SERVICES
New ‘Love This Place, Leave No Trace’ Campaign Launched
- New ‘Leave No Trace’ national awareness campaign focus on littering, responsible dog management, and the dangers of campfires.
- Appeal to the public to embrace ‘Leave No Trace’ principles and look after our outdoors.
- #LoveThisPlace #LeaveNoTrace hashtags on social media.
A new public awareness campaign from Leave No Trace Ireland and its partners calls on the public to exercise renewed care and responsibility when outdoors in managing dogs, preventing litter, and ensuring that there are no fires unless on a designated site.
As we enter summer, Leave No Trace Ireland – Ireland’s only outdoor ethics programme which promotes the responsible use of the outdoors – is encouraging everyone to ‘Love This Place, Leave No Trace’.
The campaign is asking the public to play their part by acting responsibly so that everyone can experience and enjoy outdoor spaces while helping to protect them from increased pressures this year as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
Speaking on the launch of the ‘Love This Place, Leave No Trace’ campaign, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said it is important that everyone who enjoys the great outdoors embraces the Leave No Trace ethos:
“As we all look forward to an outdoor summer, it’s more important than ever to protect the places we love and leave no trace. We have a duty to our environment, to wildlife and to each other to be responsible stewards of the natural world – our national parks, woodlands, rivers, beaches, mountains and everywhere in between.
“Loving nature, wildlife and the great outdoors means being thoughtful, prepared and proactive – packing a picnic rather than a disposable bbq that could cause a serious fire, bringing a bin bag to pick up rubbish that could otherwise harm wildlife, keeping dogs on leads rather than letting them go and potentially worrying farm animals or breeding birds, keeping our distance from wild birds, mammals and marine life and observing them without disturbing or disrupting them.
“As more of us seek the beauty, exhilaration and escapism of outdoor recreation, our collective impact on the environment also increases. By being responsible and leaving no trace, we can help the wild places and species we love to stay wild.”
The campaign focuses on three critical pressure points which have become increasingly evident as greater numbers of people ‘stay-cation’ and use outdoor public spaces for recreation during the Covid pandemic. These pressure points include increased littering of the countryside and outdoor spaces, an increase in dog fouling, dog worrying and attacks on farm livestock as the numbers of pet dogs approaches an estimated 800,000, and the devastation that can be caused by fires from campfires and barbeques that get out of control.
The Love This Place, Leave No Trace campaign will emphasise several key messages:
Littering:
- Plan ahead and always pack a bin bag with you when heading outdoors. By taking your rubbish home with you, you are playing your part in keeping our outdoor spaces litter free and beautiful.
Responsible Dog Ownership and Control:
- Always pick up after your dog, bag it and safely bin it, or bring it home with you.
- Keeping your dog on a lead shows consideration for others and avoids disturbing livestock and wildlife.
Campfires, and Disposable BBQs:
- No fires unless on a designated site. You should not light a campfire unless you have permission from the landowner.
- If you are at a designated site, where campfires are permitted, make sure you have the skills for setting and using campfires. See org for detailed guidance on using campfires safely.
- Do not use disposable BBQs.
Information and guidelines for individuals, communities and organisations are available from https://www.leavenotraceireland.org/love-this-place-leave-no-trace. where you can also show your support and take the Love This Place, Leave No Trace Pledge.
