The Environment The Environment Our mountains and wilderness areas form part of a sensitive environment, under pressure from a whole host of activities and interests of which backpacking is only one.
• Bring all your rubbish home: It is useful to carry a plastic bag for this. Don’t bury or throw it behind rocks, animals will dig it up!! Don’t bury it in snow, it soon reappears!!
Even remote mountain areas are part of a working environment and are often used for extensive grazing by a group of farmers. Ensure that your presence is unobtrusive and does not interfere with farming, forestry or gamekeeping activities. Walls and fences Use gates and stiles even if this entails a short diversion. Leave all gates as you found them. If it is necessary to climb a wall, do so carefully and replace any dislodged stones.
S.O.S. S.O.S. or Save Our Seas should be your catchphrase. For years, the seas and oceans and to some extent rivers and lakes have been used as a dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish. Make sure your activities are environmentally friendly. • Do not litter or throw bottles and other rubbish overboard. • Do use an environmentally friendly anti-fouling paint on your boat. • Don’t let oil and fuel spill into the water. • Dispose of waste, thinners, paints etc. properly.
If you need to climb a fence do so at a straining post which is the strongest part of the fence. Keep to footpaths across enclosed lands and avoid entering farm land containing livestock. Take extra care during sensitive periods such as the lambing season. Litter • Plan to minimise rubbish, particularly on overnight trips i.e. repack food into lunch box containers and leave excess packaging at home. 128
