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Walk under water in Wildwalk’s new coral reef tank
Opening on 22 October 2005
This Autumn, Wildwalk-At-Bristol is set to open a brand new People and the
Planet gallery focusing entirely on mankind’s relationship with
biodiversity and sustainable development and including Europe’s first ever
walkthrough living tropical coral reef tank as its centrepiece.
In the first section of the gallery, visitors can get to grips with the
issues surrounding endangered species through a stimulating mix of
audio-tracks, live animals and plants, hands-on exhibits and evocative
imagery. Four interactive areas tackle the issues of habit loss,
introduced species, hunting and pollution and visitors can investigate
themes further by using the touch-screen ARKive pods placed throughout the
floor. Showcasing the world’s first centralised digital library of
endangered species, the pods offer an effective way to search over 100
different species and find out the threats they face.
Continuing through the gallery, visitors will be amazed as they discover
the striking centrepiece - Europe’s first ever walkthrough tropical coral
reef tank. Teeming with over 1000 animals from around 100 different
species, the coral reef tank offers a stunning slice of tropical marine
life, viewed from an immersive underwater tunnel. Constructed entirely
from natural materials, including marine rock and living corals from
sustainable sources, the tropical micro-ecosystem will be home to a
colourful array of sea life. Visitors can get up close to giant clams and
awesome anemones based on the tank floor and gaze at beautiful angelfish,
blue spotted stingray, vivid tangs and colourful clownfish as they swim
past. Panels at the side of the tank highlight coral reef threats, from
climate change and the rise in temperature caused by mankind’s actions, to
destructive fishing practises.
Wildwalk’s final section focuses on sustainable development with links to
local conservation projects and top tips on how to take individual action
to help conserve the planet we share. Visitors can investigate effective
waste management from raw materials through to manufacturing and
recycling, and compare organic composting with inorganic landfill. There’s
also an eco-footprint calculator, for visitors to evaluate the size of
their personal impact on the environment and see how it fares with other
nations. A web-based news and views section highlights the weekly
environmental topics hitting the headlines and visitors can share their
opinions by making their mark on a final message board.
Valerie Collins, At-Bristol’s Director of Exhibitions says, ’The new
People and the Planet gallery will create a stunning and thought provoking
final section to Wildwalk. Our ethos is to make science fun and accessible
to all and I really think we achieve this here. There’s a whole host of
interactive exhibits to try out and incredible moving images plus the
stunning coral reef tank - people will want to come back time and time
again.’
Wildwalk’s People and the Planet gallery is due to open on 22
October 2005, to find out more about all the exhibits in this new area
please click here.
To contact the At-Bristol Press Office, please call Annabel Iles:
Tel: 0117 915 7152, fax: 0117 915 7200 or email
annabel.iles@at-bristol.org.uk
Note to Editors:
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At-Bristol, a registered
charity, has won 13 awards since opening in 2000 including the Good
Britain Guide 2001’s ‘Family Attraction of the Year’ and ‘Large Attraction
of the Year’ in the England in Excellence Awards South West. It consists
of three attractions:
Explore-At-Bristol - a hands-on science centre, IMAX® Theatre-At-Bristol
- the largest cinema screen in the west of England and Wildwalk-At-Bristol
- a journey from the origins of life to the ends of the Earth.
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It is a Landmark
Millennium Attraction whose principal partners include the Millennium
Commission (£44.3 million), the South West of England Regional Development
Agency (£17.1 million) and Bristol City Council (£15.7 million).
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The People and the Planet gallery has been funded
by The ReDiscover fund, a joint venture between the Millennium
Commission, the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.
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Wildwalk’s sustainable development section is supported
by SITA Environmental Trust.
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The ARKive project is an initiative of Bristol-based
Wildscreen.
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