Visitors to the forest: when enjoying, you must be responsible

Gone are the days when the mountains were reserved for a few hikers, almost experts, who visited these spaces in their free time. Today, thanks to the dissemination made by social networks and greater accessibility to these spaces, many people can enjoy the mountains, rivers, beaches... But is our approach to nature an innocent act? Or, without being aware of it, are we contributing to its degradation?

Visiting nature in a respectful way has become an imperative, at a time when, as a result of the pandemic and the confinement of 2020, the number of visits to natural spaces has increased exponentially throughout the year. This increase in visitors entails a series of impacts on biodiversity, and largely affects spaces that, in themselves, are sensitive and vulnerable habitats, such as wetlands, rivers or coastal habitats.

Therefore, we need to rethink how we approach nature , so that both we and future generations can continue to enjoy these spaces safely and consciously: enjoyment must be shared, so that all the agents involved (us and nature) benefit.

The Emys Foundation promotes projects that promote good practices in the natural environment, and that help visitors have an enriching experience with low impact on nature. Among the recommendations that we convey to visitors, the following stand out:

• Respect the tranquility of the fauna so that you can enjoy it: tie up dogs, walk in silence... these actions avoid stress to the fauna and it will be much easier for us to observe it.
• Prevention is better than cure: it is important to know where we are going and what the weather will be like, as well as following official routes and knowing the difficulties of the area. These aspects are key to avoiding accidents and ensuring our safety throughout the outing.
• Civility, also in the forest: make use of the parking lots and the services provided, pick up our waste... maybe we only go there for one day, but the people who live in these spaces may see our visits as a daily problem if we do not contribute to the proper functioning of their facilities.
• Promote sustainable tourism: if your stay is long, eat and sleep in spaces that contribute to the conservation of nature and generate a positive impact on the local community.

All these actions may seem very obvious, but carrying them out contributes to a substantial improvement of the environment and it is necessary to involve citizens, administration, entities... Applying these actions depends on everyone, it is not an individual choice: nature is not ours, but we all enjoy it, so everyone must contribute to building a new way of understanding leisure and assume the responsibility of taking care of these spaces.