Outdoor activities are attracting more people than ever before. And this is a good thing: because the more people who appreciate nature, the more people will be prepared to protect it. In any case, all of us who spend time outdoors have a responsibility for ourselves, for the wildlife, and for the environment.
Photo credit: Franziska Consolati
This is the key philosophy of a movement from the USA. In the 1960s and 1970s, outdoor activities experienced a boom there. Since then, Leave No Trace has drawn up 7 principles designed to help us to behave responsibly in the natural world.
At SWAROVSKI OPTIK, we have also made it our mission to help people appreciate and care for the beauty of nature using our binoculars and spotting scopes. We want you to spend as much time outdoors as possible. To be close to nature – but not too close. And this is easier than you might think. Because the 7 principles of Leave No Trace are just as relevant in Europe as on the other side of the Atlantic, we have adapted them below to reflect our own natural environment:
1. Be prepared
Because only when you know a place can you behave responsibly there.
2. Watch where you’re walking
Because the ground is often sensitive in unexpected places.
3. Dispose of waste appropriately
Because garbage has no place in nature. This applies to human waste too.
4. Let nature be nature
Because others will follow in our footsteps. “It’s just a few flowers,” say thousands of people…
5. Take care with fire
Because a small campfire can unexpectedly become a major threat.
6. Give animals their space
Because we are in their home. In an ideal scenario, wildlife should not even notice us observing them.
7. Show consideration to others
Because just like us, they too want to enjoy an undisturbed experience of nature.
Respectful behavior in nature: 7 tips
Leave No Trace
And finally, to sum up in just one sentence: our behavior out in nature should be the answer to a single question –
How would I like to be able to experience nature in 100 years’ time?
