AN audio-visual showroom aimed at educating the public about environmental conservation was opened at the Natural History Museum inYangon Zoological Gardens earlier this month.

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The Chairman of the Yangon Division Peace and Development Council, Major-General Myint Swe, told the opening ceremony on June 4 that one of the objectives of the facility was to encourage the public to think about the importance of conservation.

This would be partly achieved by screening satellite television broadcasts about conservation activities throughout the world, Major-General Myint Swe said.

Satellite television channels, including Discovery, Animal Planet and National Geographic, would be screened free of charge from 8am to 6pm each day.

The showroom, organised by the Zoological Department of the Forest Department under the Ministry of Forestry, will also have an internet room and a quiz room for students.

The internet room will enable users to access websites devoted to the environment and conservation activities.

The room has one computer terminal, which is available for K600 an hour.

However, the director general of the Forest Department, U Soe Win Hlaing, said there were plans to provide more terminals, depending on feedback from visitors during the coming months.

“We have a plan to provide a service similar to those at internet cafes, but at a cheaper cost,” U Soe Win Hlaing said.

The quiz room will be used at least once a month by state school students, who will be questioned about their knowledge of conservation issues.