Nature Interpretations Role in Environmental Sustainability
Nowadays, it is becoming harder and harder to maintain a positive outlook on the future of our species and the planet. Admittedly, I am fearful for what might become of our ecosystems and future generations of people in light of the huge environmental and social crises that we face in the modern day. However, my personal ethic as a nature interpreter is centred around a sense of hope that as a human collective, we can better support one another and our surrounding environment today and in the future.
I feel that human-caused environmental issues have been and continue to be fuelled by our psychological and physical disconnectedness and isolation from our natural environment. As an interpreter, I want to help individuals to re-establish and strengthen their relationship with nature, to facilitate a deeper understanding and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life on earth and our dependence on the health of our surrounding ecosystems.
My background in the International Development and Human Geography discipline has also deepened my belief in the importance of recognising the intertwined nature of environmental and social justice issues; we cannot address one without the other. Thus nature interpretation, particularly in Western nations, must reinforce the importance of understanding that our actions here have environmental and social consequences upon not only our local, but global environment. As Beck et al., (2018) highlight, nature interpretation must grapple with critical issues in our past, present and future on multiple scales; this includes the continued legacies of colonialism that persist in our current attitudes and management of our natural environment. Since being on my year abroad here in Guelph, I have been lucky enough to be able to study and explore some indigenous values, perspectives and ways of relating to nature. It is essential that nature interpretation recognises the importance of indigenous knowledge and understanding of nature in Canada and worldwide (Merenlender et al., 2016). I feel that the tendency to view nature as a natural resource for our use and exploitation has been the catalyst driving our degradation of nature. In order to raise the next generation of environmental stewards, as interpreters, we need to encourage learners to develop connections with the natural world that surpass the economic value of nature that continues to prevail in the capitalist society in which we live.
With this in mind, I feel a sense of responsibility to facilitate the growth of individuals’ personal connections to nature. Through taking this course, I’ve had time to reflect on the uniqueness of each of our relationships with nature, particularly through reading everyone’s blog entries. To be able to do this, we must get to know our audiences, including their beliefs, interests and values, to make our interpretation as relevant as possible to them (Beck et al., 2018). Our interpretive space should be a comfortable and familiar environment for all; we must remove social, physical and psychological barriers to maximise the inclusivity of this experience (Gallavan, 2005). We all learn differently and as interpreters, we are responsible for ensuring our content is inclusive of this diversity (Beck et al., 2018). Part of this also includes engaging in self-reflection on our own privilege and utilising multicultural approaches within our activities (Gallavan, 2005). In the future, I would love to have the opportunity to engage in nature interpretation and environmental education initiatives across the world, particularly in South America. In this context, I believe it is particularly important for me to engage in such reflections.
As an interpreter, I also feel a sense of responsibility to enable younger generations to connect with nature. Over the next decade, more and more of us will be living in urban cities; in light of this, interpreters must provide opportunities for children to have direct contact and experiences with nature when growing up in these spaces. Throughout this course, I have come to realise just how lucky I have been to grow up surrounded by nature; a child’s exposure to the natural world at a young age can be hugely influential in shaping their relationship with nature later in life (Beck et al, 2018). As society becomes increasingly more and more technological and structured, opportunities for unstructured play in nature must be given to children (Beck et al., 2018). Young children can begin developing personal and emotive connections to nature by exploring their local ecosystems (Rodenburg and Martin, 2019). Even in more urban areas, interpreters must show that elements of the natural world are still present amongst this man-made infrastructure. As Rodenburg and Martin (2019) suggest, interpreters can adopt the strategy of encouraging children to explore microenvironments, like the world of insects, in these urban settings. If we can bring children to nature, we can spark a sense of curiosity among them, which can give way to a sense of appreciation and love for nature as they grow older. In turn, this will act as the foundation for inspiring them to extend the same sense of love and responsibility to nature beyond their local environment, to their global environment.
East Sussex, United Kingdom.
East Sussex, United Kingdom.
Hence, I do feel that I have a duty to help the next generation to both connect with nature and understand the threats our world is facing, but also to empower them to take the action we need to address these threats. However, that’s not to say that as interpreters, we don’t have a responsibility to help encourage all audiences to connect, appreciate and protect nature. If anything, we have a responsibility to current generations of humankind and other natural organisms to reconnect and inspire stewardship among everyone that’s around us. Global environmental issues like climate change and biodiversity loss require an immense global response from all sectors of society right now. Human populations within Canada and beyond, particularly communities in lower-income countries, are already experiencing severe impacts of such environmental issues like climate change. Going forward into my career, I feel that I must help to resolve the barriers to science communication and provide an interdisciplinary approach to interpretation that’s engrained within concepts of sustainability. We need to recognise the importance of exploring critical conversations concerning the social and environmental injustices and inequalities underlying our current treatment of the environment (Gallavan, 2005). Particularly in the West, I feel that we have a long way to go in terms of taking responsibility as a collective for our environmental impacts in other nations and I believe nature interpretation is an essential part of inspiring social and political change.
Overall, this course has given me some really valuable insights into what it means to be a nature interpreter and I will definitely be integrating what I have learnt and the self-reflections I have engaged with going forward. I am proud to have a passion for appreciating and protecting both the natural world and one another. I know that it will be a lifetime goal for me to facilitate the same sense of love and intent for action amongst the people around me in whatever way I can.
Alberta, Canada.
References:
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. Sagamore Venture.
Gallavan, N.P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their “invisible knapsacks”. Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36.
Merenlender, A. M., Crall, A. W., Drill, S., Prysby, M., & Ballard, H. (2016). Evaluating Environmental Education, citizen science, and stewardship through naturalist programs. Conservation Biology, 30(6), 1255–1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12737
Rodenburg, J., and Martin, J. “Why Environmental Educators Shouldn't Give up Hope.” CLEARING, 2019 https://clearingmagazine.org/archives/14300.
Hello,
I really enjoyed your post. I keep seeing the theme of children being the future around different posts and I agree with that but I really liked your thoughts that go with it as well. It is scary and daunting the world we live in and the constant decline of nature and care for the environment that we see. We have always been told we are the future and now that we are here soon to be going into the world it's hard to see us as the future but more the present. I like to try and step back and think if are goal is to educate the children then they will do the same for their children. We need to act now as we move into the working world in whatever career we end up with. Children are super important to the system and protecting the environment but what about adults and people in our lives now. I think this is where the course is leaving us with these ideas as next week is about getting a job and the podcast is for adults. I think your approach on understanding the education for future generations is good but recognizing the current generations and are responsibilities to everyone as interpreters is even better. I know personally it's easy to think about the kids as its easier to address and they will listen to you. But I commend you for recognizing the whole picture and wanting to help everyone experience what we have.
