BETHLEHEM, West Bank — The Palestine Museum of Natural History at Bethlehem University opened its doors to the public on April 12. The museum, located in the southern West Bank, is one of the first museums of its kind in Palestine and the Arab world. The museum’s officials aim to turn it into a major center for research, teaching and development in biodiversity in Palestine.

Work on the museum began in 2014 when Mazin Qumsiyeh, the museum’s director and an expert on biodiversity, started to collect samples and scientific research from Palestine to identify and then categorize its natural biodiversity.

Qumsiyeh told Al-Monitor that he came up with the idea for the museum a long time ago, but it was only after he found the needed resources to open it that he began to establish it in cooperation with Bethlehem University, where it is an extension of the university's scientific and research program.

The museum showcases samples of Palestine's biodiversity among insects, animals and plants, and hopes to introduce this biodiversity to Palestinians to increase environmental awareness and to promote a culture of environmental sustainability. The museum's biggest goals are to change human attitudes toward the environment and to encourage environmental preservation.