The first hall is a dark place where the visitor sees some seats and projections on the wall. In some videos, people of different ethnic groups and places can be seen defining in a spontaneous way their idea of Biodiversity.
Once darkness is over, light shall come. In the second hall, we will find the "Biodiversity Box", a room that is well lit and full of resources: fauna photographs, collections of insects and other fauna groups, tree leaves, lichens, natural samples, magnifying glasses to see tiny organisms... The visitor is enveloped in Biodiversity, and perceives its essence and meaning in an intuitive way.
This immersion prepares the visitor to understand the meaning of Biodiversity. The opportunity comes when entering the next room, where the concept will be defined in different languages. Nice example of cultural diversity.
On the third room, we will slowly go through the three levels of Biodiversity: genes, species and ecosystems. For that purpose, we will go through three porticos which show different sea species in small aquariums:
1. The first one makes reference to Genetic Biodiversity. Photographs, illustrations and brief texts will introduce the visitor to this level of Biodiversity, symbolized by a sculptural element situated in the centre of this environment: the double helix of DNA, the basis for all genetic variability.
2. The second portico represents Species Biodiversity and shows part of the immense vegetal and animal species variety that enrich the natural heritage of the planet
3. The third portico deals with the Ecosystems Biodiversity. A sculptural element by Nestor Basterretxea symbolizes the spiral of evolution, the origin of life diversification on Earth.
The centre of the room is occupied by an ecosphere, an experimental artificial ecosystem designed by NASA. The ecosphere intends to show the complexity of the ecosystems whose survival depends on keeping a precise and delicate equilibrium and interaction between different species. In fact, the complexity of this experiment and the fragility of an ecosystem is showed by its expiration term, which is of approximately five years. Exact graphical and audiovisual information is also provided, to understand the importance of both the diversity of ecosystems in the planet and the functions of the different species.
After that, we will accede to a space dedicated to the Basque Country.
The prisms hall shows different habitats and emblematic species of the Basque Country in a graphical, visual, tactile and interactive way.
The circuit for the visit leads us to the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, which represents a great container of Biodiversity at local level. An interactive information point which enables access to information on the Reserve. In the last hall, the visitor may rest for some minutes and assimilate all the information while seeing an audio-visual on Urdabai and the complex ecological equilibrium which is maintained by all its components.
From this hall, we reach the upper floor of the Tower, where we will discover the role that Urdaibai plays on the planet: its international diplomas and its situation in the collection of Biosphere Reserves. The testimonies of the people which made its conservation possible can be heard too.
The next step is to go up to the viewpoint. The view is spectacular. By using small telescopes and a virtual tourist binocular, we will learn the environment and come nearer to the places of interest in the Biosphere Reserve, such as Izaro´s Island, Laida beach and the marsh.
The route finishes in a hall where the relationship between human beings and nature at Urdaibai is shown. The meaning of the tower houses, such as the one that hosts the centre, is stressed.
All along the path, some modules called "biodiver" have been set up, so that children play and enjoy themselves while familiarizing with the basic concepts of Biodiversity: giant puzzles, a computer game, magnet pieces, boards and a puppets workshop with characters typical of the area, from artisans to mythological beings.
At the end, the visitor, if interested, will be provided with information about the tourist possibilities which the reserve and its surroundings can offer.
