Wildlife Interpretation in a time of ‘environmental and climate change emergency’

What role(s) can interpreters and interpreted sites play in helping people understand and respond to contemporary environmental issues?
Which parts of our interpreters’ toolkit are most relevant to current challenges? What can and should interpretation do and what can’t it do? Should contemporary interpretation provoke discussion, reveal solutions or do something else?

This workshop will consider some contemporary issues for wildlife and environmental interpreters, including:
• What is the role of wildlife interpretation? Has this changed? Should it change?
• Inspiring Love - ‘Branding Biodiversity’ reviewed
• Should interpretation have ‘a call to action’?
• Opportunity to view and discuss how the new (and older) interpretation at WWT Slimbridge treats these conservation issues

The workshop is designed for anyone interested in communicating with visitors at wildlife-related sites: interpretation professionals, countryside rangers, visitor experience and education staff site managers, etc.
The day will include presentations and activities deigned to provoke thought provide inspiration and ideas. There will be opportunities to meet with, share activities and information with others who undertake similar work

Susan Cross, the trainer at this workshop, is one of the best-known specialists in visitor experience and interpretation in the UK. She has spent more than 30 years building memorable connections between people and wildlife as a museum curator, environmental educator, poet, interpretive planner and experience developer. Her consultancy, TellTale, has advised and worked with a huge
number of wildlife and environmental bodies. www.telltale.co.uk