What motivates me to interpret nature, and how does this define my personal ethics.
One of my earliest memories of interacting with nature is helping animals. Living in the city, one of the biggest issues in my area was birds being injured. We would frequently have requests to take care of these injured birds and aid them in their healing. I remember having a big cardboard box with newspaper setup next to the door. When a bird got injured, we would place it in there with a bowl of water, and give it time to get used to all the noises in the house. Later at night, my dad or granddad would use gloves and just look at the wings to ensure it was nothing serious, occasionally wrapping it. They would feed the bird some grains or sometimes milk formula through a cotton bud, if it seemed to be tired, dehydrated or weak. And eventually, after the bird would heal, they would release the bird in the park, or leave our backyard door open, allowing the bird to make that decision. This is what made me passionate about Nature. I wanted to help animals, but also understand them.
Lip Kee Yap, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/House_Sparrow_%28Passer_domesticus_indicus%29.jpg
When I think about what ethics I want to bring as a nature interpreter, it is to always remember to help. While that was one of the first reasons why I was motivated to pursue nature interpretation, there are other values that are now an important part of me. These are - being honest, which means stating things as they are without exaggeration. Many times, I have come across climate change articles which exaggerate the current urgency of controlling climate change, but when these articles are proven factually and statistically wrong, public seems to think that climate change is no longer an issue or a priority. Another important value for me is sustainability.
Teodoraturovic, CC BY-SA 4.0-https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons-https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Morals-and-ethics.jpg
My responsibilities as a nature interpreter are a result of my beliefs and motivations. It is my responsibility to raise awareness of social and environmental issues while also making sure that I share correct information. In order to do that, I want to keep learning, keep doing better, keep researching and updating. My responsibility is not only towards nature but people who are getting information through me. And it is important for me that I do not misuse that faith or power I have.
Samurai Gandhi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Tree-of-Knowledge_art.jpg
As a result of these personal values, the most suitable approach for me, as a nature interpreter, is through consideration, understanding, appreciation, validation, and reflection. It is important to be considerate and understanding towards others and yourself. Be kind and appreciate all things around you and about you. Validate feelings and move forward while reflecting on these. This will ensure that my ethics and motivations are fulfilled and I give my best. By reflection I also mean to reflect on how to best get your message across, and to ensure it is inclusive and accessible.
I am sure that there are more values and motivators that will influence me as time goes on, and I hope I can include them in my personal and professional life. I hope I always keep learning and growing, and help others do the same :)
Hello,
I loved reading your post. I would have to agree with you regarding the sensationalism that often occurs in the media. You bring up a very real and important moral obligation of interpreters to not fall into this trap. As to avoid potential distrust in the information that is being shared.
How do you think you might go about accomplishing this in future when interpreting?
Sometimes this may not be very easy. Itās easy to get caught up in something that one is passionate about and exaggerate its importance since one holds it to a great importance themselves. Or to make something more interesting and impactful one may try to make it sound more stimulating to the audience.
I know I`m at fault for occasionally falling into this trap. I`m very passionate about environmental conservation and climate action. Sometimes when discussing with others who may not share the same opinions regarding climate action I may distort some talking points to get my message across. However, like you mentioned, it is best to not fall into this trap since it can appear to falsify the message in which you are trying to share.
Maybe one potential way to avoid this is to make sure you are well informed about the topic you are discussing and to remain composed even when passion is involved.



















