It may seem trivial: picking up a stick to help you walk. But wildlife does not thank us. Explanations.
When hiking in nature, it may seem trivial to pick up a branch on the ground and use it as a walking stick. However, rangers say it can cause significant environmental damage. “Visitors may think ‘it’s just one branch’, but it can have a very significant cumulative effect over time,” says Lindie Pasma, a guard. “The simple act of removing a branch can impact many species. For example hedgehogs, they search the undergrowth for food… so by removing these branches, you also remove all the insects residing there .”
This therefore has an impact on hedgehogs, birds and all other species using this environment. Hikers picking up poles as a walking aid can create an “ecological nightmare” in large numbers. Each stick can be a habitat or a food source for various organisms. The guards often find some of these sticks at the exit of the hiking trails. But that’s just a small fraction of the poles that visitors pick up daily to help them cross streams or steep sections of the trail.
Thus, the hiking guides specify that they always carry a few spare walking sticks in their backpacks for hikers who feel the need for a little help on the trails, so that they do not have picking up branches. Ms. Pasma advises hikers to research the trails and check if they need specialized hiking poles before starting their hike.
“I think a lot of people think ‘it’s just one branch’, but they don’t see the incredible number of sticks that we pick up and have to redistribute and put back in the undergrowth. The hiking sticks, in in addition to reducing the need to remove branches from the natural environment, are also useful in decreasing the impact on walkers’ legs, knees and ankles, are a valuable safety tool and can be used again and again.”
