The Great Outdoors Spring 2019

B

C

D

Go to http://www.tgomagazine.co.uk/eoca

to read more and to vote.

Which of these worthwhile environmental projects

is most deserving of a funding boost? You decide...

Big Mountain Clean-Up

EVERY YEAR, he Great Outdoors works
with the European Outdoor Conservation
Association (EOCA) to give our readers
the opportunity to have input on where
its funding will be spent. EOCA is
comprised of businesses throughout the
outdoor industry, and raises money for
conservation projects across the world.
his year you can vote on four projects
nominated by EOCA members in the
Mountain category, each of them focused
on raising awareness of plastic polution
and cleaning up waste. Read about each of
the projects here, then head online to
http://www.tgomagazine.co.uk/eoca to vote
between 28 March and 11 April.

A

A

Clean-up Langtang

to sustain high

altitude heritage, Nepal
Nominated by Frost Guiding

Langtang National Park is the
third most popular heritage
trek of Nepal. It harbours rare
and threatened species such
as the red panda, snow leopard
and clouded leopard as well
as endemic and endangered
lora. Nepal’s rural mountain
communities lack waste disposal
services and additional waste
is brought in by trekking.
Inadequate knowledge and
rampant waste disposal
threaten the fragile mountain
ecosystem, wildlife and habitats.
This project will organise a huge
clean-up campaign involving
local schools and communities,
promoting ecotourism and zero
waste. It will help understand
the root cause of littering and
its sustainable management.
Funding will be used to promote
eco-friendly behaviour.
resourceshimalaya.org

B Plastic-free Rila

Mountains, Bulgaria

Nominated by Ferrino

Rila is the sixth highest

mountain in Europe, its range

encompassing two national

parks. Abundant in glacial

lakes and hot springs, these

parks attract many visitors,

resulting in large amounts of

rubbish spoiling the mountain

landscapes and posing a threat

to wildlife. This project will work

with outdoor enthusiasts to

raise awareness of the negative

effect of plastic waste, and with

individual mountain huts, most

of which illegally burn, bury or

dump plastic waste. Five events

will clean up at least 300km of

trail and 100,000m^2 around at

least 10 huts. It will also work

with 17 huts to assess and

reduce their use of plastic, and

create an art installation and a

social media campaign to raise

awareness on plastic waste

generation across Bulgaria.

ecosystemeurope.org

C

The Himalayan

Cleanup, India

Nominated by Grangers

Due to increasing tourist

footfall, plastics have entered

the remotest mountain

environments where the terrain

makes it dificult to dispose of

plastic waste. Wildlife including

red pandas and black bears

consume plastic through food

left in plastic packaging. In 2018,

a Himalayan Cleanup across the

12 mountain states mobilised

15,000 volunteers across 200

sites, sorting and recycling waste

and making ecobricks from

plastics. This project will run the

Cleanup day again, alongside

other community clean-up

events raising awareness

locally as well as among tourism

sectors. A workshop will be held

with government to discuss

sustainable waste management

strategies and keeping key

habitats clean, underpinned by

results from a waste audit.

inmi.in

D

Montaña Limpia,

Latin America (Brazil,

Peru, Chile and Argentina)

Nominated by The North Face

Since 2013, Acceso PanAm

has engaged climbers, hikers

and local communities to give

back to the mountains via an

annual mountain clean-up

event. The Montaña Limpia

(Clean Mountains) campaign

runs simultaneously across a

number of countries in Latin

America and has been gaining

in momentum. In 2019 the aim

is to have 30 events happening

across six countries with over

600 volunteers cleaning over

300km of trail. Funding will also

be used to develop an app to

engage younger people who are

increasingly disconnected from

the mountains, as well as helping

record data on the litter found,

the impacts on habitats and

wildlife and offering educational

and waste collection resources

to help events.

accesopanam.org

12 The Great Outdoors Spring 2019

ALMANAC