Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

Adventure Tourism and Recreation: Mountaineering and Trekking

Mountaineering and mountain trekking are forms of adventure tourism and recreation that are increasing in popularity globally (World Tourism Organization, 2014). These activities carry with them waste implications, both at lower elevations and in high-altitude, uninhabited and often extreme environments. Due to their remote location, mountaineering and trekking areas often do not have any sanitation facilities or waste collection services (particularly in poorer countries and regions). The most common forms of waste from mountaineering and trekking activities are human waste (excreta and urine), discarded equipment and supplies, and waste from pack animals. Approaches to waste management for mountaineering and trekking vary between formal measures, such as conditions placed by authorities on climbing permits or entry to national parks, through to more informal and community-based efforts to self-regulate.

Trends in mountaineering and trekking in developing regions

The number of foreign visitors to the Huascaran National Park (the Andes mountains, Peru) increased from 10,678 in 2011 to 48,971 in 2015, representing an almost fivefold increase in visitor numbers; compared to a 69 per cent increase in visitors to Peru over the same period. The number of hikers and climbers in Aconcagua National Park (west Argentina) has increased by about six times over the last decade, from

Case studies suggest that the number of people mountaineering and trekking has increased over the years across different mountain ranges (Lew and Han, 2015; Rassler, 2014), particularly in the developing world.

A trekking camp on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Photo © iStock/Apuuliworld

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