National Pavilion of Biodiversity, an interactive museum of the UNAM – Unknown Mexico

The National Pavilion of Biodiversity is an interactive museum under the direction of the Autonomous University of Mexico and the Institute of Biology; It is located in Ciudad Universitaria and its objective is to encourage the public to take an interest in science and the conservation of our natural spaces.

Located in University City, the National Biodiversity Pavilion was inaugurated on October 6, 2021, but had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last June 18, 2022 reopened its doors to the public.

Its main objective is to inspire people to be interested in science and biodiversity conservation; as well as to ensure that the people of Mexico have a direct and pleasant contact with the research carried out by the scientists of the highest Mexican house of studies.

The National Pavilion of Biodiversity has 6 exhibition halls and the digital library; There is also the genomic sequencing laboratory, another molecular biology laboratory and the botanical garden.

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The National Pavilion of Biodiversity

As a donation from the Slim Foundation, the National Biodiversity Pavilion It is a complex of 12 thousand square meters and a 3-story infrastructure that houses the complete collections of the Institute of Biology of the UNAM.

The GNP it is unique in its kind as a museum and research area. In its rooms are the 4 national collections of vertebrates that include: Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. There is also a wood Collection, with more than 130 thousand specimens that exist in Mexico.

between the halls of National Biodiversity Pavilion you can find nothing less than the Nobel Prize in Chemistry that was given to the doctor Mario Molina Pasquel and Henriquezwho was an outstanding Mexican scientist and defender of the environment.

This space will give rise to collective citizen knowledge for the conservation of biodiversity and the environment.

Claudia Sheinbaum, Head of Government of CDMX.

In addition, there is a historical archive that contains documents and research on the Mexican biological diversity ranging from the nineteenth century to the present; as well as immense collections of insects, butterflies, skeletons and plants that exist in Mexico.

In addition to bringing people closer to the sciences, the National Biodiversity Pavilion it also has an end; make the population aware of the points of no return in the damage to ecosystems and the impact of the hand of man on nature.

Víctor Manuel Sánchez-Cordero Dávila, researcher and former director of the Institute of Biology, said that the National Biodiversity Pavilion is the most important architectural project in Latin America; since it brings together in the same place the national biological collections, top-level research laboratories and exhibitions designed by experts.

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The rooms of the National Pavilion of Biodiversity

This is a unique site at the National University, as it combines a museum exhibition area with spaces for active research. It has six permanent exhibition halls and one temporary one, as well as a digital library.

Susana Magallón Puebla, Director of the Institute of Biology.

In the temporary exhibition room there is a sample of dendrochronologybranch of science that studies the environmental changes recorded in the rings of tree trunks.

Some showrooms are: Living planet, Tree of life, Ecological Footprint and Bio-eco. Within its exhibitions you can control drones, robots, microscopic and even see how a 3D printer works.

The National Biodiversity Pavilion operates under the secure museum protocolwhich means that all attendees must wear face masks and respect hygiene measures to counteract COVID-19 infections, the place has environmental nebulizers and gel dispensers, as well as the necessary infrastructure for those who need to use a wheelchair.

Other collections that you can find in the National Biodiversity Pavilion:

• Algae
• Mushrooms
• lichens
• bryophytes
• vascular plants
• aquatic plants
• fruits and seeds
• insects
• Mites
• mollusks
• Crustaceans
• Helminths

The National Biodiversity Pavilion has more than 300 computers in its digital library, as well as high-speed broadband connectivity where you can access content related to the environment and online courses offered by UNAM.

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The laboratories of the National Biodiversity Pavilion

In the National Biodiversity Pavilion there are 2 laboratories: one is the Genomic Sequencing Laboratory and the one of Molecular biologyin which visitors can observe how the researchers and students of the UNAM. Within its walls various studies are made, such as compare the DNA of organisms with others to know the level at which they are related and how they have evolved.

During the reopening of the Pavilion during the pandemic, the rector of UNAM, Enrique Gaue said:

The goal of the pavilion is to recognize the relevance of scientific work and how we can make it available to society. It is, in these weeks of safe and gradual return, an additional educational offer. It is, at this time, an encouragement to hope: to hope and faith in science, in truth, in justice and in education.

Enrique Gaue, rector of UNAM

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How to get to the National Biodiversity Pavilion?

If you go by bus, take route 3 or 10 of the Pumabus. If you go by car, you can enter through Avenida del Imán. The National Biodiversity Pavilion is very close to the universum. It is located in Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Coyoacán; CDMX.

Admission is free and they open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon.

The National Biodiversity Pavilion is and will be a space for scientific communication with society about the problems and challenges facing biodiversity on the planet, as well as our natural heritage.

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