Thursday, September 1, 2011

Be a Responsible Traveller not a Tourist Vandal!

In a remote part of the Dampier Archipelago, in the north of WA, an electric drill is used to gouge ugly dents into weathered stone bearing ancient rock art. Across the bay, on a remote bluff, graffiti is painted in massive letters on a rocky outcrop.

Hundreds of kilometres away, along the Gibb River Road, toilet paper flutters in the wind above a buzzing circle of blowflies. Farther south an abandoned campfire smoulders, ready to ignite a wildfire that could burn through the Kimberley for months.

In the Pilbara, imported seeds brought in with firewood on the roof of a four-wheel-drive, are taking hold.

Deep in the forests of the South West poor hygeine by forest users has helped spread phytphthora dieback to more than a millon hectares of the globally significant eco-region.

Ignorance, lax biosecurity and deliberate vandalism are taking their toll on Australia's natural and cultural assets. We are in danger of destroying our burgeoning ecotourism inductry by failing to understand the need to preserve and protect the environmental assets we visit and enjoy.

Don't be Careless or Thoughtless!
  • Plan ahead and prepare
  • Travel and camp on durable surfaces
  • Dispose of waste and rubbish properly
  • Leave what you find
  • Respect wildlife
  • Extinguish campfires
  • Bury human waste away from water courses
  • Don't walk on ocean reefs, they are fragile and damage easily
  • Be considerate of your hosts and other visitors

Leave No Trace is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor travel and recreation through education, research and partnerships. Leave No Trace builds awareness, appreciation and respect for our natural and cultural heritage.
Visit http://www.lnt.org.au and educate yourself!

The first five paragraphs are taken from an article written by Jane Hammond in the Weekend West

6 comments :

  1. Great blog post you have about being responsible for when we are on the road travelling. We are about to head off around Australia - so looking forward to sharing the gorgeous world we live in! Its a shame that others dont respect it :)
    Cheers
    Lisa
    from http://www.newlifeontheroad.com/

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  2. Thanks Lisa!
    I have checked out your great looking blog and added it to my blogroll for others to find. It's so amazing that you are doing the trip with 5 boys! Well done and safe travels.

    Jacqui

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