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Ranger Interpretation Handbook (07/07/04)

Good morning everyone:

At the invitation of IUCN's Commission on Education and Communication and the Ministry of Environment, Spain, I recently attended a CEPA workshop in Valsaín, Spain on <<Managing Change in Conservation and Sustainable Development>>. I will be making the final report available to CEPA list members when it is ready. Meanwhile, I would like to share with you some useful materials that I learned about from some of the participants.

Here's the first, from Arne Bondo-Andersen, Head Nature Interpreter at the National Forest and Nature Agency in Denmark, who sent me information on the "Ranger Interpretation Handbook" they have produced to assist rangers/ nature interpreters promote sustainable development practices in everyday life. Below is some information on the handbook that I have taken from the introductory material to the handbook. The PDF (520KB) of the handbook can be donwloaded here http://www.ramsar.org/outreach_methodologies.htm (scroll down to the table); for further information please contact Arne at ABA@sns.dk.

"Rangers, nature interpreters and those involved in environmental education are in a unique position through the use of natural or semi natural areas to illustrate ways in which we can all create a more sustainable future for the planet. Interpretation has for many years been providing good examples on how we connect with the natural world and how we can also affect it's equilibrium. This handbook with examples of "best practice" has grown out of a desire to share that knowledge and good practice in our efforts to promote a more caring approach to use of the planet's finite resources and to ensure a healthy future for our children.

Eleven "Shared Principles" for Heritage Interpreters promoting sustainable development are developed to increase understanding and implementation of sustainable development practices. The first principles apply to interpretation in general, while the second set refers to specific focus on the impact interpreters can have with sustainable development. The "Shared Principles" were prepared by the Danish Nature Interpretation Service in co-operation with the International Ranger Federation (IRF), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Heritage Interpretation International (HII) and discussed, adapted and accepted at the International Ranger Federation's 4th World Congress in Australia, March 2003."

Best wishes, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat

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Sandra Hails, CEPA Programme Officer
Ramsar Convention Secretariat
Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 999 0176; Fax: +41 22 999 0169
E-mail: hails@ramsar.org
Web Site: http://ramsar.org
CEPA mini-Web site: http://ramsar.org/outreach_index.htm

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