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Respecting the mountains

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Respecting life and the environment in the mountains

 

imgp1419When you are enjoying your open-air activities, particularly on foot or mountain bike, you must abide by certain principles, in order to protect and explore nature in the best way ... as well as respecting other hikers. Getting along together successfully demands respect and courtesy on the part of everyone ...





  • Do not light any fires, and avoid picking flowers, or you could contribute to the disappearance of a species. Beware! Picking flowers is actually prohibited in Nature Reserves (Réserves Naturelles), Regional Nature Parks (Parcs Naturels Régionaux) and National Parks (Parcs Nationaux).

  • So as not to alarm the wildlife, and in order to have a chance of seeing some, keep your animals on a leash and avoid making noise. (Obtain information in advance: some places prohibit domestic animals, even on a leash).
  • In the summer, think about the herds of farm animals: close gates and fences behind you.

  • Do not leave litter. Keep it in a bag, which you can throw into bins provided for the purpose ...

  • Do not damage nature and do not take any unnecessary risks: keep to the marked paths!

How long does rubbish last in the countryside?

 - Paper tissue: 3 months
- Newspaper: 3-12 months
- Match: 6 months
- Cigarette end: 1-5 years
- Chewing gum: 5 years
- Fruit peel: 3 months - 2 years
- Tin can: 100-500 years
- Plastic bag or cup: 100-1,000 years
- Glass: 4,000 years

 

To find out more

The GTA invites you to find out about FRAPNA and Mountain Riders, two organisations which can help you to behave responsibly in the mountains.


La FRAPNA

frapna
The Fédération Rhône Alpes de Protection de la Nature Isère [Rhône Alps Federation for the Protection of Isère Nature] (FRAPNA), in partnership with the Conseil Général de l'Isère (Isère General Council) and in association with the Departmental sports committees, has just published a "Guide to good sporting practice" in the Alps. The objective is to make all sportspeople sensitive to the environment which surrounds them.

 

By doing so, FRAPNA is reacting to the damage caused to nature and the environment by the upsurge in open-air sports in the Alps. The authors' aim is not to produce long lists of prohibitions, spoiling the enjoyment of people who are looking for relaxation. In fact, sporting activities in natural settings are on the increase, sometimes to their detriment.
Visit the FRAPNA website to download the guide.



Mountain Riders

Logo Moutain RidersMountain Riders is an organisation whose goal is to educate the public about the environment and promote lasting development in the mountains. In addition to symbolic acts, such as clearing the ski-pistes in the spring, it develops educational initiatives to create awareness of the impact which mass tourism and open-air activities have upon mountain ecosystems.

Mountain Riders wants to educate rather than moralise. It wishes to make people aware of what they should do to help the environment, and promote alternatives for lasting development to professionals and elected representatives in mountain resorts.

This is the eco-rider attitude: the mountains are often associated with wild, carefully-conserved nature, which has made it a favourite place for open-air activities and tourism. But human activities can have an enormous impact upon these fragile ecosystems.

You can find all of Mountain Riders' advice at www.mountain-riders.org.