Good practice in natural spaces
GOOD PRACTICE
Good practice at sea
Good practice in the mountains
Good practice in the field
Good Practice at the sea
1. Find out about local regulations before practicing any sport at sea. Laws and regulations vary from region to region, so it’s important to educate yourself before engaging in any activity.
2. Don´t touch, capture or harm marine animals. Respect their habitat and avoid altering their natural behavior. Observe marine life from a safe distance and do not disturb it or interfere with its activity.
3. Use proper, high-quality gear to avoid accidents and injuries, and make sure all your gear is clean and in good condition.
4. Don´t throw garbage into the sea and collect the garbage you see. If you see garbage floating in the water, pick it up and deposit it in a suitable place
5. Respect the bathing and water sports practice areas established by the local authorities.
6. Always carry a first aid kit, drinking water and some light food with you. Also, avoid consuming products that can create waste, especially plastics, and be sure to bring them back to shore for recycling or proper disposal.
Good practice in the countryside
By countryside or field we mean those areas where you can practice sport in Nature, but in not too remote areas.
Here belong, meadows, forests as well as orhards, bigger parks, agricultural territories which could be open to public in the Vicinity of a settlement.
As these areas are close to villages, towns, habited areas, there interexistance with the built and habited environments gets special focus.
This is true for many aspects including logistics, economic and social effects, interaction between living environments.
In this part we are spotlighting the environment protection issues these special environments raise in relation to sport and physical activities.
There are many outdoor sports which could be related to these areas. These include MTB, trail running, hiking, orienteering, nordic walking, and many more.
If you do sports in the countryside
Respect nature! Do not throw litter, harm plants and animals. Leave as little mark of yourself as possible.
Respect animals. Dont disturb them, use marked tracks, make little noise.
If you are an organiser of a sports event
Form the area in a way that the tracks are evident so that people know where they can go/be and avoid protected parts. Use well understandable signs, provide easy to access routes
Organise most facilities close to each other. This way you can avoid people having to go to many places and stepping unnecessarily extra paths in nature and also avoiding setting up and dismentling facilities further from each other thus using again extra paths
Reduce noise pollution. Be watchful both for animals living in nature and inhabitants of areas near your event. Spot parts where it is more protected from sound and noise pollution, avoid very loud actions if possible.
If you build anything for the track, be sure that these are nature friendly materials. If you insert any non natural materials, be sure to remove it after the event
Good practice on the islands
Islands can be known for their pretty interesting environmental complexity.
They consist of 3 main elements: the sea, the mountains, and the lowland. For this reason the islands are not only attractive tourist destinations for exploration, but also have a beautiful landscape that is suitable for practicing a lot of sports.
Water sports like windsurfing, kitesurfing and scuba diving and extreme sports, such as rock climbing, paragliding, bungee jumping and even skydiving are some of the adventures that islands offer.
Although islands are extremely popular for different types of tourism (cultural tourism, beach tourism etc), and sports are gradually developing in these areas, the environmental governance often remains impilcit.
So, what can we do to protect the environment whilst enjoying our time on the islands?
Sport events on the islands
Research is key!
Before hosting a sport event make sure you have found the right location, with the least intervention needed, and be creative in terms of the facilities you are using.
There is always a more eco-friendly way to go, which can be succeeded with a more in depth and environmental oriented research.
For example, on the left picture we see an outside the stadium shot-put event, taking advantage of the island’s natural resources with as little intervention in nature as possible.
If there is a way to include an ecological activity in the event, do not hesitate to do it.
- If it is a hiking event encourage the athletes to clean the paths on time
- Also, you can encourage all the participants (volunteers, athletes etc) to bring reusable water bottles to reduce plastic waste
- Promote and further develop forms of sport which are compatible with nature and the environment of the islands
Sport on the islands
Be a sustainable traveler!
- If possible, use of means of transport that are the least harmful to the environment
- Use public transport, minibuses or car shares to get around instead of private cars when you’re going further
