From the Sahara to the Antarctic, via the Sonoran, Atacama and Gobi deserts, the National Museum of Natural History invites us to an instructive (re)discovery of these environments with extreme conditions.

Sand, rock, salt, and ice: the Parisian institution immerses us in a variety of deserts found on every continent. As the museum's multidisciplinary team in charge of this exhibition design points out: "They now cover a third of the Earth's land surface and all share the characteristic of being open environments, exposed to aridity and extreme temperatures." The exhibition's cross-disciplinary approach highlights the adaptation of living organisms, whether morphological, physiological, or behavioral.

The museum thus transports us to different panoramas: the sandy landscapes of the Sahara (Africa), Sonora (Mexico), Atacama (Chile), Gobi (Mongolia); the polar zones (Arctic, Antarctic, Iceland); the salt regions (Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, Grand Rann of Kutch in India) and the rocky lands (Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness in Utah…).  

Exploration grounds

As the organizers remind us, for millions of years, specimens of biodiversity (animals and plants) have been adapting to their respective environments, seemingly "hostile to life," in order to evolve and live in symbiosis. "We thus discover the strategy of the horned lizard or the cactus to take advantage of every drop of water, the secret of the silver ant to endure intense heat, or even the art of camouflage in the Arctic fox."

The museum space is a profound exploration of landscapes, colors, materials, and light. The curatorial approach also considers the human element, living within these environments between "environmental transformation" (creation of oases) and "mobility." 

This scientific expertise gives researchers a voice to share their field experience. While the dry climate may be favorable "to the preservation of meteorites, fossils, or archaeological artifacts," or while the open landscapes "facilitate discoveries," these desert environments primarily become ideal observatories and witnesses to the climate crisis. 

Fragility of spaces

Unfortunately, however magnificent they may be, all are increasingly threatened by human activity. "Most hot deserts are expanding, while polar deserts are tending to disappear. The causes include climate change, the slow degradation of land linked to its intensive exploitation, the progressive depletion of groundwater, large-scale extraction of mineral resources…," the museum sadly emphasizes and reaffirms.

In this overview, the exhibition offers a scientific, playful, and aesthetic perspective, where the threats facing these fragile ecosystems form the central theme. Nearly 200 diverse specimens and objects are displayed in the cultural space, accompanied by projections and mechanical and multimedia installations. These include maps, tactile models of dunes, a collection of sands from deserts around the world, and mineralogical samples sculpted by the elements. 

“By proposing this long-term reflection ,” explains Gilles Bloch, president of the institution, “the Museum is at the heart of its public service mission: that of arousing wonder and curiosity for these complex ecosystems, but also of transmitting reliable knowledge to defend a true ethic for the planet.”

"Deserts"
National Museum of Natural History
Great Gallery of Evolution – Botanical Garden
36, rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, Paris 5^e 
From April 2 to November 30, 2025 

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