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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 4, 2011 - 01:49am PT
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ScienceDaily (May 3, 2011) — Rock climbers are having a negative impact on rare cliff-dwelling plants, ecologists have found. Writing in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology they say that in areas popular with climbers, conservation management plans should be drawn up so that some cliffs are protected from climbers.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110503203822.htm
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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This has also been an issue in Ontario on the Niagara Escarpement, where in some locations climbing was affecting small but very old trees. Hopefully someone from back east can add to this.
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Frogjamm
Trad climber
San Francisco
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I've heard that when boulderers brush moss of a boulder it can negatively affect the moss. And when hikers create trails they impact the vegetation.
Seriously, I'm all for preserving biodiversity, but this sounds like
a) nitpicking
and
b) a pretty damn uninteresting study.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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There is a semi remote cliff near here that has the center routes all closed for some plants that grow out of the cracks.
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seth kovar
climber
Reno, NV
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Does he ever?
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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here is the summary from the article:
1. Rock climbing enjoys enormous popularity world-wide. As a consequence, the anthropogenic pressure on the vegetation of formerly undisturbed cliff ecosystems is continuously increasing.
2. The impact of rock climbing on population structure and genetic variation of the rare plant species Draba aizoides was investigated representatively for many other typical central European cliff plants. Populations from eight climbed and from eight pristine cliffs were compared through the use of vertical transect analyses and molecular markers.
3. Population structure differed between climbed and pristine cliffs. Individuals of D. aizoides were significantly smaller and less frequent on climbed compared with pristine cliffs. On plateau sites, the species’ occurrence was unaffected by climbing activities; it was significantly less frequent on the faces, but more frequent on the tali of climbed in comparison with pristine cliffs.
4. Genetic variation was greater in populations from climbed compared with pristine cliffs, and genetic differentiation was stronger between subpopulations from pristine cliffs than between subpopulations from climbed cliffs.
5. Synthesis and applications. Rock climbing clearly affects population structure and genetic variation of D. aizoides. Seed dispersal is presumably enhanced by rock climbers but climbers remove and drop plant individuals from cliff faces, which causes a downward shift in population structure. This shift in turn reduces genetic differentiation between upper and lower subpopulations. In mountain regions that attract sport climbing, conservation management plans should therefore always ensure the provision of completely unclimbed cliffs to protect the native vegetation.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Sometime in the 1980s, long before the Squamish Chief became a park. Climber hikes up to the base of the Grand Wall, hears a chainsaw, when he gets there finds another climber who he knows has just felled a fairly large tree that used to be right at the base of The Flake.
#1: "Why'd you cut down that tree? It must have been at least 300 years old!"
#2: "Nah, it wasn't a day over 200."
(Story related by someone who was there - not me.)
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sempervirens
climber
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I'll agree with the common sense approach.
The study might be boring and mundane to many. But it can inform us. And why not be informed before climbing, or especially before cleaning. We either do the climb or we don't. You can't decide not to decide. So how 'bout get some info before deciding. Then maybe we could climb in a different way: at a different time, or go around a small plant, or affect only one of 100 individuals, ....
IMHO, we should find out what plants we're killing before we clean them. At least figure out their name. Some plants reproduce very rarely, would you want to kill one of those?
The issue of rare plants on climbs has come up before on this forum. But it seems to die quickly.
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tom Carter
Social climber
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Thanks Tami.
Common sense makes sense.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
or some such
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Agreed, sempervirens.
Knowledge is power. The power to spare and nurture is great, also.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/schweiz/novh/2007/00000085/F0020003/art00012
Effect of rock climbing on the calcicolous lichen community of limestone cliffs in the northern Swiss Jura Mountains
Authors: Baur, Bruno; Fröberg, Lars; Müller, Stefan W.
