The biodiversity gardens at MUSE – Trento Museum of Science. With over 800 square meters and more than 300 botanical species from around the world, the gardens and vineyard take you on a journey of agricultural diversity. Photo credits: MUSE Archives, photo by Michele Purin
Museums and ecomuseums are increasingly aware of their potential role as social actors, engaged in the construction of projects capable of bringing together collected and catalogued knowledge with the building of relationships with communities and the territory for a more sustainable future. Science and nature museums thanks to their collections and specific expertise, and ecomuseums, strongly rooted in the territories, have been pioneers in initiating meaningful experiences for biodiversity: from environmental education to citizen science, from digitization of collections to collaboration with research institutions, from community involvement and participation to the construction of local networks. Such experiences are beginning to spread today; however, the integration of biodiversity issues into the broader museum sector is still partial and uneven.
As part of the project, the role of museums as actors for the governance of the sustainable transition of biodiversity and food systems was investigated by mapping ecomuseums and community museums in the Mediterranean, analyzing the capacity of these institutions to promote sustainable forms of tourism that can preserve and enhance biodiversity, and understanding how much and whether these institutions succeed in applying nature-based solutions (Nature Based Solutions).
In this perspective, museums and ecomuseums assume a cultural leadership role, developing new visions, participatory planning and operational tools for monitoring and communication. Biodiversity is not only a scientific issue, but a cultural language to be explored, told and experienced.
Therefore, building networks, sharing strategies and bridging current gaps are necessary challenges to address ecological crises and find effective solutions.
Workshop 60, Extinction? Rebellion, led by Piero Gilardi, 2019. Courtesy: PAV Living Art Park
PAV, panoramic image, 2023. Courtesy: PAV Living Art Park
The contents of the online exhibition are based on the chapters of the volume “DisSeminActions: Telling Biodiversity.” Ledizioni, 2025 – open access