Welcome and presentation

Welcome

We welcome you to the Virtual Museum of Human Ecology (VMHE), a digital tool focussed on the temporary transformation of biocultural diversity and its consequences. Created to house exhibitions for consulting, educating and promoting science related with the world’s most pressing challenges, included in the Sustainable Development Goals (UN Agenda 20230).

Presentation 

The Museum is an initiative of the Association for the Study of Human Ecology (AEEH), which arises from previous activities and experiences. It is part of the “Women, bio cultural diversity and sustainability” project, which is backed by the National Spanish Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO and which counts on the support and collaboration of different institutions, museums, societies and private individuals with whom we have signed the corresponding agreements.

Designed to show in a simple, attractive and thorough way, how the biocultural diversity of our species originates, and how and why culture has become the main agent for transforming the environment, both creating and solving inequalities between genders, people and countries, providing a useful approach to the world’s most pressing challenges.

Objectives

  • To disseminate scientific knowledge through natural and artistic heritage and new technologies, illustrating the interaction between Biology and Culture, in the context of Human Ecology and the new Sciences of Sustainability.
  • To provide a powerful tool to promote interest and training on the subject, as well as to increase knowledge and the ability of decision making for transforming the world through the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN) for Sustainable Development.
  • To incorporate the gender dimensions in the Sciences of Sustainability, evaluating its temporal transformation and its consequences in different environmental circumstances.
  • To illustrate the disaggregated reality of progress in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by age, gender, ethnicity, population and Countries.

Future and development

Since its inauguration on November 29th 2017, the museum expanded its permanent exhibition spaces, and those intended for collaboration with experts and institutions, through proposals for The work of the month and temporary exhibitions (more information contact: aecologia.humana @ uam.es)

Research team

Coordination: Cristina Bernis y Carlos Varea

Researchers: Barry Bogin, Inés Varela-Silva, Joaquín Díaz, Mª Pía Timón, Consolación González, Pablo Domínguez, Emilio Blanco, Beatriz Díaz, Pilar Montero, Rafael Tomás y José Manuel Terán.

Advisors: Sofía Rodríguez (Directora del Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas), Juan Luis Arsuaga (Catedrático de Paleontologia y Director Científico del Museo de la Evolución Humana), Silvia Arias (Doctora en Ciencias Biología y Directora de la Oficina de Acción Solidaria y Cooperación de la UAM), Carlos Montes (Catedrático de Ecología y coordinador del Laboratorio de Socioecosistemas del Departamento de Ecología de la UAM), Joaquín Díaz, Etnólogo y Director de la Fundación Joaquín Díaz

Financing

Asociación para el Estudio de la Ecología Humana (AEEH)

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid: Vicerrectorado de Relaciones Institucionales, Responsabilidad Social y Cultura; Facultad de Ciencias;      Instituto Universitario de Estudios de la Mujer (IUEM)

Fundación ASISA

Sponsors

Comisión Nacional Española de UNESCO

Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Dirección General de Bellas Artes y Patrimonio Cultural

Museo de América
Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Museo Nacional de Antropología
Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
Museo Nacional del Romanticismo
Museo Sorolla-Fundación Sorolla
Museo del Traje

Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España

Museo Arqueológico Regional
Museo de Historia de Madrid
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC
Museo Nacional del Prado

Fundación Alaine
Fundación Joaquín Díaz

Museo Textil del Val de San Lorenzo

Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Association for Cultural Equity

Survival International

Archivo fotográfico Martín Chambi (Perú)

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Vicerrectorado de Campus y Sostenibilidad,
Departamento de Biología (Facultad de Ciencias)
Laboratorio de Socioecosistemas del Departamento de Ecología (Facultad de Ciencias)
Instituto Universitario de Estudios de la Mujer
Museo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares
Unidad de Igualdad de Género
Servicio de Cartografía
Cátedra UNESCO Red Unitwin en “Políticas de Género e Igualdad de Derechos entre Mujeres y Hombres”

Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Lucillo (León, Spain)

Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Val de San Lorenzo (León, Spain)

Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Castrillo de los Polvazares (León, Spain)

Teresa Palacios, photographer

Contact and information

aecologia.humana@uam.es