Blog 09: Nature Interpretation's Role in Environmental Sustainability + Final Blog
Hey everyone, and welcome back for another blog post. I find it a bit bittersweet that this will be our final blog for the semester. Iām sure that we all have learned a great deal about ourselves, and our roles as environmental interpreters in this course. I personally found that my overall outlook has changed. My personal ethic has developed as a nature interpreter, and an example of this is from our discussion about privilege. It is important to recognize privilege in nature interpretation and realize that certain groups of people may not have a consistent access to natural outdoor spaces. For example, those who live in heavily polluted areas where there is a lack of green area.Ā As interpreters, we must recognize privilege as a factor that influences our relationship with the environment. In order to present effectively to our audience, we should try to create an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for all, free from discrimination.Ā
The beliefs I bring as an environmental interpreter include the idea that everything is interconnected and diverse (Beck et al., 2018). It is an interpreter's duty to encourage others to take responsibility for the world around us.Ā It is no surprise that currently we are going through a climate crisis. Habitat destruction, melting glaciers, and global warming are just a few of the issues we are currently facing (Rodenburg, 2019). But regardless of these issues, we donāt have to have to give up hope. It is important for children to develop a connection with nature, especially in todayās age where many components of our daily lives have been modernized and advanced with technology. Tying in with this, it is our role as environmental interpreters to be truthful. Even though it may be difficult to talk about some of the issues our world is facing, we owe it to our audience to be truthful and not diminish reality to make it seem more appealing.Ā Education is an interpretive tool we can use alongside storytelling (Beck et al., 2018). By educating the current generation about environmental awareness, we can take a step towards the right direction with growing conservation efforts.Ā
My responsibility as an environmental interpreter is to bridge the gap between conservation science, and practices around the world (Merenlender et al., 2016). Itās necessary to understand diverse ecosystems and their processes, in order to determine how they could be affected by environmental factors such as climate change and global warming.Ā In addition to this, I believe it would be my responsibility to be a steward to the environment. In the future I will try my best to contribute to a more sustainable ecosystem. This includes avoiding single-use plastics, conserving energy, and making decisions that cause the least amount of harm to our environment. I could also reduce my carbon footprint by carpooling or using public transportation more often.Ā
Another belief I have as a nature interpreter is to tie in culture as well as historical knowledge with nature interpretation. In our discussion about nature and music, I learned that music composers often get inspiration from nature and its sounds. Nature can evoke emotion and set the tone of a piece. The connection between music and nature is influenced deeply by cultural heritage. As we have learned previously, the Sami Indigenous people of modern day Russia communicate through songs called yoiks (Gray et al., 2001). The Hutu and Tutsi tribes in central East Africa are another cultural group who have included the low frequency sound of elephants in their songs and storytelling (Gray et al., 2001).Ā Ā
Nature interpretation truly involves lifelong learning. It is a combination of the experiences and memories you have and how you decide to present this to your audience. The amazing part of this is that the learning never has to end. As interpreters we can continue building on our current understandings and adapt to the changing world around us.Ā
As an individual I find that I am most suited to be a visual and auditory learner. This means that I am able to learn best through visual representations, videos, and discussions (Hooykaas, 2024). As an interpreter, I may be able to share information best to others who are also visual or auditory learners. Some of the ways I am able to help my audience learn could be through maps and diagrams of species in their habitats, or through visual hiking tours.Ā
As I continue to move forward in my interpretive journey, I hope to continue exploring nature itself as well as different areas of interpretation. I appreciate this experience since this is the first time I have been able to share my personal thoughts in the form of Tumblr blogs. I hope to become more respectful of natural areas, and take time out of my day to connect with nature. I am lucky to have the privilege to have access to nature, so I will put in a strong effort to take advantage of this.Ā
Thanks for reading and interacting with me throughout this semester!
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For A Better World. Sagamore Publishing.
Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music. Science, 291(5501), 52ā52. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&issn=00368075&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA69270354&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs
Hooykaas, A. (2024). ENVS*3000 Nature Interpretation Course Notes. Retrieved March 3, 2024, from https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/858004/viewContent/3640016/View
Merenlender, A. M., Crall, A., Drill, S. L., Prysby, M. D., & Ballard, H. L. (2016). Evaluating Environmental Education, Citizen Science, and Stewardship Through Naturalist Programs. Conservation Biology, 30(6), 1255ā1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12737
Rodenburg, J. (2019). Why Environmental Educators Shouldnāt Give up Hope | CLEARING: PNW Journal of Environmental Education in the Pacific Northwest. https://clearingmagazine.org/archives/14300