All of us enjoy a day out but we must remember to respect what makes our day out so enjoyable – the beautiful scenery, clean water and fresh air. Those special places won't be special in the future unless we take measures now to ensure our actions are responsible.
✔️ Leisure Pursuits
- Boats and jet–skis create noise and chemical pollution which is disturbing to wildlife – don't keep the engine running unnecessarily.
- If you are sailing, surfing, or windsurfing keep a distance of at least 100m from marine mammal and bird nesting sites to avoid disturbing them.
- Only participate in hunting or fishing when it can be shown to be part of an effective management plan.
- When rock pooling, don't disturb animals especially limpets as they can die if dislodged from the rock.
- Don't use lead weights for angling, this is now illegal as lead is a toxic metal.
- Discard hooks, nets, lines, and weights responsibly as they are a potential threat to wildlife.
- Don't damage or collect marine life when diving. A carelessly kicked fin can easily break coral that has taken 50 years to grow.
✔️ Keep It Beautiful
- Take all rubbish home from the beach and countryside – many items take years to degrade and are dangerous to wildlife.
- Don't let your dog disturb wildlife or foul the beach. If there are no disposal bins ask the local council to provide some.
- Dispose of sanitary waste properly, not down the toilet – or you might just find it on the beach next time you visit.
- Report anything unusual such as pollution or animal strandings to the local authority, coastguard or environment agency.
- Voice concerns about planned development of environmentally sensitive areas to your local officials.
- Never pick wild flowers, dig up wild plants or break tree branches.