Museum Manifesto. What the future without nature?

Natural history is 'natural' in the widest sense of the word, as it observes, characterises and names the mineral, plant and animal world, including the biological and social aspects of humanity. However, it is also 'history', both in the original sense of listing what actually exists, and in the modern sense whereby it retraces changes over time since the origins of the Earth.

As such, natural history is a complex science, which describes things and the way in which they interact at every level (molecular, astronomical, social, etc.) in order to understand how they are organised. To do so, it draws on other scientific disciplines, from mathematics to physics, via social sciences, agronomy and philosophy, and distils knowledge acquired throughout society: its observations are a source of technological inspiration; Velcro, for example; or medicines such as antibiotics, but also lay the foundations for ethical and political thought.

Natural history requires the establishment of collections in botanical gardens, zoos, museums and protected natural areas. With each new technological advance, such as DNA sequencing, these archives need to be revised. Collections form a repository that serves as a basis for scientific knowledge and rational thinking about the evolution of species, population dynamics and the role played by humans.

The museums that have grown around these collections raise public awareness of our origin and place in the natural world, nurture our ability to reason and understand, foster an appreciation for our impact on, and responsibility for, the planet’s evolution. Thus, museums are a response to the need to "root humans in nature".

We should therefore "work to ensure that in France, science, and particularly natural history, are part of the culture" and enhance teaching in its key disciplines of zoology, botany, microbiology, palaeontology, geology, anthropology and ethnology.