Leave No Trace Ireland supports the ‘Get Out More’ Campaign to protect our environment

Leave No Trace Ireland supports the ‘Get Out More’ Campaign to protect our environment

Leave No Trace Ireland are proud to promote responsible outdoor recreation across the whole island of Ireland, both sides of the border. Leave No Trace Ireland were thrilled to be recently welcomed as members to the Northern Ireland Environment Link and the Outdoor Recreation Network, granting us increased opportunity to share our Leave No Trace Principles and the Love This Place message to outdoor recreationists in Northern Ireland. Leave No Trace Ireland are also closely linked with Sport NI and the Tollymore National Outdoor Centre, as partners in the SEE Project consortium, aiming to enhance the protection of natural landscapes through education on responsible outdoor behaviour across Europe. 

In this article, we’ll show how you can #LoveThisPlace in Northern Ireland, by sharing some of the amazing campaigns and education programmes that are happening there this year.

‘Get Out More’  by Outmore NI

In April of this year (2022) Outmore NI launched their campaign, Get Out More. Through their new website, the campaign is promoting the wide variety of Northern Ireland’s beautiful outdoor trails, places and hikes for everyone to explore. 

As they wrote in the blog post announcing the campaign, with summer here “there is no better time to start planning which outdoor spots to visit around Northern Ireland.” However, they highlighted how it is “growing more common for people to navigate towards the same popular outdoor locations, causing them to become overcrowded and misused.”

Camping and canoeing river bank adventure

Following the same philosophy as us here at Leave No Trace Ireland, Outmore NI is keen to tackle these issues through the ‘Get Out More’ campaign, by instead showcasing the many different options for outdoor trails and adventures across all of Northern Ireland that people may not be aware of. By spreading the intensity of visitors over a large variety of locations, we mitigate the impact of overuse, and personally have better experiences by avoiding overcrowding. 

Research by Outdoor Recreation NI shows the steadily climbing statistics for outdoor use in NI  – in 2020, 47% of the population of Northern Ireland were spending more of their free time outdoors, and in 2021, 7 in 10 adults visited the outdoors for leisure each week.

 


So what do we need to know to get outdoors safely? 

#LeaveNoTrace when exploring Northern Ireland 

When out enjoying all the outdoor spaces in Northern Ireland, remember to use the use the Leave No Trace Principles to stay on The Right Side of the Outside. 

 1. Plan Ahead & Prepare 

Check the weather forecast and bring the right equipment 

It is really important you plan ahead for your visit. Have you checked the weather forecast? Do you have the appropriate clothing, footwear and equipment such as a life jacket if going into the water? Will you need food and drink or a map and compass? Are you aware of a route out if the weather turns bad and you need to leave urgently? 

2. Be Considerate of Others

Only park your car in a designated space and consider locals 

Unfortunately when car parks fill, it often leads to people parking wherever they can find a space, which often ends up blocking access for emergency services, to a farmers field or even to a local house. If you can’t park in a designated space move on to another outdoor spot – there are plenty on this website for you to choose from! 

3. Respect Farm Animals & Wildlife 

Keep your dog on a lead 

Keeping your dog on a lead means you are helping to protect the farm animals and wildlife that live there. When dogs are off their leads it could result in sheep potentially being chased, injured or killed as well as wildlife being disturbed. And for wildlife, if their natural environment is damaged or destroyed they will struggle to survive. 

4. Travel & Camp on Durable Ground

Whether we’re walking along seaside trails or mountain bogs, the best way to protect the places we’re passing through is to use the most durable ground. This usually takes the form of established paths and trails, but can also mean sticking to harder, sturdy ground like rocks. When we stick to the trails, we allow the plants that grow there to thrive, as many are very vulnerable to trampling. We also avoid damaging animals homes, such as ground nesting birds, who might not return to a nest if it has obviously been disturbed. If we want to Leave No Trace, we pick the ground that will show no signs that we were there.

5. Leave What You Find  

 When we visit different places a key concept to remember is that, in every single environment, we are visitors to someone else’s home. The shells on the beach, the wild flowers on the hills, or the pebbles in the forest stream – all play a part in that ecosystem, and without them there the plants and animals that are part of that ecosystem loose something that they need to thrive. If you want to take a memory with you, a photograph of what catches your eye is the best option. 

When exploring your new favourite place, Leave What You Find for all the species that live there, and so that the next person who visits can have just as magical an experience. 

6. Dispose of Waste Properly

Bring your litter and dog waste home with you 

Some outdoor areas don’t have bins and the ones that do are often overfilled with litter already. Therefore it is best to bring an empty plastic bag with you so you can bring your litter home, including your apple peels and banana skins! Many people leave their dog poop in a bag hanging from a tree which often leads to others coming behind you doing the same. Let’s not spoil everyone’s visit, bag it, bin it or bring it home with you.

7. Minimise the Effects of Fire

Avoid starting open fires 

Fires have devastating impacts on our environment and habitats every year but many are preventable if we change our behaviours and act responsibly. Wild fires can spread quickly with little to no warning. Therefore starting an open fire in the outdoors should be avoided at all costs! 

Only camp or BBQ at sites where these activities are permitted

If you are at a site where BBQ’s or stoves are permitted, make sure you have the skills for setting and using them safely. Never leave them unattended and ensure they are fully extinguished and cold before disposing of their content.

Camping should only take place at a permitted site and don’t forget to take all of your belongings home with you after your stay. 

Above photo: Slieve Gullion Forest Park from Outmore NI’s list of Must Visit Forests

The Right Side of Outside 

What is especially powerful about the Leave No Trace Principles is that they can be incorporated into every style and kind of outdoor use. Different people and places will have stronger needs for different elements – dairy farmers and surfers both interact with the environment in different ways, but can have just as strong a drive to protect it.

As part of Outmore NI’s education, they have The Right Side of Outside. In our Principles above, we emboldened the Right Side of Outside message below our own Principles, to show how connected our approaches to protecting the outdoors can be, and how each Principle can be tailored to different users and land use.

The Right Side of Outside Phase Two was launched for the 2022 calendar, supported by Rory Best, as well as leading outdoor recreation bodies.

As part of this campaign, there are free resources such as the Right Side of Outside Guide for Planning Ahead for the Outdoors, How to Park Your Car in the Outdoors, A Simple Guide to Preventing Wild Fires, how to Prevent Livestock Worrying, as well as many, many more.

 

To learn more about Outmore NI’s campaign, read the amazing resources on their website, and find them on social media (instagramFacebookTwitter) to get inspired to find some new hidden gems!