Leave No Trace Canada and Subaru Canada launch an online campaign to empower Canadians to preserve green spaces.
Canadians are going outside more than ever. Outdoor recreation and public park use were both increasing across the country before 2020 and then shot up during the pandemic. A Park People report found that 66 percent of Canadians increased their park visits since 2019, while a Leger Opinion study for the Trans Canada Trail found 40 percent of Canadians increased their trail use in 2021. And Parks Canada experienced its busiest years ever with more than half a million camping nights in 2022.
Everyone knows by now that spending time in nature improves our mental and physical health. But all those extra boots on the ground? They leave an impact. So what can we do to mitigate that?
“Land managers and trail groups across the country tell us they are struggling to keep up with the influx of people,” says Richard Vinson, the Chair for Leave No Trace Canada, a non-profit that promotes the sustainable use of parks and natural spaces. “With more people sharing these outdoor places, the more it matters how we all behave when we’re out there. But there are simple things we can do that make a big difference.”
One of them is taking the new Leave No Trace Pledge, a joint project between Leave No Trace Canada and Subaru Canada. Here people can learn about the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace and then commit to adopting them by taking the Pledge. For everyone who shares their Pledge on social media, Subaru Canada will plant a tree in spring 2024.
“Research shows that more people using parks and natural spaces means more people caring about these important places,” says Vinson. “But visitors and trail managers tell Leave No Trace this increase is leading to more negative impacts: more waste left behind, more off-trail damage, more campfire scars, more wildlife disturbance and more user conflicts.”
“I think most of the impacts are from people who don’t know there is a better way,” Vinson adds. “This is where the Leave No Trace principles come in. They aren’t rules. They’re guidelines to help people be gentler users of our natural spaces.”
Research by Brock University’s Garett Hutson backs this up. “Leave No Trace principles and practices give people the tools to experience natural areas responsibly and sustainably,” Hutson says.
“Practicing the Leave No Trace Seven Principles and taking the Pledge present an opportunity to make an investment in the future of our natural spaces,” Vinson concludes.
Learn more about Leave No Trace Canada and take the pledge here.
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