Conservation Exhibit Concept
Purpose:
To introduce guests to the importance of conservation, what factors
effect the survival of species, and what they can do to help.
Background:
Biologist E. O. Wilson has called invertebrates the "little things that
run the world," because of their number, variety and influence on
larger organisms and even entire ecosystems. The diversity of
invertebrates is staggering and their importance to the planet is
irreplaceable in food webs and in the maintenance of ecosystems, as
pollinators and recyclers. Pollination by bees, beetles, flies, and
butterflies is essential to the survival of many plants, our own
survival, and much of our agricultural industry. Recycling by termites,
dung beetles, burying beetles, and various species of flies maintains
the health of environments, reduces the spread of disease, and releases
nutrients for reuse in the environment.
Invertebrates
are a part of nearly every food chain, either directly, as food for
fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, or indirectly, as agents
in the endless recycling of nutrients in the soil. Food webs are often
dependent on invertebrate species performing essential services such as
pollination or seed dispersal. Simply put, a world without
invertebrates would be impoverished, and ecosystems would collapse.
There
is another reason to educate people about the importance of
invertebrates. As people grow to respect and understand the importance
of insects and other small creatures, they will hopefully, understand
and respect all life. Because many invertebrates only need small areas
to thrive, they can serve as an effective introduction to people on the
importance of protecting habitat.
Description:
The Conservation exhibit will be full of beautiful images of habitats
and invertebrates around the country and the world. The images will
convey to guests a desire for this beauty to continue to exist. Around
the images will be case studies of various conservation programs to
preserve habitat and invertebrate species. These will range from those
programs being conducted by INSTAR Center and Butterfly Kingdom staff
to other facilities, organizations, and governmental agencies. Each
case study will describe the cause of the problem and what people can
do to avoid the problem later. A computer simulation game will present
various problems to a guest regarding a threatened habitat or species
and options for action. Their choice will show the effect upon the
habitat and species. Another simulation game will demonstrate the
effect of building a road in a rainforest from the perspective of the
developer, native villager, and conservationist. Guests act as one of
these individuals and make their decisions to see the effect on the
rainforest 20 years later.
A
video monitor will allow guests to view short films at the push of a
button of various “Eco-Heroes,” people that have made a difference for
conservation. The Eco-Heroes will be international, national, and local
people of all ages demonstrating that any one can be part of the
solution. Guests will be able to get a printout of the various programs
and find out how they can give money or participate.
There
will be live displays of various threatened and endangered species with
which Butterfly Kingdom and the INSTAR Center are working. Guests will
also be able to print out information on endangered and threatened
invertebrates in their state or country, what they can do to help, such
as the Backyard Habitat program of the National Wildlife Federation,
and what they should think about regarding their daily actions and
their effect.
Animal Species: Various threatened and endangered species
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