Blog 3 - Privilege and Nature Interpretation
In 2018, only 6 % of visitors to national parks in America identified as black (Ebbs & Dwyer, 2020). Clearly, there is a bias of who visits national parks and attends interpretation programs.
To me, privilege is something that exists that gives you an advantage in life. You did not work towards gaining it but it has been handed to you. For example, the fact that no person in my friend group, including myself, had a job during university. We were able to not work because our parents were middle-class people and made enough money to pay our rent and fees. Clearly, I am privileged. It took me a long time to realize that because I grew up in a bubble with other white, privileged people. I only started to unpack my "invisible knapsack" when I left that bubble to go travelling which is kind of ironic because I was only able to go travelling because of my privilege (Gallavan, 2005).
A picture of the concept of privilege.
5 ways of how privilege play a role in nature interpretation
1. The privileged founding fathers of conservation
The beginning of nature and its interpretation was initiated by the American president Theodore Roosevelt and his inner circle that had a big influence on the environmentalist movement (National Park Service, 2021). To this date, Roosevelt is commemorated at six national parks in the US (National Park Service, 2021).
#DYK that this group was also extremely racist?
One of Roosevelt's friends, Madison Grant, wrote a book about preserving the white race. Not surprisingly, there is also a national park named after him (Purdy, 2015).
Faces of American History at the Mount Rushmore National Park Memorial, including Theodore Roosevelt
2. The establishment of parks - fortress conservation
The "wilderness" that parks were established in belonged to someone - native people. For example, when the Yellowknife national park was established, the Miwok tribe that had lived in the area for thousands of years was forced to leave and threatened with death (Fererra, 2016). This is the foundation of the playgrounds for privileged people.
Yellowstone National Park - established 1872
3. The privilege of enjoying nature
Many Protected Areas are established in poor countries with high inequality. Who is using these areas? The privileged! We travel all the way to a different continent to go on Safari tours which makes it economically viable for the country itself to have this protected area (Kashwan, 2017). However, local resident do not visit those area or even profit from their existence (Kashwan, 2017).
4. Economic Barriers: Privilege and nature interpretation today
Privilege still plays a big role in nature interpretation. Minorities and people that are not very privileged experience certain barriers that prevent them from partaking in programs. Accessibility can be a big reason why people don't attend programs and visit national parks for example, if money or a car is required to experience nature. For instance, 50 % of UK's poorest people live 25 km from parks, further than privileged people (Mell, 2019). A good solution to this is free entrance and transport to sites (Beck et al., 2019).
Underprivileged people have less access to nature (Tomer, 2019).
5. Communication Barriers: Privilege and nature interpretation today
Another big barrier to attending programs is language. Most programs are only offered in English and maybe in French. It is important to offer programs in other languages as well. Moreover, having diverse staff might encourage more people to partake in programs (Beck et al., 2019).
In conclusion, we all need to identify our privilege and then work towards removing barriers for underprivileged people. Nature should be for everyone to enjoy.
“When we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else's oppression, we'll find our opportunities to make real change.” (Oluo, 2019)
Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2019). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage. Van Haren Publishing.
Ebbs, S., & Dwyer, D. (2020, July 2). America’s national parks face existential crisis over race. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/americas-national-parks-face-existential-crisis-race/story?id=71528972
Ferrara, G. (2016, April 22). Fortress Conservation & the Makings of Yosemite National Park. School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. https://smea.uw.edu/currents/fortress-conservation-the-makings-of-yosemite-national-park/
Gallavan, N. P. (2005). Helping teachers unpack their "invisible knapsacks". Multicultural Education, 13(1), 36. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A137921591/AONE?u=guel77241&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=9fe2f151
Kashwan, P. (2017). Inequality, democracy, and the environment: A cross-national analysis. Ecological Economics, 131, 139–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.08.018
Mell, I. (2019, February 20). National parks are beautiful, but austerity and inequality prevent many from enjoying them. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/national-parks-are-beautiful-but-austerity-and-inequality-prevent-many-from-enjoying-them-111768
Purdy, J. (2015, August 13). Environmentalism’s Racist History. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/environmentalisms-racist-history
Oluo, I. (2018). So You Want to Talk About Race. Seal Press.
Theodore Roosevelt and the National Park System. (2021, January 14). National Park Service. Retrieved January 25, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/thrb/learn/historyculture/trandthenpsystem.htm#:%7E:text=As%20President%20from%201901%20to,of%20Chickasaw%20National%20Recreation%20Area)
Tomer, J. K. A. A. (2019, August 22). Parks make great places, but not enough Americans can reach them. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2019/08/21/parks-make-great-places-but-not-enough-americans-can-reach-them/