The Environmental Interpretation as a key to understanding the world

by Letizia Palmisano

Took place in Athens, from 6th to 10th May, the International Convention of the NAI (inter) National Association for Environmental Interpretation. This discipline, born to live the parks, is based on visitor’s engagement with all five senses. The parks are not explained, but "emotionally spent".
Over the narration, the parks and archaeological sites are re-narrated with histories and dramas involving visitors spontaneously. The aim is to make visitors feeling that reality and, consequently, the whole world, being aware of the damages that Man is doing, but mostly that everyone can its part to protect the Earth.

The conference was an opportunity to share various experiences realized all over the world, to diffuse this practice and to reclaim the importance of the protection and enhancement (naturalistic and economical) of natural, historical and archaeological sites.

The Environmental Interpretation as a discipline was born from hikes in the USA parks and has been spreading all over the world.
In Italy it also become the basis of inspiration for others that protect the nature, history and culture of the Italian Parks, such as the Association of Literary Parks.

At the conference were put in relief some data about green tourism in various countries. In Italy, for example, there are 2500 "professional of nature", which each year produce about 75 million of euros, accompanying and interpreting nature for more than 5.5 million of people.
A significant trend has been highlighted: from 2003 to 2008 visitors from schools grew up by 78% and adults by 61%, with peaks in environmental education and summer camps.