國立海洋生物博物館無水水族館的保育思維

Conservation Thinking in Digital Aquarium in National Museum of Marine Biology

國立海洋生物博物館於2006年開幕的世界水域館中，有50%的展示是採用虛擬實境技術所建構的無水生態展示缸。它使用了「電子生態缸」的展示概念與電腦繪圖科技，藉以突破傳統重複循環播放影片的方式，讓人有如觀賞活生生個體的展示，甚至近乎自然的生態環境的展示缸。館方推動無水水族館的建置，乃是希望藉此能減少自野外引進活體生物，甚至進而完全取代活體生物的展示。從黑面琵鷺保育事件導致濱南工業區開發案終止開始，直到最近白海豚議題有效中止了國光石化開發案的推動，在在顯示台灣民間保育團體蓬勃發展到已足以引發公民力量，並撼動政府機關之政策推動。而當博物館面對生態保育的公眾議題之際，以生物多樣性或自然史為主體的科學博物館，大多數會從保育的角度出發，舉辦與議題相關展示與教育活動作為回應。而以海洋生態教育作為展示主軸的國立海洋生物博物館，因館內圈養了大量活體生物，且其中展出物種中亦不乏保育物種，因而在呼應保育議題的同時，也必須面對保育團體的關切與檢驗。處於當代保育興盛浪潮下，為期能考量博物館展示的持久性，館方必須提早規劃以因應保育潮流所帶來的衝擊與挑戰。因此，利用電腦科技的虛擬實境技術來模擬生態環境的展示，就成了未來館方建構展示不可缺乏的選項之一。然而不可諱言的，虛擬實境技術尚有其侷限性，且其對觀眾的吸引度仍不如活體生物展示。雖然如此，館方相信以「電子生態缸」概念開發出的展示，將能符合未來水族館展示發展的趨勢，亦是面對保育議題的重要解決方案的選項之一。至於參觀者對活體與虛擬間展示感受程度上的落差，仍需透過虛擬技術的提昇以解決目前的困境。

Waters of the World of the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA) was established in 2006. Half of its exhibits are digitized, using virtual reality to create a waterless ecosystem. Unlike the traditional repeated film show, the exhibition uses the idea of 'digital living tanks' and computer graphics technology to simulate living ecological aquariums. By applying this technology, NMMBA wishes to reduce the catches of wild living organisms or even replace the exhibitions completely with digital living tanks. The termination of the Pin-Nan Industrial Plan for the conservation of the Black-faced Spoonbills and the discontinuance of the Guo-Guan Petrochemical Exploitation for the conservation of the Humpback Dolphins show how civil conservation organizations are capable of inducing public awareness that eventually leads to affecting the government's policy. While museums are facing public concerns about ecological conservation issues, with biodiversity and natural history as a major component, science museums often hold exhibitions and educational activities tackling conservation issues as a response. With education of marine ecology as the main objective, NMMBA keeps large quantities of living organisms including protected species. NMMBA must face concerns and challenges posed by conservation organizations in response to the ecological conservation issues. Taking the longevity of museums into consideration in this current conservation-driven society, NMMBA must be prepared to tackle the challenges that come with it. Thus, the application of virtual reality will become one of the essential means of the exhibits. However, there are inevitable limitations to virtual reality; it is much less attractive than living exhibits. Nonetheless, NMMBA believes that digitized exhibitions will be appropriate for the future paradigm of aquariums while satisfying the dilemma between conservation and the display of living organisms. As for the difference in the experience between living and virtual exhibitions, improvements in digital display will be necessary to solve the problem.