자연사박물관의 현황과 과제

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국박물관학회
· 수록지 정보 : 박물관학보
· 저자명 : 이병훈

목차

한국의 아름다운 자연
세계와 국내의 자연사박물관 현황
한국에서의 현황
국내 자연사박물관 (설립 연도순)
국립자연사박물관 부째로 인한 손실
자연사박물관의 미래와 한국에서의 과제
참고문헌

초록

우리는 누구나 우리의 금수강산을 자랑한다. 산하가 수려하고 경관이 아름다워 외국 관광객
도 많이 찾아들고 따라서 우리는 나라의 자연을 잘 관리， 보존하여 후대에게 물려주어야 한다
고 말한다. 사실상 한반도는 지형지세가 복잡하여 가히 자연의 걸작이라 할만하다. 산림들 사
이사이에 발달한 하천과 습지， 호수가 국토를 수놓아 다른 빗빗한 대륙국가들에 비해 아기자
기하기 그지없다. 게다가 해안선의 길이는 17,000 킬로미터에 이르고 서해안의 조간대는 세계
5 대 갯벌에 들어갈 만름 잘 발달해 있다. 한반도에 살고 있는 생물만 해도 온대지방 국가로
서는 매우 높은 다양도를 보여주고 있다. 예를 들면 꽃식물이 한반도에는 약 3，300종이 보고되
어 있는데 이 숫자는 영국의 1. 400종에 비하면 두 배가 넘는다. 곤충인 개미를 들어도 영국에
는 불과 40여종이지만 한반도에는 알려진 것만 120여종이니 3배가 넘는다. 고유종(固有種)의
경우도 영국에 사는 꽃식물 1400여종 가운데 영국 고유종은 불과 43종( 3.1 %)이지만 한반도
의 꽃식물 약 3300종 가운데 고유종은 640여종이나 되니 ( Lee, 1994 ) ( 20% ) 영국의 5배를
넘는다.
결국 한반도의 생물다양성은 생태계의 종류와 생물종 수로 보아 열대국가들에 비하면 적지
만 영국. 독일， 프랑스와 같은 북반구의 온대국가들에 비하면 훨씬 많아 가히 생물다양성 부국
(富國) 이라 할 만 하다.
그러면 이렇게 독특하고 풍부한 자연자원들을 집중적으로 다루는 연구기관이 있는가? 외국
에서는 이러한 기능을 국립자연사박물관을 비롯하여 공，사렵 자연사박물관들이 하나 불행히도
한국은 이러한 자연사박물관이 국제 통계상 없는 것으로 나타나 있다. 왜 그럴까? 이를 국제
적 상황에 비추어 살펴보기로 한다.

영어초록

Korea is known as one of the most beautiful countries of the world. Her topography with
rivers and mountains is winding through the peninsula shaping landscapes of exquisite delicacy
which gave rise to a variety of habitats resulting in evolution of high biological diversity.
Korea has a record of about 29,000 species of living organisms. It is estimated, however,
only one thirds of actual number of species in the wild. Among them are known about 200
speci않 either under threat of extinction or in need of protection, which, notwithstanding, could
stand for only tiny portion of a far greater number of threatened species in the wild. All
these poor inventories inherently come from lack of accumulated data, shortage of scientif?c
studies and, eventually, from non-existence of any national center for conserving the natural
heritage of the country.
The number of natural history museums in South Korea, nevertheless, in fact, enumerates
around ten even though it is noted zero in a world statistics( Mares, 1993), A recent status
survey by the present writer indicates that from eight museums responding to the
questionnaire the number of scientists working in the museums was only 20 in total and
merely three museums published periodicals for circulating their scientific studies. The number
of biological specimens amounted to 228,000 throughout the collections. The museums housed
in an independent building numbered but two in all. Merely five museums were operating any
educational programs, with visitors to the eight responding museums amounting to 1.362,000 in
the year 1999. All the museums responded were suffering from extreme financial difficulties in
particular. That poor level of operation in all sense may explain why the international
statistics of natural history museum came to put the figure zero to South Korea.
With ever increasing rate of extinction as well as disappearance of natural history
specimens in biology, ge이ogy and humanity along at an accelerated pace of urbanization and
industrialization Korea would be deemed one of the countries wherein the operation of the
National Museum of Natural History is mostly needed. In order to improve the situation
twenty six scientific societies and organizations in the nation initiated a national campaign in
1991 asking the Korean government to develop one which, at length, was accepted in 1995. A
series of planning study was performed in the following three years and forty four
autonomous local governments applied for the museum project by proposing the offer of
certain land areas to build one. Fourteen sites were finally selected as possible localities
meeting to the requirements of the national museum project. The plan came to a complete
halt, however, in 1999 with no budget at all, allegedly due to financial crisis of IMF. The
situation with no money to the project, nevertheless, lasted up to the current year.
This project. now taking another stance to develop the natural history museum by the
Ministry of Culture and Sport is now facing the most serious challenge of cost-effect analysis
to be carried out by a governmental institute of think-tank in economy. The outcome of the
study will direct the destiny of the Museum project in consideration whether to be set up or
not. It should be taken into account. however. that national identity and cultural pride. not
accountable in any currency. will be the best reason and rationale why the National Museum
of Natural History has to be established. It will be only for additional reason and available
benefit that it needs to be set up to play the role of scientific center by preserving biological
diversity and developing any natural products even though it is to get through the exam of
cost-effect analysis.

참고자료

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