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Title: What impact does Colchester Zoos informal education programme have upon visitor conservation awareness?
Author: Kirsty Hughes
Establishment: University of Portsmouth
Summary: Colchester Zoo is a popular visitor attraction in the South East, attracting more than half a million visitors a year. This study focuses upon Colchester Zoos efforts at encouraging environmental awareness through use of species information boards, and other informal learning activities.
Complete article:
Colchester Zoo is a popular visitor attraction in the South East, attracting more than half a million visitors a year. This study focuses upon Colchester Zoos efforts at encouraging environmental awareness through use of species information boards, and other informal learning activities.
Pre- and post-visit questionnaires were used to survey 100 people over a random selection of weekdays and weekends over November 2005. 50 people responded to a pre-visit questionnaire, and another 50 people responded to a post-visit questionnaire. 82% of respondents had visited the zoo before. 76% of people stated that they read at least one species profile board displayed around enclosures during their visit, but only 34% of people said that they had stopped to read most of the information boards.
Significantly more people were aware of Colchester Zoo's conservation projects after their visit than those who were sampled before their visit. Interestingly, less people felt that species reintroductions were important in the post-visit questionnaire, indicating that they might feel that other roles of a modern zoo are more important. More post-visit respondents said that they would donate money to conservation projects than pre-visit respondents.
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