Natural History Museums in a Changing World
Bob Bloomfield, Head of Innovation and Special Projects, The Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom
The agenda of Rio+20 underlines three inexorably interlinked domains. These include how we adapt and mitigate the environmental changes caused by an increasingly human-influenced world, and how we ensure sustainable and equitable development for the wellbeing of people across the globe. The third and less recognised domain is that of biodiversity and its loss. Though often overlooked, this latter is actually the glue upon which the other two largely depend.
Here in the Natural History Museum, we are used to identifying and interpreting variation. Our 70 million specimens are a record of diversity and change over time, they are the evidence of natural variety and provide clues for human-influenced impacts. Looking at where specimens were collected in the past, and comparing this with what we see today, we can see the escalated patterns of change. These collections contribute to the weight of objective evidence, which we must respond to if we are to ensure the wellbeing of current and future generations of the human race.
Natural history museums are also some of the most fondly remembered places of childhood visits and are trusted places of learning, and we therefore feel a huge responsibility to share the implications of what our collections and science tells us. Museums are places which try to understand the past and to learn and share the lessons of today for the benefit of the future. This is why we are working with our partners the British Council and Stakeholder Forum to present the Earth Debates [www.nhm.ac.uk/earthdebates], in which we explore key issues underlying the Rio+20 agenda and the associated science and society issues.
It so happens that museums are also usually located in the heart of our urban environments, where today the majority of the world’s population is now residing, with people often more removed from nature than ever. But biodiversity is not remote and abstract; it’s about everyday life, such as the food we eat and the products we buy. We have direct impacts on natural systems through what and how we purchase, produce, consume and dispose of. Rather than seeing the loss of biodiversity as an environmental question, we need to see it increasingly as a mainstream one, it is as much about how we manage production processes, and how we recycle as it is about how we make space for nature. Biodiversity, the variety of life, is of course organised into ecosystems and it is these that ensure fertile soil and clean water and air. In the past we have tended to see nature in cities as places just for recreation and pleasure, and indeed these are profoundly important, but this is not the whole picture. There is now a growing understanding that nature must be part of a city’s core infrastructure; for example, trees filter the air of damaging particles from traffic, and greenery properly incorporated, helps store water, reducing the risks of flooding and providing resilience during droughts, thus making nature part of a city’s protection against increasing environmental hazards. In a similar way, the cooling influence of trees and green roofs reduce the ‘heat island’ effect and significantly lower a city’s temperature, with positive benefits for health. Many green spaces can foster hobbies, encouraging community spirit, and increasingly they can also provide valuable locally grown produce and help recycling of organic waste.
In fact perhaps the biggest lesson is to see the natural world and its biodiversity as a key asset and ally for the future. In an increasingly globalised world, natural history collections tell us another thing: historically cities have emerged in the most fertile places, such on estuaries where land, fresh water and oceans meet. These are the places which were also most biodiverse. Today with large tracts of agricultural land given over to just a few human-utilised species, our urban environments are becoming hugely important for biodiversity again, as they can provide a range of new habitats in which struggling species can find a place to live. These key messages for the future –learning from and mimicking the lessons of nature to help us become more sustainable; treating nature as a friend and ally, and making space for nature in urban environments – will serve both people and the environment for generations to come..
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