a science and nature centre in the making

7/30/2019 A science and nature centre in the making

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A"sustainable"science"and$nature$centre$in$the$making!

Dr.!Marine!Soichot,!Arda,!Reunion!Island,!France!

14th%Saastec%%Annual%Conference,%2630

th%Novembre%2012%

National%Zooological%Garden,%Pretoria,%Gauteng,%South%Africa%

Sustainability%needed%for%Reunion%Island%%

Reunion!is!a!small!tropical!island!in!the!Indian!Ocean.!Its!an!overseas!department!!of!

France,!twice!as!big!as!New!York!City!.!It!has!many!striking!natural!features.!The!island!

is!on!one!of!the!worlds!most!active!volcanoes,!has!young!and!growing!coral!reefs!and!lagoons,!is! an!IUCN!biodiversity!hotspot!and!40%!of! its! area! is!on! the!UNESCO!World!

Heritage! List.! However! this! amazing! natural! heritage! is! under! pressure.! Indeed,!

Reunions! population! is! growing! very! fast! (250,000! inhabitants! in! 1960;! 800,000! in!

2010;!and! a! projected! one!million! in!2030)! and! the! area! suitable! for! settlement! and!farming! is!relatively!small.! Steep!mountains! cover!most!of!the! island! and!most!of! the!people!live!on!the!west!coast!in!an!uninteruppted!urbanized!strip.!Reunions!nature!is!

beautiful! and! unique! but! also! violent! and! dangerous.! Through! the! islands! history,!!

Reunions! people! have! faced!major! natural! risks:! volcanic! eruptions,! hurricanes! and!flooding.!Morevover,!Reunions!coast!are!inhospitable!and!full!of!dangers!for!shipping.!

Today,!Reunion!is!still!the!intense!island.!!

Also!striking!are!the!social!and!economic!challenges!faced!by!Reunions!residents.!The!island!was!uninhabited!before!the!17th!century!when!it!was!colonized!by!the!French.!

Slaves!and!then!free!workers!(slavery!was!abolished!in!1848)!came!from!Madagascar,!Eastern! Africa,! India,! and! China! to! develop! the! colony.! After! the! second! world! war,!

Reunion! society! was! rural! and! traditional! with! an! economy! based! on! sugarcane!

agriculture.! In!1946,! it!became!an!overseas!department!of!France.!From!that!time!on,!catching!up!with!Metropolitan!France!in!the!fields!of!social!and!economic!development,!

has!been!a!major!aim.!Many!schools!and!a!universty!have!been!built!as!well!as!several!hospitals!and!social!housing.!Today,!several!flights!connect!the!island!to!Europe,!Africa!

and!Asia,!everyday!day.!The!economy!has!become!more!diversified.!Agriculture!is!still!

important!but!tourism!and!IT!and!Communications!are!new!crucial!economic!sectors.!Despite!this,! 30%!of!Reunions!population! is!unemployed,!with!youth!umemployment!

reaching!50%.!Additionly,!since!the!70s,!Reunion!has!fully!embraced!the!consumption!

society! with! all! the! problems! this! leads! to! including! a! garbage!waste! boom,! health!

issues!due!to!junk!food!and!social!frustrations!for!the!economically!disadvantaged.!!Today,!Reunion!island!is!at!a!critical!point!in!its!history1.!It!faces!many!social,!economic!and! environmental! challenges.! Keeping! to! the! model! of! development! the! island! has!

followed! for! the! last! fifty! years! would! lead! to! serious! issues! especially! in! terms! of!!

ensuring!adequate!supplies!of! land,!energy,!food,!and!water.!Here!more!than!anywhere!else,!sustainable!development!is!a!necessity,!not!just!a!good!idea.!

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1!To!know!more!about!Reunions!history!and!todays!challenges!:!E.!Wolff!and!M.!Watin!(2010)! La#Runion,#

une#socit#en#mutation,!Paris!:!Economica,!Anthropos.!!!


