Kyoto Aquarium's AQTION!

1. Aqua Academy

   Through experience,
   Cultivating children's awareness and curiosity

   

   We aim to cultivate children's interest in living things by allowing them to experience animals up close. We offer hands-on programs that aim to raise awareness of environmental issues while having fun, and to foster imagination that broadens one's horizons.

   For more information about Aqua Academy, click here

   Aqua Academy

2. An aquarium connected to the local community

   Thinking about the future of children together with the local community.

   

   We work with local governments and businesses to provide educational activities for local children. At elementary schools in Kyoto City, we provide environmental education classes on the ecology of giant salamanders, and hold workshops in collaboration with businesses and organizations. Through these programs, we aim to contribute to the local community by fostering an appreciation for the preciousness of life and a sense of caring for the natural environment around us through the study of animals and the environment.

3. Kyoto Museum of Shining Life

   Business collaboration to preserve the irreplaceable natural environment for future generations

   

   The four zoos and museums - Kyoto City Zoo, Kyoto City Science Center for Youth, Kyoto Botanical Gardens, and Kyoto Aquarium - have signed a partnership agreement under the common concept of "Shining Life" to form the "Kyoto Shining Life Museum," and are carrying out a variety of exchange and collaboration projects throughout the year. Utilizing their respective expertise, they are carrying out a variety of initiatives to encourage the inheritance of Kyoto's natural environment to the next generation.

4. The Countryside of Kyoto Classroom

   Learn about the relationship between humans and animals,
   Nurturing life.

   

   The "The Countryside of Kyoto" area recreates the original scenery of Satoyama, and teaches the importance of water, animals, food, and connections between people, as well as the importance of biodiversity. Children who rarely have the opportunity to see rice fields in their daily lives can learn about the rice-growing process while experiencing the hardships of people in the past, from planting rice to threshing, polishing rice, and making sacred ropes. In addition, programs are held throughout the year in Satoyama, which changes with the seasons.

5. Addressing the issue of giant salamander hybridization

   Report on the current status of the country's special natural monuments.

   

   The giant salamander is a national special natural monument and is said to be a living fossil. However, in recent years, many hybrids between the invasive Chinese giant salamander and native species have been spotted in the Kamo River system, and the problem is becoming more serious. Kyoto Aquarium is participating in a survey of giant salamander habitats conducted primarily by Kyoto City and Kyoto University, and some of the captured specimens are on display within the aquarium. The aquarium is also involved in educational outreach activities, and is conducting awareness-raising activities to raise awareness of the issue of hybridization.

6. Conservation of endangered species

   Preserving Kyoto's rare creatures for the future.

   

   Kyoto has a rich aquatic environment and is home to a wide variety of animals, but in recent years, environmental changes have put many species at risk of extinction. Kyoto Aquarium aims to conserve endangered species that live in Kyoto Prefecture, and is working on ex-situ conservation of freshwater fish and amphibians and breeding them in captivity. In order to improve its techniques, it has also attempted to breed species from other prefectures and foreign species, and has succeeded in breeding unprecedented species, contributing to species conservation.