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Increasing Awareness for Soil Biodiversity and Protection the International Touring Exhibition ‘The Thin Skin of the Earth’

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Increasing Awareness for Soil Biodiversity and Protection the International Touring Exhibition ‘The Thin Skin of the Earth’ 90 (2) · August 2018 pp. 79–94 Increasing awareness for soil biodiversity and protection The international touring exhibition ‘The Thin Skin of the Earth’ Willi E. R. Xylander1,2,* and Helga Zumkowski-Xylander1 1 Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, Am Museum 1, 02826 Görlitz, Germany 2 Internationales Hochschulinstitut Zittau, TU Dresden, Markt 23, 02763 Zittau, Germany * Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected] Received 19 July 2018 | Accepted 27 July 2018 Published online at www.soil-organisms.de 1 August 2018 | Printed version 15 August 2018 DOI 10.25674/KKY5-A011 Abstract The Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz developed an international touring exhibition with the title ‘The Thin Skin of the Earth – Our Soils’ as the national contribution to the International Year of the Soil 2015. Since the opening of the exhibition in October 2015 it had been shown at six localities and seen by more than 120,000 visitors. It will tour at least for another four years. The exhibition deals with soil biodiversity, the heterogeneity of soils as well as soil protection. It meets the challenge to present objects, processes, topics and formats completely unknown to most of the public by using recent most specifically developed digital and analogue formats and a sophisticated scenography. To address its main messages to the visitors, emotionalizing and immersive forms of information transfer are crucial and, therefore, central elements of the educational concept. The general concept behind the exhibition, its contents, the educational approaches applied and the major results of an external evaluation are described. Conclusions are drawn on the suitability of touring exhibitions and the approaches chosen to inform and sensitize a broad public for soil protection. Keywords soil protection | soil biodiversity | touring exhibition | scenography | public awarness 1. Introduction Jackson, http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ foodclimate/presentations/biodiv/Soil_Jackson.pdf, Major reasons for deficiencies regarding public modified after Pimentel et al. 1997, Brussaard et al. awareness of the necessity to protect soil ecosystems 2007). Obviously, public awareness for soil protection are the inaccessibility of the soil, the loss of appreciation stands in significant contrast to its relevance (see also of soils, especially in urban populations, but also the Müller 2012, Xylander et al. 2015). This lack in awareness lack of information on the relevance of soil organisms is also reflected by the national and EU legislation for soil for decomposition and nutrient recycling in terrestrial protection, the focus of which is on the abiotic aspects ecosystems (Xylander et al. 2015) as indicated by scarce of soil. Soil biota are considered only in the context of consideration in school and academic education (e. g. habitat functions what underestimates its importance. Müller 2012). Without soil organisms, fertility of soils The Senckenberg Museum of Natural History would decrease fast with significant impact on e. g. Görlitz (SMNG) is an international research institute agriculture and forestry. Therefore, the global economic with a special focus on soil animals and more than 20 value of soil organisms for ecosystem services is scientists working on soil animals; the collection holds considered to be higher than 1.5 x 1012 US$ yr-1 (Louise about 4.5 Mio specimens from various groups of soil © Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz · 2018 ISSN 1864-6417 (print) · ISSN 2509-9523 (digital) 80 Willi E. R. Xylander & Helga Zumkowski-Xylander animals (Xylander 2018). To increase the awareness and 2. Content of the exhibition to draw the attention of the public on soil biodiversity and ecosystem services as well as on the major drivers The exhibition comprises four major topics indicated of soil destruction, the SMNG developed three touring by separated spaces and their specific scenography. exhibitions, which dealt with these topics: ‘Tiere im These topics are: a) soil biodiversity (presented in the Boden’, presented 1995 – 2002 (curated by Wolfram ‘Chamber of Life’), b) soil heterogeneity and pedogenesis Dunger and Karin Voigtländer, Voigtländer & Dunger (‘Chamber of Crumbs’), c) soil science (‘Chamber of 1998) and ‘Unter unseren Füßen – Lebensraum Boden’/ Knowledge’) and d) soil destruction and protection ‘Beneath our feet – Life in soil’, 2004 – 2012 (curated (‘Chamber of Horror’). by Karin Hohberg and Willi Xylander, see Hohberg & The module ‘Chamber of Life’ is the central part Xylander 2004). These two exhibitions were successful