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A%new%science%and%nature%centre%%

In!that!context,!Reunions!Regional!Council!decided!to!create!a!new!science!and!nature!center,!asyet! unnamed,!due! to!open!in!2014.!Through!a! theme!of!water,! the! centers!

mission! will! be! to! showcase! the! islands! natural! heritage! and! increase! public!

engagement!with!science!and!the!environment.!The!science!and!nature!center!will!be!built!on!an!experimental! aquaculture!farm!which! is!a!research!and! innovation!center!

dedicated!to!water!and!tropical!ecosystems.!Together,!the!two!centers!will!form!an!ecocampus!where!experts! as!well! as!the! general!public!will! find! suitable!resources! and!

activities.!

Currently,!we!are!working!on!the!many!aspects!of!creating!this!new!nature!and!science!center.! Given! its! engagement! with! environmental! missions! as!well! as! the! challenges!

Reunion! faces!as!explained! above,! developing!a! sustainable!course! of!action! at!every!level!is!obviously!one!of!our!priorities.!So!how!did!we!proceed?!

First,! we!wrote! a! general! strategy! and! action! plan!without! especially! thinking! about!

sustainable!development.!Then,!we!looked!at!it! in!a!new!way,!paying!attention!to!every!point!and!asking!if!there!was!a!more!sustainable!way!to!achieve!our!goals.!We!kept!in!

mind!the!three!cornerstones!for!a!sustainable!development:!environment,!society!and!economy.! In! doing! so! we! focused! not! only! on! low! energy! buildings,! ecodesigned!

exhibitions!and!environmental!education!but!also!found!that!smart!governance,!ethical!

management,!accessibility!for!disabled!people!and!engagement!in! the!local!community!were!also!part!of!a!sustainable!strategy.!We!are!at!the!beginning!of!the!process!and!as!a!

first!step,!we!are!focusing!on!three!aspects!at!the!moment.!!

The%message%we% deliver% and% the%way%we%want% our% visitors% to% be%

engaged.%%One! of! the! centers!main! features!will! be! a! 700squaremeter! exhibition! that! invites!

visitors!to!discover!(or!rediscover)!Reunion!by!following!the!path!of!water!on!the!island.!

Water!falls!as!rain!from!the!sky;!flows!along!mountains,!shaping!them!as!it!goes;!gathers!into! rivers! and! lakes,! where! it! supports! life;!and! finally! runs! into! the! sea.! Along! this!

route,! humans! pump,! store,! transport,! and! use! the! water.! The! exhibition! will! focus!mainly! on! fresh! water! and! address! many! topics! related! to! Reunions! heritage,!

environment,!and!sustainable!development.!!

The!exhibition!will!highlight!natural!Reunion!features!concerning!water.!Reunion!water!resources!are!important!but!unevenly!distributed!in!time!and!space.!While!it!rains!daily!

on!the!east!coast!of!the!Island,!the!west!coast!is!mostly!dry.!Additionally,!most!of!the!rain!

falls!during!summer!while!winter!is!a!dry!season.!Finally,!as!Reunion!is!a!young!volcanic!island,!the!soil!is!highly!permeable!and!most!of!the!water!deeply!leaks!into!the!rock!so!

water!resources!are! hard!to!reach.!However,!we!want! the! exhibition! to!be!a! dialogue!between!people!and!their!environment.!We!dont!want!to!present!a!pure!nature!that!

should! be! untouched,! casting! humans! as! the! cause! of! all! problems! and! pollution! in!

natural! resources.!Nor! do!we!want! to! show!nature! as!an!array!of! resources! ripe! for!human!exploitation.!For!example,!in!an!ethnographic!and!historical!perspective,!we!will!

display!how!water!has!driven!the!island!colonization!by!humans!and!how!people!have!shaped!landscapes!harnessing!water.!!


