Spotlight on (In)visible Biodiversity – Hidden Biodiversity

  • Category: Exhibition
  • Dates: October 15 through December 30, 2022
  • Hours: Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. / 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • Location: Departmental Environmental Center – Domaine de Restinclières – Prades-le-Lez.

“Spotlight on (In)visible Biodiversity” is a series of three traveling exhibitions conceived and produced by students at the University of Montpellier under the direction of Frédérique Carcaillet, a professor and researcher at the University of Montpellier, director of the Biodiversity Communication and Education track within the Master’s program in Environmental Management, and head of the NaturCom Chair at theUM Foundation.

The first exhibition, “Hidden Biodiversity,” is currently on view at the Maison Départementale de l’Environnement at the Domaine de Restinclières in Prades-le-Lez and will remain there through December 30, 2022. After that, it will go on tour throughout the Occitanie region.

This first exhibition takes visitors on a journey to discover living creatures that are often hidden from view—concealed in the night, within other living beings, at the bottom of the oceans, or even in the clouds!

This exhibition features explanatory panels, various museum displays, and video testimonials from a range of individuals working to promote awareness and protection of biodiversity. An educational resource designed for high school students has also been developed and made available to teachers to assist them in leading their students through the exhibition.

Various partners made this first exhibition possible: the University of Montpellier, the University of Montpellier Foundation, the Occitanie Region, Banque Populaire du Sud, UMR MARBEC, CeMEB, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, Andromède Océanologie, and Gombessa Expeditions.