of the exhibition (Fig. 1) giving access to all other vehicles to raise the awareness of the public for soil chambers. It presents the biodiversity, biology and biodiversity. The new touring exhibition by Helga relevance of all major groups of soil organisms with a Zumkowski-Xylander, Willi Xylander and colleagues special focus on soil animals, but also including fungi, (‘Die dünne Haut der Erde’ / ‘The Thin Skin of the Earth’, protozoans, bacteria and algae. Ecosystem services, 2015, ongoing) deals – besides the obligatory unit on soil especially decomposition and recycling are visualized biodiversity – also with the heterogeneity of soils and e. g. by a simplified chain of ‘decomposers’ (pill their formation, with soil research as well as with soil millipede, oribatid mite, testate amoeba) (Fig. 2). The protection. The exhibition was financially supported by morphology of representatives of the decomposition the Federal Ministry for Science and Education (BMBF) guilds and also the interaction between them are as part of the Edaphobase-project (see Burkhardt et visualized by high quality models. al. 2015, www.edaphobase.org) within the National The eye catcher of the exhibition (a predatory mite Biodiversity Initiative as the German contribution for the just killing a springtail, Fig. 3) stands for the second International Year to the Soil 2015. major topic of the ‘Chamber of Life’: predator-prey- interrelationships and the trophic levels in the soil. Figure 1. Floor plan of the exhibition during its presentation in the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz (July 2016 to January 2017) showing the four ‘chambers’, the tunnel entrance and their spatial interrelationship. SOIL ORGANISMS 90 (2) 2018 Increasing awareness for soil biodiversity and protection 81 A C B Figure 2. Three representatives of a chain of sequential decomposers representing different size classes: (A) macrofauna (Glomeris hexasticha, Glomeridae, Diplopoda), (B) mesofauna (Carabodes ornatus, Oribatida, Acari) and (C) microfauna (testate amoeba). All three models are 3D-prints by Klaus Leitl. Photos: Sven Tränker, Senckenberg. Figure 3. Predatory mite (Veigaia cerva, Gamasina, Acari) overwhelms a springtail (Orchesella cincta, Collembola). Model by Esben Horn. Photo: Andrzej Paczos, Senckenberg. SOIL ORGANISMS 90 (2) 2018 82 Willi E. R. Xylander & Helga Zumkowski-Xylander Close to this model, information is provided on foraging 3. Concept of the exhibition and strategies of predatory soil animals as well as on realization defense mechanisms of prey organisms. Further items are reproduction, brood care and the adaptation of soil 3.1 Development of the presentation organisms to environmental constraints, e. g. paralleling climate changes. Scanning electron micrographs of From the very beginning (start of the project in April various soil organisms convey the outer morphology and 2015) the exhibition project was planned to start with a the fascinating heterogeneity of the subsoil world. presentation of first exhibition parts and a subsequent In the exhibition section ‘Chamber of Crumbs’ the further development and enlargement successively peculiarities and variability of soil types is presented throughout the project period, which ended in July 2018. reflecting pedogenesis in relation to geology as well Hence, a first version was presented already six month as physical, chemical and biological processes of after the start of the project at the EU Parliament in decomposition and climate. A single soil profile (Podsol) Brussels (on about 150 m²). was selected that visualizes soil horizons and explains Subsequently, it was shown slightly modified at the their development. In this section also the importance Natural History Museum in Chemnitz. For the third of soil fertility for the cultural development of man is location in Görlitz, the exhibition was enlarged to about considered. 180 m². Here the scenography was realized for the The module ‘Chamber of Knowledge’ explains how first time as initially intended with all four ‘chambers’ scientists develop and address their research questions presented. For the Senckenberg Naturmuseum Frankfurt, and how new insights contribute to the development of the exhibition was extended to 230 m². Its final size of new research questions (addressing the idea of ‘public more than 300 m² was reached when presented at the understanding of research’) as well as strategies for soil Museum Koenig in Bonn (Tab. 1). protection. Different research projects are presented, e. g. The size of the exhibition increased due to adding new on the interaction of soil organisms and climate change topics as complete units, models and new panels to the (Römbke et al. 2011), the impact of man on extremely ‘chambers’ from location to location. The panels of the sensible ecosystems (here: Antarctica, Russell et al. exhibition consist of alu-dibond; they are bent in various 2014) or flood control;
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