NATHIST NEW.SLETTER No. 2- 1995 (3. Special ICOM 1995 issue)

A Newsletter o f the ICOM International Committee for Museums and Collections of Natural History (NatHist)

Editor: HW Lack, Berlin, Germany Distributor: NatHist Ed . this issue: AL Steigen, University of Bergen,. Norway

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DEAR MEMBERS OF N ATH IST

THE BOARD WISH YOU ALL A WARM WELCOME

TO

OUR SESSIONS AT

THE XVII GENERAL C ONFERCNCE OF I C 0 M 2-7 /UL¥1995

IN STAVANGER

NORWAY

NatHist Programme ICOM 1995 Stavanger

"NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS AND BIODIVERSITY"

First session Sunday, 02.07. 1400- 1700 (Scandic Hotel, room jJEDEREN) 0rENING AND KEYNOTE ADDRESS INTERNATIONAl ASPECTS OF TiiE CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSin' Chairman: SM Nair

1400-1420: }420 -1430: 1430-1500:

Opening and welcome - Andreas Steigen, president of NatHis t Practical details - SM Nair, vicepresident of NatHis t Keynote presentation -Dr. Neil Chalmers, Director, Natural His tory Museum, London

15oo -1515: 1515-1600:

1600 -1630:

Break <<The biodiversity convention and some political aspects.» Finn Katerds, Adviser, Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Directorate for Nature «Biodiversity and the use/ protection conflict: Educating the public» SM Nair, National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi, India Appointing a committee for recommendations Preparing for working groups

Second session Monday, 03.07. 1400 -1700 (Scandic hotel, room RUNDE + TERNINGEN) Joint session CECA, CIMCIM, ICME and NatHist fOCUSING TiiE MUSEUM OBJECT

• "Contemporary History and National Identity". Dorothee Der111ert, Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland; CECA (Education and Cultural Action)

• 'The Project: Peopling of London" A two year project designed to address the lack of monority group involvment/ representation in the Museum of London. Nick Merriman , Museum of London; ICME (Ethnographical Museums)

• "Musical Ins truments and Cultural Identity". Birgit Kjellstrem, Musikmuseet, Stockholm; CIMCIM (Musical Instru­ments)

• " Biodiversity, Biophilia and Cultural Identity". Andreas Steigen (Centr•! for Studies of Environment and Resources, University of Bergen; NatHist (Natural History Museums)

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Third session Tuesday, 04.07. OI)OO -1230 (Scandic Hotel, room RYfYI.KE)

DoCUMENTING BIOOIV ERSITY

Clrairmau: Aurlreas Ste1Ke11

oi)OO- 0930: uFocus ing research at the Canadian Museum of Nature ... Patrik CoiKall, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada

0930- 1000: uThe relevance of the idea of es tablishing sanctuaries and national parks under the wildlife conservation programmes in India» lftiklwr A/am Klw11, Dept of Museology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

1000- 1oJO: Discuss ion 1030- 1100: Break 1100-1130: uBiodivers ity of museum pests ."

Mo11ika Akerlu11d, Naturhistori:;ka Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden

n30- 1200: «Museums: Propagators of naturalis tic educational messages.» Roberl BourKal, Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Perpignan, France

1200- 1230: Discussion

Fourth session Tuesday, 04.07. 1400 -1700 (Scandic Hotel, room R YFYLKE)

PRESENTING BIODIVERSITY IN MUSEUMS AND ExliiBITIONS

Chairma11: Chris toffer Hill

1400- 1430: uCan small museums play a role in conserving biodiversi ty? .. Peter Davis, Department of Archaeology (Museum Studies), Univers ity of Newcastle, UK

1430-1500: uBiodiversity in diverse enviror.ments - An Introduction to Galerie de !'Evolution du Museum National d'Histoirc Naturelle de Paris.•• /. MaiKrel and A uue-Marie Sleuc, Mus~um National d' llistoire Naturelle de Paris, France

1500- 1530: Discussion 1530- 1600: Break 1600- 1630: uThe low cost natural history museum, presentation and con

servation of biodiversity .» Erik Gra11qvist, Prehistorama, Musee des Origines de I' Ho mme, Bidon, France

1630- 1700: Discussion

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Fifth session Wednesday, 05.07. 0~ -1230 (Scandic Hotel, room RYFYLKE) WORKING GHOUPS

Chairman: Waiter Lack

• Collections, collection management and research • Presentation of biodiversi ty in Na tural History museums,

educa tion and public awareness

Sixth session Wednesday, 05.07.1400-1730 (Scandic Hotel, room RYFYI.KE) CONCLUDING SESSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

BUSINESS M EETI NG AND ELECTIONS

Chairman : Michcl uanPrnel

1400- 1500: Presentat ions l'f summaries and conclusions from working groups

1500 - 1600: Discussion and identification of thrust areas for consideration by Natural History Museums Formulation of recommendations

1600-1615; Break

Business meeting Wednesday, 05.07. 1615 -1730: (Scandic Hotel, room RYFYLKE)

AGENDA:

1. Opening 2. Appointing chairman and minutes secretary 3. President's Report 4. Treasurer's Report 5. Elections

Presentation of the XVIII General Conference of ICOM in Australia by a rep­resenta tive from ICOM 1998.

