Conference report > Rock climbing and environmental awareness

This one-day conference was held at Charlotte Mason College, Ambleside in 1988. It was organised by the Adventure and Environmental Awareness Group in association with the British Mountaineering Council and there were over 100 delegates at the event.

John Wyatt of the AEA Group chaired and introduced the conference by saying that a crag is not just a rock but a living community of plants and animals. A climber becomes part of this community and should judge his impact on it. The plant communities on Lake District crags are remnants of an ancient flora that covered the fells and have remained protected until now because they are out of reach of grazing sheep. There are more climbers than ever before. There will be fewer problems if climbers and conservationists could come to a better understanding of each other.

Paul Nunn, a climber and author of the Borrowdale Guide, presented slides that showed the effects of “gardening” on different crags throughout the 60’s and 70’s. He questioned the current situation where climbers concentrated their efforts on a few specific places and he thought this could be a nuisance and may lead to charging.

Ian Lonsdale, a pioneer rock climber of the 1970’s, traced the history of “gardening” in climbing. He outlined some of the restrictions climbers face from bird nesting, lambing, grouse shooting and quarrying and made the point that most climbers are sensitive to the environment.

Bob Bunce from the AEA Group, a climber and ecologist, described the groups of plants specific to the cliffs. He stated that in the Lake District there are relatively few conflicts between the areas where climbers want to go and particularly interesting plants. Generally, people want to climb the big crags that are poor in botanical interest. Walk offs, however, can be a significant factor especially if in wet gullies and near spring lines. In ice climbing 90% of the damage occurs in a wet thaw with people trampling on ledges.

Pete Whillance, another outstanding climber, said that there was a need to be realistic. Climbers are not going to stop producing new routes and there is little prospect of established methods of “clearing” being changed. They are more likely to take notice of conservationists if the evidence of long term damage to cliff vegetation is made available.

John White from the LDNPA led a discussion on “Peregrines and bird life”. The co-operation of climbers in Mountain Rescue teams has helped with a lot of peregrine work in the Lake District. Sometimes climbers have been approached by birdwatchers in the wrong way. Information needs to be made more widely available for climbers to appreciate the situation.

Bob Bunce led a discussion on “Botany and Crags”. He recognised the need for more research on the effects of climbing on crags. There was a call for better communication between conservation bodies and climbers and guidebooks should include local environmental information. Examples of good co-operation and access agreements should be publicised and the emphasis should be on education rather than legislation. It was felt that the British Mountaineering Council should take on more responsibility by appointing another conservation officer.

John Wyatt in a Postscript to the Conference recognises that freedom is fundamental to climbers. He argues that freedom is not lost if it is allied to responsibility and argues that a climber’s awareness of nature can add to the adventure. A starting point is a much clearer exchange of information between climbers and conservationists.

The full report of the conference is available from:

Geoff Cooper
AEA Group Chairman
Low Bank Ground
Coniston
Cumbria
LA21 8AA

Send cheque payable to “Adventure and Environmental Awareness Group” for £4 for each report. This price includes post and package.

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