Source: Nova Hedwigia, Volume 85, Numbers 3-4, November 2007 , pp. 429-444(16)
Abstract:
Exposed limestone cliffs in the Swiss Jura Mountains harbour a diverse lichen community with some rare species. Sport climbing has recently increased in popularity on these cliffs. We examined the effect of sport climbing on calcicolous lichens by assessing species diversity and cover of lichens in climbed and unclimbed areas of 10 isolated cliffs in the northern Swiss Jura Mountains. We also investigated possible associations between lichens and lichen-feeding land snails on these cliffs. A total of 38 calcicolous lichen species, three bryophytes and one alga were found on the rock faces of 10 cliffs. Twenty lichen species (52.6%) were epilithic, 16(42.1%) endolithic and two (5.3%) foliose. Overall, the epilithic lichen species covered 8.3% of the rock surface, endolithic species 10.2%, and foliose species 0.03%. Climbed and unclimbed rock areas did not differ in total number of lichen species, species density (number of species per 100 cm2) or total lichen cover. However, the frequency of occurrence of epilithic lichens was lower along climbing routes than in unclimbed areas. A multi-response permutation test showed that the lichen community composition of climbed areas differed from that of unclimbed areas. The dissimilarity of lichen communities between climbed and unclimbed areas increased with increasing climbing intensity on the focal route in climbed areas, but not with the age of the climbing route. Five of the 11 snail species recorded on the cliff faces were specialized lichen feeders. Plots along climbing routes harboured fewer snail species than plots in unclimbed areas. Total snail abundance was positively correlated with lichen species richness, but no correlation between snail species richness and lichen species richness was found. Our results indicate that frequent rock climbing can change the lichen community and reduce the snail community of limestone cliffs. A climbing-related reduction of snail abundance may also alter the lichen-herbivore interaction and indirectly change competitive interactions among lichen species.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00367.x/full
Influences of Microhabitat Constraints and Rock-Climbing Disturbance on Cliff-Face Vegetation Communities
KATHRYN LYNNE KUNTZ, DOUGLAS W. LARSON
Conservation Biology Volume 20, Issue 3, pages 821–832, June 2006
Abstract: Many researchers report that rock climbing has significant negative effects on cliff biota. Most work on climbing disturbance, however, has not controlled for variation in microsite characteristics when comparing areas with and without climbing presence. Additionally, some researchers do not identify the style or difficulty level of climbing routes sampled or select climbing routes that do not represent current trends in the sport. We solved these problems by sampling climbing areas used by advanced “sport” climbers and quantifying differences in microtopography between climbed and control cliffs. We determined whether differences in vegetation existed between pristine and sport-climbed cliff faces when microsite factors were not controlled. We then determined the relative influence of the presence of climbing, cliff-face microtopography, local physical factors, and regional geography on the richness, abundance, and community composition of cliff-face vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens. When we did not control for microsite differences among cliffs, our results were consistent with the majority of prior work on impacts of climbing (i.e., sport-climbed cliff faces supported a lower mean richness of vascular plants and bryophytes and significantly different frequencies of individual species when compared with pristine cliff faces). When we investigated the relative influences of microtopography and climbing disturbance, however, the differences in vegetation were not related to climbing disturbance but rather to the selection by sport climbers of cliff faces with microsite characteristics that support less vegetation. Climbed sites had not diverged toward a separate vegetation community; instead, they supported a subset of the species found on pristine cliff faces. Prior management recommendations to restrict development of new climbing routes should be reevaluated based on our results.
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apogee
climber
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"...but this sounds like
a) nitpicking
and
b) a pretty damn uninteresting study."
I betcha someone with a strong anti-climbing agenda in your preferred local climbing area will find it very interesting.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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http://www.stat.duke.edu/courses/Fall02/sta240/THmidt.dir/rockclimb.pdf
Effects of Rock Climbing on Cliff Plant Communities at Joshua Tree National Park, California
Richard J. Camp, Richard L. Knight
Conservation Biology, Volume 12, Issue 6 (Dec., 1998), 1302-1306.
Abstract: We compared the plant communities on cliffs used for rock climbing with cliffs not used for climbing. Eighteen cliffs in Joshua Tree National Park, California (six each with no climbing, moderate climbing, and intensive climbing) were sampled for plant diversity and community structure. Plants were sampled on cliff faces and at the base of cliffs. The dominant taxa were Quercus cornelius-mulleri, Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata, and Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens. Plant species richness on cliff faces and at the base of cliffs was greater for cliffs with no evidence of climbing and lowest for cliffs with intensive use. Numbers of individual plants decreased with increased climbing use. Trees, shrubs, forbs, and cacti had greater relative abundances on cliffs without climbing than on cliffs with climbing. Plant cover on cliff faces decreased with increased climbing use. Adaptive management will be necessary to minimize the deleterious effects of rock climbing on plant communities associated with cliffs.
concluding paragraph
In order for Joshua Tree National Park to maintain intact cliff plant communities, management actions need to be developed and implemented to manage for climbing effects. Closures or controlled access to areas where climbing has not occurred would prevent additional loss and alteration of cliff plant communities. This is particularly important because climbing activities usually occur near campgrounds or access points (parking lots or road pull-offs). Recreational activities may be controlled or their effects limited by temporal closures of cliffs during critical seasons (spring green-up or flowering periods) and by spatial closures (permanent trail systems to focus disturbances, thus halting the spread of trampling). Through monitoring programs and control sites (cliffs without evidence of climbing) a baseline may be produced to assess the amount of change occurring at climbed cliffs. Controlling the behavior of recreationists is best achieved when individuals realize how their actions may alter a region's native biological diversity. By using the authority of the resource, rather than difficult- to-enforce restrictions, land-management agencies may see increased compliance by concerned recreationists.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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It isn't hard for those with an agenda, or lack of information, to claim that climbers are damaging the environment. Pretty hard to disprove.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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http://www.wilderness.net/library/documents/science1999/Volume5/Leung_5-4.pdf
Recreation Impacts and Management in Wilderness: A State-of-Knowledge Review
Yu-Fai Leung
Jeffrey L. Marion
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. 2000
Abstract—This paper reviews the body of literature on recreation resource impacts and their management in the United States, with a primary focus on research within designated wildernesses during the past 15 years since the previous review (Cole 1987b). Recreation impacts have become a salient issue among wilderness scientists, managers and advocates alike. Studies of recreation impacts, referred to as recreation ecology, have expanded and diversified. Research has shifted its focus more towards questions driven by wilderness and park planning frameworks such the Limits of Acceptable Change and the Visitor Experience and Resource Protection. This paper begins by providing an overview of recreation impacts and their significance in wilderness, followed by a review of research approaches and methods. Major findings from recent studies are summarized. The contribution of this knowledge base to management decisionmaking and practices is examined. The paper concludes with a discussion of major knowledge gaps and suggested areas for future research.
