged by the NHM’s Bob Bloomfield, who led both campaigns.
“Biodiversity is a more difficult issue to address and is overshadowed by climate change to some extent,” says Bloomfield. “Biodiversity is also a terrible word for people to understand, which is a barrier in its own right. And Darwin had the personality that was interesting to hang a lot on.”
Sciences: the poor cousin?
Museums’ role in IYB-UK is taking place against a background where many natural science curators feel their subject is undervalued within the museum sector.
Two letters in the March issue of Museums Journal, including one from the Natural Sciences Collection Association (NatSCA), pointed out that while a recent survey from Renaissance London found that natural history was the main reason people visit museums in the capital, the subject was often treated as a poor relation to other disciplines, such as the arts.
“There appear to be fewer funding bodies to call on for work on natural history collections than for arts-related disciplines; or perhaps every discipline just thinks it has it toughest,” says Robinson at Culture and Sport Glasgow, who is also on the NatSCA committee.
“Without any intentional bias, non-natural historians do not understand the differing needs and functions of a natural history collection and the staff that support it.”
Henry McGhie, the head of natural environments at Manchester Museum, is also concerned about the support available for natural science collections. His museum has been involved in Darwin200 and IYB-UK, which he believes are examples of good leadership by a national museum.
He says both campaigns have helped those involved in natural sciences to work well with new and existing partners. But generally, he sees a lack of support for natural sciences in museums.
“There seems to me to be a major gap in provision and advocacy for science generally,” McGhie says. “The Arts and Humanities Research Council is heavily involved in museums, but other research councils aren’t nearly so involved. This is a major shortcoming. Also, the government simply does not provide enough money for collections to develop.”
Work is going on to improve the situation: McGhie has been helping with a project to improve the use of natural science material across the North West by establishing a network of museums with such collections.
Specialist help
The project is being managed by David Craven, the Renaissance North West collections development officer for natural sciences. He says there are up to 30 museums and related institutions with natural science collections in the region, but only seven have specialist curators.
One of the aims is to help those museums without specialists to use their natural science collections better. Renaissance North West is funding four projects that include a biodiversity aspect and Craven is working on a broader event to connect to the IYB later in the year.
“There has probably never been a better time for museums to look at the natural sciences,” Craven says. “But there are a lot of people in museums at a senior level who don’t appreciate natural sciences because of their own backgrounds.
"You also have to ask why natural scientists are not going into these senior roles themselves. I have certainly had a view expressed that: ‘We went into museums to look after collections and not to be managers.” That is not helpful.”
A national and international campaign such as IYB is an excellent way for those involved with natural science collections to increase the profile of their subject. But there is a real desire for museums and funders to make an ongoing commitment to their work.
Pick of the crop: International Year of Biodiversity events
The Deep, Natural History Museum, London, 28 May-5 September
The Natural History Museum’s main International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) exhibition is an exploration of the creatures that live 11,000 metres below the ocean’s surface. The Deep is a partnership between the Natural History Museum Basel, the Senckenberg Research Institute and the Nature Museum, Frankfurt.
Mr Darwin’s Fishes, Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther, until 16 May
The museum is focusing its IYB activities on an exhibition that the Bath Literary and Scientific Institution developed for last year’s Darwin200 celebrations.
It looks at the scientific aspects of collecting, preserving and classifying the fish specimens that Darwin brought back from his Beagle voyage. It has been given a Scottish slant with the inclusion of fish specimens from the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History, University of St Andrews.
Plant Invaders Week, National Trust, various locations, 5-12 June
More than 60 National Trust sites are taking part in a project to tackle non-native invasive plants, which are a threat to biodiversity.
Plantastic!, World Museum Liverpool, until 5 September
National Museums Liverpool (NML) has an extensive programme for IYB, including this exploration of how plants move, feed, reproduce, survive and provide. It is aimed at a family audience and has been co-produced by NML; the Museon, Netherlands; Technopolis, the Flemish Science Centre, Belgium; Bruns, Netherlands; and Le Vaisseau in France.
Tooth and Claw, Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery, 1 May-5 June
This exhibition and education project will look at how people feel about predators in Britain. Photographers Peter Cairns and Mark Hamblin are hoping to inspire visitors to think about predators in new ways and make stronger connections with the natural world.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 29 May-5 September
Kew is linking a range of events to IYB, including a show from photographer Heather Angel based on her book, Wild Kew.
Paisley Museum, Renfrewshire, 9 September-16 January 2011
A biodiversity-themed exhibition that will focus on Paisley Museum’s natural history collections.
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