Leave No Trace
What is Leave No Trace?
Leave No Trace (LNT) is a set of outdoor ethics principles designed to guide recreation in natural environments in ways that minimise visitor impact. Originally developed for wilderness camping in the United States by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the seven LNT principles have been adopted globally across adventure travel, responsible tourism, and national park management: plan ahead and prepare; travel and camp on durable surfaces; dispose of waste properly ("pack it in, pack it out"); leave what you find; minimise campfire impacts; respect wildlife; and be considerate of other visitors.
The LNT philosophy extends beyond environmental specifics to a broader ethic: visiting natural spaces as a respectful temporary guest, not as a consumer with entitlement to the experience. In practice it means carrying out all waste, staying on designated trails, not disturbing wildlife for photographs, not collecting natural objects, and choosing behaviours based on their cumulative impact rather than their individual insignificance.
Example of Leave No Trace
Sofia's hiking group in the Dolomites carried out every piece of rubbish — including a water bottle and two cigarette butts left by others. She photographed a chamois from 40 metres without moving closer even when it would have allowed a better shot. At camp, she used a designated fire ring and carried ashes out in a bag. None of it was difficult. The group behind hers, she noticed, left an orange peel "because it was biodegradable." The cumulative effect of that logic, across ten thousand hikers a summer, was visible on every trail margin she'd ever walked.