Climbing—Rock climbing is rapidly growing in popularity. Potential climbing-related impacts, including trail creation and use in steep approach areas, cleaning of vegetation and lichens from cliff faces, and use of protective hardware such as expansion bolts, have received little research attention until recently (Attarian and Pyke 2000). Earlier studies focused primarily on the proliferation of social trails and trampling of climbers in the access zone at the base of cliffs (Genetti and Zenone 1987). More recent studies have turned their attention to the cliff plant and wildlife communities on the vertical climbing zone. In Joshua Tree National Park of California, cliffs used intensively for climbing were found to have the lowest richness of cliff plant communities, and the number of individual plants and plant cover decreased with increased level of use (Camp and Knight 1998). Other studies in nonwilderness areas also found significant impact on vegetation and microflora (Nuzzo 1995; Nuzzo 1996).
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~pclark/Articles/McMillan%202002-%20effects%20of%20rock%20climbing%20on%20veg..pdf
Effects of Rock Climbing on the Vegetation of the Niagara Escarpment in Southern Ontario, Canada
Michele A. McMillian, Douglas W. Larson
Conservation Biology Vol. 16, 389, 2002
Abstract: The cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment support unique and diverse plant communities. Although recreational rock climbing has become extremely popular in North America over the past two decades, little is known about the effect of this sport on the natural biota. We examined the ecological effects of rock climbing on vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen communities along the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario. We made comparisons among randomly selected climbed and unclimbed rock outcrops by sampling from three positions: plateau (or cliff edge), cliff face, and talus (or cliff base). Density, percent cover, species richness, and species diversity of vascular plants were lower on climbed outcrops than on unclimbed outcrops. In addition, the proportion of alien plants was three times greater in climbed areas than unclimbed areas. The frequency and richness of bryophyte species were also significantly lower in climbed areas. The frequency of lichens was the same on climbed and unclimbed cliffs, but species richness was significantly lower in climbed areas, and community composition differed between climbed and unclimbed areas. Our results suggest that rock climbing has significant negative effects on all aspects of vegetative community on cliffs. Therefore we recommend that conservation plans be modified to include specific policies regarding recreational rock climbing for lands containing exposed cliffs. For example, we suggest that the establishment of new climbing routes be banned in protected areas along the Niagara Escarpment.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ie06richardsonh.pdf
Threats Posed by Rock-Climbers to Birds Nesting on Cliffs in the South Okanagan
Howard Richardson
Proceedings of a Conference on the Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C., 15 - 19 Feb.,1999.
ABSTRACT
An explosive growth in the sport of rock-climbing has brought previously isolated, cliff-dwelling species into close contact with humans. Skaha Bluffs in the South Okanagan Valley, B.C. is now a major rock-climbing destination and home to at least 13 Red- and Blue-listed species. Of these, by far the most visible is the white-throated swift (Aeronautes saxitalis). Peak use of this area by both swifts and climbers is April to September. Most of the swifts’ nests are on cliffs little used by climbers, who also prefer to climb on open faces rather than the cracks frequented by swifts. There was no detectable difference in the proportion of successful nests on cliffs used by climbers compared to unused cliffs. Nor was there any decrease over the course of the study in the total number of nesting swifts in Skaha Bluffs, or a move from cliffs popular with climbers to unvisited ones. Canyon wrens (Catherpes mexicana) seem equally unaffected by the surrounding clamour. The swift population is larger than previously determined, scattered over a large number of cliffs in the Okanagan. About 10% of the valley’s nesting swifts are found in Skaha Bluffs. The same happy state of affairs may well not exist for other threatened species in the area. Climbers need to be involved in, and more aware of, potential problems and their resolution if climbing is to be a perennial part of the local, recreational scene.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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this one keeps me awake at night. but worry about GMOs being planted wholesale by industrial farmers and affecting the worldwide environment? sleep tight!
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