Tips for a successful coexistence between people and nature 

- Andreas Burger (climbing therapist) -

More and more people are spending time in nature, especially during Corona times, moving their sport outdoors or even seeking out entirely new sports and ways of being in nature. What for many of us means a break from everyday life poses a major challenge for nature. It's often forgotten that, just as in the gym or on the football pitch, there are also rules of conduct for good coexistence in harmony with nature. Especially in the mountains, these „rules“ are particularly important, as small interventions can have far-reaching and often unforeseeable consequences. 

In the Alps and the low mountain ranges there is a dense network of forest tracks and hiking trails. Leaving these paths primarily affects the vegetation, but also the habitat of animals. The ground of such unintentionally newly formed paths erodes during snowmelt and rainfall, sometimes causing serious damage. Cutting through the undergrowth is therefore incompatible with nature and the habitat it provides. 

In urban surroundings we find strategically placed bins that are emptied regularly by diligent fellow citizens. These are absent in the mountains, simply because of the enormous infrastructure that would be needed to manage the emptying. However, each of us carries a small part up the mountain – and that small part can just as easily be carried back down again, especially once your packed lunch is in your belly and your rucksack is lighter. Plastic packaging, bottles, hygiene articles, foil and much more are repeatedly found in nature. Did you bring it with you? Then please take it back home with you and throw it away there. The same applies to biological waste such as banana or mandarin peels. 

Lots of people on narrow paths? Who gives way on the ascent and descent at bottlenecks? The speaker on the rucksack for the best sound? In nature and on the mountain we encounter all kinds of things that we don't know from our urban existence and that call for new rules of conduct for socially considerate coexistence. As a general rule, people on the way up have priority, so stop and let them pass on the descent. And when it gets narrower, adjust your pace and overtake afterwards – pushing can create risky situations, especially on the mountain. Mountain bikers as a matter of principle give way to those on foot. The speaker can go into the rucksack as ballast for your training, ideally switched off or without a battery. Nature makes its own indescribably beautiful sound. So leave it at home, even when you're going bouldering and climbing and music is playing in most gyms. What still works best is talking to one another and reaching an understanding. 

Cows are purple and can talk? Anyone who regularly spends time in the mountains will sooner or later come across cows and calves on an alpine pasture. Normally the animals are very peaceful, and with a little distance you can walk past them with peace of mind. With a dog it's a little different, as young animals sometimes react aggressively to the other four-legged friends. And please take your dog mess with you, because it doesn't agree at all with the cow's salad bowl. So keep your dog on the lead, pick up the dog mess and keep your distance. Closing pasture gates again is just as important, because they stop the animals from escaping and thus protect them from falling. Open the gate, go through and close the gate again. It's like your front door at home. 

If your mountain or nature day begins with traffic chaos on the road and at the hikers' car park, the tour is immediately less fun. The most environmentally friendly way to travel is by public transport. Deutsche Bahn or bus routes work wonderfully for this, and the local population is especially pleased about guests who don't block the farm driveways or clog up the village centres of the often small communities. The journey there is part of any good tour planning and can be neatly built into the preparation. Anyone who does travel by their own car ideally uses the existing signposted car parks and parking spaces.