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The Darwin Centre at The Natural History Museum

September 18, 2002

Visitors can now explore one of the world`s most extensive natural history collections and discover more about cutting-edge scientific research
as Phase One of the Darwin Centre is launched

'This exciting project will do much to enhance The Natural History Museum`s already well deserved international reputation for both high quality research and informative exhibitions'    Tony Blair, Prime Minister

On 30 September 2002, The Natural History Museum will unveil the first of two phases of its most significant development to date - the Darwin Centre. For the first time in the Museum`s history, visitors will have behind-the-scenes access to the collection, enabling them to explore vast storerooms filled with more than 22 million zoology specimens. This enormous resource, previously only used by scientific researchers and Museum curators, underpins much current research carried out at The Natural History Museum.

The Darwin Centre will be the only place in the UK where the public can interact with scientists seven days a week, seeing for themselves how this collection is helping to address contemporary issues, such as the quality of our air, the causes of disease and the maintenance of delicate ecosystems around the world.

The Natural History Museum`s collection contains more than 70 million items, yet there is only room for one per cent of the collection to be displayed in the public galleries. Phase One of the Darwin Centre will dramatically improve access to previously hidden specimens. Historic specimens include those collected by Captain Cook on his 1768 Endeavour voyage to Australia, and by Charles Darwin during his HMS Beagle expedition.

More than 850,000 `type specimens`, from which species were first identified and named, are also housed in the Museum's collection. Many scientists believe we have mapped as little as 15 per cent of the world`s diversity and therefore naming, identifying and investigating the roles and relationships of organisms is key to furthering our understanding of the natural world. Here, new species can be confirmed, classified and catalogued and relationships investigated. The Darwin Centre project will play an essential role in safeguarding this collection for the future, while also offering visitors an insight into the role of this vital resource, and providing them with a close-up view of the work carried out by scientists.

Professor Phil Rainbow, Head of Zoology at The Natural History Museum said
'We have 350 scientists based here at the Museum who are engaged in practical problem-solving science, especially in biodiversity. Working in partnership with over 60 countries worldwide, we are also using our applied knowledge to help find solutions to pests, parasites and diseases. The Darwin Centre will now bring this important work out from behind the scenes.'

The Darwin Centre vision will be completed in 2007, when Phase Two opens its doors to the public. Currently in the planning stages, Phase Two will house the Museum`s Entomology and Botany Collections, comprising 28 million insects and six million plants. On completion, almost 80 per cent of the Museum`s Collection will be accessible to members of the public. A significant fundraising campaign is underway in order to complete this important project.

Natural History Museum, The