The concept of the ecomuseum evolved in France in the late 1960s and has since been adopted as a new form of museum throughout Europe and as far afield as Brazil, Canada, Australia, China, etc...
Eco-museum is an emerging apparatus for preserving ethnic groups' cultural heritages through living form of exhibition. The fundamental rationales of eco-museum lie in the theoretical foundation of ecology discipline. It is exercised through the display of a specific group's cultural attributes within a specific geographical location. Eco-museum is distinctively different from its conventional counterparts not only for its visual forms but also for its predominately community-based and locality-driven approach and for its abilities to preserve authenticity locally through a "living" style of display.
Ecomuseum philosophy embraces diverses aspects of cultural heritage, including tangible features such as archaeological sites, objects, buildings and the natural environment, and the intangible qualities of collective memories, oral traditions and folklore. The activities of ecomuseums take place within a defined geographical area or territory. Central to the ecomuseum ideal is the close involvement of local communities in the process of caring for their heritage, so providing local people with an opportunity to conserve and exhibit the unique aspects of their locality. Traditional museums face many problems when attempting to encapsulate the special nature of places, and in empowering local communities; ecomuseum philosophy and practice has provided a means of overcoming these ideological strictures.
In the case of Coconut Eco museum,