As we explore our islands’ natural spaces, Anjani Ganase poses a challenge to all explorers, groups and families, and individuals who hike.
When visiting natural spaces, it is essential to understand that we are visiting the homes of wildlife, the plants, animals, insects and microbial communities that occur in a stable cohesion. Furthermore, natural spaces are beneficial to us through the provision of healthy food resources and waterways, as well as benefits to our mental and physical health. Therefore, caring for natural spaces means minimising the presence of human influence and impact as much as possible.
This sounds simple enough, yet there are many ways in which we unknowingly leave our mark.
Hiking and trekking have become increasingly popular in Trinidad and Tobago, especially after the covid pandemic, which encouraged citizens to explore and appreciate their native beauty.
However, with the growing popularity, we must consciously monitor any degradation or changes to the visited environment.
Here are some tips for being a more conscientious hiker:
Leave it as you found it
The top three items we commonly find on hikes are plastic water bottles, snack wrappers, and busted shoes/ slippers left along the trail, on riverbeds and near waterfalls, ready to be flushed downstream into the ocean.
Discussion on suitable footwear, the use of reusable water bottles and waste disposal is needed before every hike.
Avoid dumping juices, alcohol and soft drinks, crumbs and snacks. Take all remnants of food and drink back with you. Liquids pollute the streams, and food scraps may not decay as fast as you may think. An orange peel, for example, can take months to years to break down. The issue is not one peel but the pile-up of unsightly and smelly waste heaps that attract animals and make them ill.
[caption id="attachment_1041999" align="alignnone" width="768"] View above and below Rincon waterfall. - Anjani Ganase[/caption]
To navigate through the forest, gear such as spray paint or flagging tape are often used to identify the path, while ropes are used to assist in climbing up steep slopes or wading across deep pools. These are certainly helpful to the hiker, especially on more intense routes.
Gear left behind can pile up and degrade. The hiking community must consciously reduce the amount of abandoned gear in the forest. Avoid excessive flagging tape and paint, and if possible, think about removing as much as you can at the end of your hikes.
Think about the unintended impact of the placement of ropes: for example, the potential entanglement and entrapment of plants and animals. Remember these spaces are primarily used by birds, small mammals, rodents, insects, and can be hazardous in the night and under high flow conditions.
The use of technology such as hand-held GPS and a map-sharing platform can compensate. Co-ordinate markers among the hiking groups.
Do not brand nature
Apart from damaging tree trunks and scraping the rocks of layers of algae and microbes with affirmations of love,
