On the morning of May 15, the Quang Nam Provincial Museum of Biodiversity was officially inaugurated in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. This event was part of the implementation of the Project for the National Year of Biodiversity Recovery – Quang Nam 2024, with the theme “Living in Harmony with Nature.” It also coincided with the International Day for Biological Diversity 2024, themed “Be a Part of the Biodiversity Solution,” and International Museum Day 2024, themed “Museums for Education and Research.”
According to a report on the formation and development orientation of the Quang Nam Provincial Museum of Biodiversity, this museum is a result of the Quang Nam Provincial Biodiversity Database Project, which was carried out from 2015 to 2021.
After years of collection, preservation, and database construction, the museum now boasts several exhibition areas: an introduction section, a botanical exhibition area (higher plants), a zoological exhibition area (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish, and invertebrates), an interactive zone, a resource room, a research room, and a storage and specimen processing area.
To date, the museum has collected and preserved over 3,700 photographs, more than 1,200 specimens and samples of flora and fauna (including higher plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish, and invertebrates belonging to 719 species and 274 families in the province). It also houses a wealth of data, documents, digital maps, and scientific reports.
In addition to the products gathered through the provincial biodiversity database project, the museum has acquired items and specimens from provincial-level science and technology projects, such as “Establishing a Database and Smart Management System for the Biodiversity of Plants in Special-Use Forests in Quang Nam Province,” and the Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area (humphead parrotfish specimens). Additionally, they received a skeleton of a gray-shanked douc langur from the People’s Committee of Tam My Tay Commune.
The museum has also initiated collaborations and knowledge-sharing with institutions like the Vietnam Museum of Nature, the Central Coastal Museum of Nature, and the Green Viet Center.
Ms. Le Thuy Trinh, Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quang Nam Province, emphasized the importance of the museum’s database and collection of specimens and samples related to the province’s biodiversity. She stated that the museum aims to promote the value of biodiversity, showcase the richness of rare and endemic species, and foster connections with organizations and scientists to further enrich its collection. It also strives to raise awareness and a sense of responsibility among officials, local communities, and students about the preservation and conservation of Quang Nam’s unique biodiversity.
With its functions of research, collection, preservation, exhibition, and database management, the museum serves to enhance knowledge and understanding of the province’s biodiversity and facilitate research and educational activities.
Ms. Trinh expressed her belief that the inauguration and opening of the Quang Nam Provincial Museum of Biodiversity will inspire and foster a sense of responsibility among all levels of society to join the journey of protecting, restoring, and preserving the extraordinary values of biodiversity in Quang Nam and Vietnam as a whole.
