On September 27, 2025, the “Biodiversity – China-France Environment Month Special Exhibition”, co-sponsored by Hunan Museum of Geology, Natural History Museum of China (NHMC), among others, opened at Hunan Museum Of Geology, marking the start of the activities of China-France Environment Month in central China.

Focusing on the global issue of biodiversity, the special exhibition features an ecological narrative system structured in three parts, respectively about a global perspective, China’s stories, and Hunan’s characteristics. Combining rich literature materials and animal specimens, the exhibition is presented through interactive light and shadow installations，and immersive physical reconstructions of habitats. The exhibition aims to foster public awareness of biodiversity, and inspire a profound sense of awe toward nature and a commitment to its protection among the public. Specimens from the NHMC, including those of the Pallas's cat, the Sino-Mongolian beaver, the fluted giant clam, and the giant triton, are displayed in the exhibition.

The exhibition comprises three parts. The first part starts with “the essential characteristics of biodiversity”, and guides visitors to reflect on humanity’s position in the global ecosystem. The second part showcases the diverse ecosystems, from forests to wetlands, in China, illustrates the unique value of animals and plants such as the giant panda, and analyzes the challenges facing China’s biodiversity, such as the overexploitation of natural resources and the decline in genetic diversity. The third part focuses on the types and distribution of local wildlife of Hunan. By showcasing the natural habitats of representative species such as the Père David's Deer, the scaly-sided merganser and silver fir, it presents, in an intuitive way, Hunan’s practices and achievements in the field of biodiversity conservation.

The event not only enables the sharing of cultural resources and ecological knowledge across regions, but also enhances the local public’s understanding of biodiversity conservation through exquisite specimens. This inter-museum cooperation also demonstrates the NHMC’s capability to integrate its resources with those of local museums, and promotes cross-provincial cooperation on ecological research and cross-regional dialogue on ecological issues.