Interpretative signs at the Cat Tien Park Headquarters

Today we discussed interpretative signs, and specifically the style, content and location of signs at the Park Headquarters. We started with a 2010 assessment (by WWF) of the park's sign system. It was outdated (many of the issues- but not all- of the issues raised in the assessment had been addressed since the Park received the report about 4 years ago.

Can I just say: interpretative signage is difficult. It is. How do you communicate your message immediately, in a way that makes the reader want to learn more? How much text do you include? What size font and how many pictures? Who is your audience and how will they be feeling when they see a particular sign? How do you WANT them to feel?

For example, say you just arrived at Cat Tien National Park by boat, after a long bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City, and you need a bathroom and you are worried about whether your reservation is intact. It might not be the best moment to stop and read an educational sign. You probably want some wayfinding information.

Later, after you've had some Vietnamese ice coffee in the Golden Bamboo Cafe, and successfully made arrangements to go on a night safari, you might feel inclinded to loiter around the main office and learn about why wetlands are so important for biodiversity in southeast Asia. Or learn about foraging behavior of the yellow cheeked gibbon, which happens to live right here in Cat Tien and almost no where else on Earth.

So we looked at a lot of signage with a critical eye- some is great, some could be better or in a different location, and some opportunities could be better used (some blank walls at the reception area, for example).

We divided into groups and each group took a task:

Group 1: This group is from Dong Nai Nature Preserve (they have wild elephants!) and their assignment was to develop some interpretative signage welcoming visitors to their park.

Group 2: Critical edit of the main sign at the boat ramp (main entrance to the park)

Group 3: Choose 2 educational topics that could be displayed outside the park reception area (they choose to focus on the biology/conservation of pygmy loruses and yellow cheeked gibbons)

Group 4: Choose 2 educational topics that could be displayed inside the park reception area (they chose to focus on the Park's wetlands and on nocturnal animals of the park that you can see on the night safari)

It seemed like people got right to it, and I look forward to hearing their presentations tomorrow.

After the workshop, Dr. Khahn invited me and Tan to tour the Wildlife Rehab Center here at the Park Headquarters. They have lots of animals that were confiscated from illegal farms (Bear Farms?What?) and the illegal pet trade, as well as injured animals. Some of the animals will eventually be released to the wild, but not all.

It was really amazing to see some of these animals (Asiatic black bear and Malayan sun bear) gibbons, a leopard that had been kept as a house pet, some peacocks which are wild here by the way, crocodiles and civets. They had very clear interpretative signage also.

I will certainly remember to not buy a bear because it is illegal. 

They also have a center for growing rare orchids. It broke my heart to see them in captivity but I know they will be taken care of!