Interaction with nature is primarily a
visual experience. Based on the idea that visual
images are a language, visual literacy
can be defined as the ability to understand
and produce visual messages. This skill is becoming increasingly important with
the ever-expanding proliferation of mass media in society. As more and more
information and entertainment is acquired through non-print media (such as
television, movies and the internet), the ability to think critically and visually about
the images presented becomes a significant skill.
Visual literacy is something learned,
just as reading and writing are learned. It is
very important to have the ability to process visual images efficiently and
understand the impact they have on viewers. A slide show has been produced of
Gibraltar Point as a visual experience as an introduction to the use of images of
nature conservation to learn about the features and issues of management.
