Museum Manifesto. What the future without nature?

Natural history is “ natural ” in the widest meaning of the word, as it observes, characterises and names the worlds of minerals, plants and animals, 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 of the word, 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 medical, such as antibiotics, but also lay the foundations for ethical and political thought.

For Natural History, collections need to be put together in botanical gardens and zoos, museums and protected natural areas. With each technological advance, such as DNA sequencing, these archives need to be constantly revisited. These collections constitute 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 developed around these collections raise awareness among the general public of their origins in the natural world, nurture their ability to reason and understand, invite them to appreciate their 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.