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We!want!our!visitors!to!explore!and!marvel,!especially!at!Reunions!natural!heritage.!We!

will!also!give!them!the!keys!to!understanding! the! ins!and! the!outs!of!water!issues,!so!they!are!empowered!as!citizens!to!form!their!own!opinions!and!make!their!own!choices.!

As!far!as!we!can,!we!will!provide!them!all!information!in!a!neutral!and!impartial!way2.!

We! know! its! tricky3.!To! do! so,!one!possibility! is! to! give! a! voice! to! stakeholders.!For!

example,!regarding!water!supplies!for!sugarcane!watering,!the!exhibition!could!present!accounts!of!a! farmer,!an!agricultural!engineer,! an!elective!representative! and!a!water!

supplier.!Each!time,!we!will!look!at!water!uses!and!their!positive!and!negative!impacts!but!moreover! levers! for! action! to!change! the! situation! in!a!more! sustainable!way.!At!

least,!increase!public!awareness!of!water!saving!is!part!of!the!center!mission.!However,!we! want! to! avoid! simplistic! and! moralistic! instructions! to! save! water! that! would!

patronise! our! visitors.!We! prefer! to!help! them! to!understand!what! is! at!stake! in! the!

complex!water!issues,!why!it!matters!and!how!they!can!take!part.!!!

The%high%environmental%quality%of%the%building%and%outdoors%

We! are! convinced! we! have! to! match! our! words! with! our! actions.! So! alongside! our!message! about! environmental! protection,! we! are! trying! to! build! a! site! with! high!

environmental!quality.!The!main!point!is!that!the!primary!building!will!work!without!air!conditioning.! It! is! designed! to! produce! airflow! and! cross! ventilation! so! that! the!

temperature!felt!inside!the!building!is!4C!below!the!outside!temperature.!It!will!be!built!

on!pillars!over!aquaculture!ponds!and!exposed!to!the!prevailing!wind.!!

The!architect!has!worked!with!the!National!Agency!for!Environment!and!Energy 4!and!a!

specialized!engineering!team!to!check!how!the!building!reacts!to!wind!and!to!optimize!

the!thermal!performance.!They!also!have!to!make!sure!the!building,!which!is!11m!high!can!generate!good!airflow,!while!being!resistant!to!hurricanes.!In!order!to!have!efficient!

ventilation!the!building!has!many!openings,!which!can! be!problematic.! ! Firstly,!birds,!especially! pigeons,! can! come! in! and! cause! lot! of! damage.! Secondly,! the! air! from! the!

outside!will! be! humid! and! salty! that! is! not! the! best! for! screens! and! projectors! (our!

servers!will! be! in! a! small! technical! airconditioned! room).!We! have! found! special! IT!materials!that!resist!extreme!conditions!but!we!are!still!looking!for!the!best!solution!to!

avoid!the!bird!issues.!!

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We!will!also!work!on!other!aspects!of!the!outdoor!environment.!Our!landscaper!plans!to!

recreate!natural!landscapes!and!ecosystems!from!elsewhere!on!the!island!such!as!dry!river!beds!and!lake!edges.!We!will!use!indigenous!and!endemic!species!as!far!as!possible!

and!plants!that!dont!require!chemical!fertilizer!and!watering.!!

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2!See!Kelly!(1986)!for!more!details!about!impartial!neutrality.!!!

Kelly,!T.!E.!(1986)!!Discussing!controversial!issues!:!Four!perspectives!on!the!teachers!role!!Theory!and!

Research!in!Social!Education,!vol.!19,!pp.!113138.!3!Xeres!(2004)!gives!an!interesting!example!of!that!problem!with!an!exhbition!about!nuclear!power.!!

Mazda,! X.! (2004)! ! Dangerous! Ground?! Public! Engagement! with! Scientific! Controversy! ! Creating!Connections.!Museums!and!the!Public!Understanding!of!Current!Research,!D.!Chittenden,!G.!Farmelo!et!B.!

