Achieving Ocean Literacy at Walt Disney World… …with a little help from Nemo and Friends… Jackie Ogden, Ph.D.; Allyson Atkins; Debi Clark Disney’s Animal Programs

Walt Disney World:  An entertainment company?  An educational venue? Both

Why are we involved in conservation and education?  Disney Legacy “Animals and the natural world are as important to the legacy of the Walt Disney Company as Snow White and Mickey Mouse.” Roy E. Disney 1/3 of Walt Disney World 30,000 acre resort set aside as conservation lands in 1971 Education has always been part of The Walt Disney Company: “stealth education”

Opened 1986 Underwater laboratory theme Strong scientific focus Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Alliance for Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums

Conservation Impact Study: Baseline 2001 Satisfaction ratings 41% excellent “Specific ideas of what I can do…” 37% agree “I intend to help…” 39% agree Length of stay 20 mins

What we did Refined main message – –“No matter where in the world you live, you can make a difference to the oceans and marine life” Identified specific actions guests could take – –purchase sustainable seafood, recycle fishing line, participate in clean-ups Incorporated message and actions throughout Living Seas And….we met an orange fish named Nemo

Ocean Literacy: Essential principles 1) The Earth has one big ocean with many features 2) The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of the Earth 3) The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate 4) The ocean makes Earth habitable 5) The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems 6) The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected 7) The ocean is largely unexplored The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems 5) The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems 6) The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected Credit to COSEE

Welcome to…

Before Nemo

After Nemo And they read the graphics

Conservation Impact Study: Post-Nemo Satisfaction ratings 41% excellent 84%excellent “Specific ideas of what I can do…” 37% agree 70% agree “I intend to help…” 39% agree 72% agree Length of stay 20 mins 45 mins

Still Sharing Real Animals, Real Conservation and Real Science

What now? We could go it alone…. We could go it alone…. –One Nemo at a time

Or, we could school

If we joined forces Unified messaging Unified messaging Strategic selection of conservation action Strategic selection of conservation action –Sustainable seafood? Marine debris? National social marketing campaign National social marketing campaign Nationally-aligned environmental education efforts (informal and formal) Nationally-aligned environmental education efforts (informal and formal) …we could make a big step toward ocean literacy, and conserving our oceans…

Questions?