Nature Centres and Environmental Interpretation in the Baltic Sea Region

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Survey Report / Helsinki

• Nature Centres and Environmental Interpretation
  in the Baltic Sea Region
• Survey on the current status of environmental
  interpretation in the BSR countries

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Content

• Definition of environmental interpretation and
  nature centre
• Importance of environmental interpretation for
  the SD of the BSR in an international context
• Ecological
• Social
• Economical
• The Survey
• Methodics
• First results
• Interim conclusion

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Definition(s) of environmental interpretation
and nature centres

• Interpretation
• National Association for Interpretation (USA)
• Interpretation Canada
• Interpretation Australia Association
• Association for Heritage Interpretation (UK)
• Scottish Interpretation Network
• (European Network for Heritage Interpretation)
• (Heritage Interpretation International)

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Definitions for the purpose of the survey

• The aim of interpretation is to convey the
  messages of mission-driven places like protected
  areas, zoos, botanical gardens, museums, etc. to
  a leisure-oriented audience.
• Environmental interpretation happens in places
  that deal with our natural environment.
• Nature Centers are considered to be a generic
  term for a variety of environmental sites.

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Goal
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Ecological importance of interpretation in the
BSR in an international contextMission
Statements from ...

• Protected areas
• World Conservation Union (IUCN)
• Europarc
• Nordic-Baltic Section of Europarc

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Ecological importance of interpretation in the
BSR in an international contextMission
Statements from ...

• Zoological gardens
• World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA)
• International Zoo Educators Association (IZE)
• European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA)

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Ecological importance of interpretation in the
BSR in an international contextMission
Statements from ...

• Museums
• International Council of Museums (ICOM)
• International Committee for museums and
  collections of natural history (NATHIST)

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Ecological importance of interpretation in the
BSR in an international contextMission
Statements from ...

• Planetaria
• International Planetarium Society (IPS)
• Nordic Planetarium Association (NPA)

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Ecological importance of interpretation in the
BSR in an international contextMission
Statement from ...

• Botanical Gardens
• Botanical Gardens Conservation International
  (BGCI)

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Social importance of interpretation in the BSR
in an international context
Average participation in formal education
(private and public) compared with the age in the
following countries Poland, Germany, Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, Finland (the source does not
include statistical data on Lithuania, Latvia,
Estonia, Russia). Source OECD Bildung auf
einen Blick. 2004
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Economical importance of interpretation in the
BSR in an international context
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Methodics

• Project Goals
• to improve the role and contribution of nature
  centres and environmental interpretation as a
  part of the society's strengthening of
  sustainable development
• strengthening of institutional development and
  capacity building of NCs and EI and more equal
  distribution of NCs and EI in BSR
• trans-sectoral and trans-national co-operation
• innovation of methods, and exchange of best
  practise
• strategic planning of NCs and EI, pilot-projects
  on establishment of new and improvement of
  existing nature centres, activities and
  trans-sectoral co-operation, trans-national and
  national exchange on best practise on
  environmental interpretation, training of NC
  staff members and environmental interpreters

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Time frame mid February mid May

• Data gathered via e-mail, telefone, internet from
  ...
• International organisations
• Working group with language specialists
• National leaders

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First Results

• Semi-structured questionnaire
• How many and what kind of interpretive sites are
  there in each country? 
• How many interpreters work there and what kind of
  qualification do they have? 
• How much do interpreters earn on average in each
  country? 
• How many interpreters work voluntarily without
  any salary? 
• What kind of interpretation training is provided
  each country?

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1. How many and what kind of interpretive sites
are there in each country?
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• Number of Interpretive Sites
• Minimum of 2.500 sites
• Whole countries were surveyed, not just
  Interreg-Countries
• Nature park number from Sweden only taken into
  account with 300 sites

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• Visitor numbers
• gt 55 million visitors in environmental
  interpretation sites in BSR
• random sample (overall population
• problems gathering visitor numbers
• no groups included
• no cultural interpretation data included

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• 2. How many interpreters work there and what kind
  of qualification do they have?
• 3. How much do interpreters earn on average in
  each country?
• 4. How many interpreters work voluntarily without
  any salary?
• No significant results!

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5. What kind of interpretation training is
provided in each country?

• Universities
• Umbrella organisations
• Other

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Interpretation umbrella organisations in the BSR
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Interim conclusion

• Terminology We need to be identifiable.
• Visitor studies We need to study.
• Values We need to add value.
• Strategic cooperation We need to cooperate more
  strategically.

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Thank you!
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Statement Metsähallitus concerning quality of
interpretation

• () in many () European countries, we have
  invested tens of millions of Euros in recent
  decades in the building of visitor centres, the
  development of exhibitions and nature trails, and
  the distribution of nature brochures without
  paying too much attention to the basic
  communicational aspects why what are our goals
  and objectives, where should the communication
  take part and what are the restrictions, who is
  our audience, what means are most effective and
  how to evaluate the results. () We have to be
  able to demonstrate the value of our protected
  areas and affect positively how people feel about
  them and how they could act to preserve them for
  the future generations to come.
• (Loikkanen, Teppo Psychology of Communication
  Implications for Environmental Interpretation.
  InMetsähallitus (2001) Challenge for Visitor
  Centres. Helsinki Metsähallitus. p. 30.)

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12 Trends in the Interpretive Profession (NAI
2004)

• 1.      Organizations must do more with less.
• 2.      Volunteers often comprise the front
  line and first contact.
• 3.      Social marketing adds value to
  interpretation.
• 4.      Interpretation may have important
  economic impact.
• 5.      Interpretation creates experiences.
• 6.      Interpretation builds advocacy for
  agencies and organizations.
• 7.      Early childhood experiences create
  outdoor enthusiasts.
• 8.      Heritage tourism continues to grow as a
  leisure activity.
• 9.      International interest in improving
  interpretation is on the rise.
• 10.  Interpretation adds value to education.
• 11.  Accreditation and standards add
  credibility to the profession.
• 12. Interpretive audiences are changing.