V.!Lewenstein!(eds.),!Walnut!Creek:!AltaMira!Press,!pp.!127144.!

4!www.ademe.fr!!


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The% accessibility% to% the% public% and% engagement% in% the% local%

community.%

We!want!what!we!offer!to!be!accessible!to!the!widest!possible!audience.!Of!course,!we!

know!its!impossible!to!match!the!needs!of!everyone.!So!we!will!mainly!focus!on!3!types!

of!visitors:!tourists!who!discover!the!island!for!the!first!time,!Reunionese!families!who!want! to! spend! a! nice! and! fun! time! together! and! school! groups! who! are! looking! for!specific! contents! and! activities! related! to! a! curiculum.! However,! we! also! pay! special!

attention!to!disabled!and!disadvantaged!people.!

Full!physical!accessibility!for!disabled!people!is!required!by!law!in!France5.!But!it!is!only!a!first!step.!We!try!to!go!further!and!make!all!our!activities!accessible!as!far!as!we!can.!

Thats!tricky!too.!For!exemple,!you!cant!always!fully!adapt!an!exhbit!at!a!resonable!cost.!

Sometimes,!you!find!a!way!to!do!it!for!blind!people!but!not!for!deaf!people.!There!is!no!magic!recipe,!you!have!to!proceed!on!a!case!by!case!basis.!Some!guideline!documents!

are! useful6 !but! feedback! from! other! museums! profesionnals,! and! exchanges! with!

disabled!people!are!essential.!Thats!why!we!plan!to!organize!in!the!next!few!months,!a!special!working!group!to!design!and!adapt!our!offering!with!their!help.!!

In!a!wider!perspective,!we!go!and!meet!many!institutions,!groups!and!people!engaged!with!culure,!science,!environement!and!water!on!the!island!to!present!our!project!and!

see!if!we!can!do!things!together.!For!example!we!have!met!the!regional!water!agencies,!others! museums! and! science! centres,! the! architecture! school,! the! regional! botanical!

garden,! the! university! and! others! research! institutions,! and! private! water! supply!

campanies.!We!dont!want!the!center!to!be!an!ivory!tower.!We!want!it!to!be!open!to!all!initiatives! and! partneships.! We! would! like! it! to! be! a! tool! for! common! interests! that!

stakeolders!can!make!their!own!(in!line!with!our!missions!and!values).!We!believe!in!the!

strength!of!weak! ties:! broadly! consulting! stakeholders! and! developing! small!projects!with!one!or!two!partners!each,!will!help!us!to!fullfill!our!missions!towards!the!public.!!

As!a! conclusion,!I!would!repeat!we!are!only!at!the!beginning!of!the!process!but!many!questions! are! already! raised.! It! appears! that! we! have! to! find! tradesoff! between!

environmental,! economical! and! social! criteria.! ! We! also! have! to! take! the! centre! as! a!

whole!so!every!choice!makes!sense!in!the!overview!of!what!our!missions!and!values!are.!In!the!perspective!of!sustainable!development,!there!are!other!aspects!of!the!projects!we!

still!have!to!work!on!among!with!human!resources!and!management.!Indeed,!after!all,!

engaging! the! team! will! be! crucial.! A! given! strategic! plan,! whether! in! a! sustainable!perspective! or! not,! might! be! the! best,! but! if! the! team! doesnt!make! it! its! own,! it! is!

useless.!Therefore!one!of!the!keys!to!the!success!of!our!plan!lies!in!the!hands!of!day!to!day!management.!!!

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5!In!2005,!a!law!was!enacted!requiring!all!public!buildings!to!be!accessible!for!disabled!people.!!6!The! French! Culture! Ministry! has! edited! some! guidelines! about! disabilty! for! cultural! institutions.!

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/handicap/pdf/guide.pdf!!

a science and nature centre in the making

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