Evening Session Wednesday, 05.07. 1800-

1800: Bus departure to Friluftshuset pa Orre 1830 - hhrrm: Conference dinner and "Market of Ideas".

With the Norwegian Association of Natural History Museums and Stavanger Natural History Museum.

'Beware! 'T'fiet·e may sti{{ 6e some cfianaes in tfie yroaramme (We f.oye. f.pw(Vtr, to keey tf.em as Jew us yossifie!)

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REPORT

PARIS/ORLEANS MEETING: 26-28 MAY 1994

About 30 members a ttended the meeting of the Committee held in Paris and

Orleans. Regrettably there were only two delegates from outside Europe

(India and Senegal) even though we were expecting representa tives from

Tanzania, Zaire and China. ICOM had made available five travel grants spe­

cifically to enable members from the developing world to attend.

The burden of organisation of the meeting fell on our Secretary,

Michel Van Praat, and we are particularly grateful to him for undertaking

this at a time when he was very much occupied with the Grande Galerie of

the Museum, a remarkable transformation in w hich he has played a major

part.

The papers presented at the meeting considered various aspects of the

theme "The environment and the educational role of natural history mu ­

seums". A keynote paper by S M Nair surveyed the present state of natural

his tory museums a nd pointers for the future while others described specific

museums and activities in France, Norway, Finland, Roumania and Sene­

gal with some emphasis on the problems of pn•senting living organisms.

The participation of Christian Andersen of the Norwegian Forestry Mu­

seum and an active CECA member was a pointer to closer collaboration

with other International Committees. A list of the speakers and titles of

their papers is given a t the end.

One of the aims of the meeting, and much of the discussion, was to

prepare the ground for ICOM 95 and to define the Committee's future con ­

cerns. To this end a number of recommendations - a kind of policy state·

ment - were agreed at the meeting:

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"The exploitation of the biosphere is becoming critical; it is our only "living

space". The Committee, at its mee ting in Paris, 27 May 1994 therefore af­

firmed, in a spirit of optimism, the following principles:

1 Natural history museums' mus t effectively fulfil their vital a nd

unique role in the study of biodiversity, conservation and e nviron ­

mental education.

2 These activities mus t be pursued in close collaboration with othe r

ICOM Interna tional Committees and, where possible, with unive rsities

and other organisations working in the environmental sciences.

3 Natural his tory museums must vigorous ly promote educational

programmes and exhibition themes of high quality, but as economi­

cally as possible, to create greater public awareness of environmental is­

sues; they must also identify and attract that section of the public not

hitherto touched by museum activities.

4 Finally, all the::e activities mus t be pursued without losing sight

of those factors whic:h, in the life of many cultures, express harmony

with nature and not aggressive ex ploitation."

Including other institutions with similar aims covered by the lCOM

definition.

One of the principal attractions for those attending the meeting was a pre­

view of the almost complete Grande Galerie, an architectural tra nsforma­

tion of the 1889 zoological building which s tands at the head of the Jardin

d es Plantes. The interior space has been completely remodelled with a new

entrance hall and school group reception area on the south side. The dis­

plays make full use of refurbished mounted specimens, many of historic

interest, and novel illumination by fibre optics.

There has always been a tendency in the museum and zoo world in­

evitably to give display space to the larger animals while neglecting the un-

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noticed micro-organisms which arc such important components of biodi­

versity. A visit to Prof. Yves Coineau's !VIicrowo was therefore an 'eye­

opener' fo r most us. He has pioneered the use of remote-controlled micro­

scopes for public use in presenting and explaining the normally unseen

world of micro-arthropods.

The final day of the meeting was spent in Orleans, at the recently re­

furbished natural his tory museum.

Clmslopher Hill

PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE MEETING

S M Nair (National Museum of Natural History, India): Keynote paper

Christian Andersen ( Norwegian Forestry Museum, Norway): Spreading

ecological knowledge: some examples at the Norwegian Forestry Museum

Jean-Paul Decoux (Zoo de Vincennes, France): Towards a museology for the

biosphere

Michel Hignelte (Aquarium du Mus<:;:e des Arts Africains et Oceaniens,

France): Victoria Lake cichlids; conservation and education

llpo Haalrte/a ( Turku Biological Museum, Finland):

Amadou Seck (Musee Goreee, Senegal): Le Musee de Sciences Naturelles:

un champ pedagogique adequat pour une education rela tive 11 l'environ­

nement

Laure Chemer!l (Citedes Sciences et de l'lndushie, France):

Tacqueline Go!! (Museum National d'I-Iis toire Naturelle)

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Robert Bour~at (Mus~um d'Histoire naturelle de Perpignan, France): Les

mus~u ms pour une nou velle relation a l'environnement

Alexa11dru Mari11esw (Grigore Antipa Museum, Roumania):

BIODIVERSITY DATABASE

Software (Linnaeus 11) is now available for a world bio-diversity database

covering species identifica tion, documentation and education; it runs on

Macntosh and Windows. Subsets are available on CD-ROM. Further infor­

mation from:

Dr Peter Schalk

Exp ert Centre for Taxonomic Identification

Mauritskade 61

1092 AD AMSTERDAM

tel: 31 5257239; fax: 31 5257288

....

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