Going Off Trail?
Hello Readers!!
In this week’s blog, we’ll touch on the topic of going “off-trail”. Before we continue, would just like to mention that according to the Park and Trees Regulations in Singapore, venturing off-trail in nature reserves is not allowed and carries a fine of up to S$2000. The impacts of going off-trail is not acknowledged by the majority of the public. A research has found that, a large percentage of hikers who venture off-trail, do not feel that going off-trail is an important issue. So, what is the cause of concern with going off-trail and what has this got to do with the photographic community?
Before the crowd arrived, some photographers (left) have already set up their equipment off the trail
There are a number of factors that can influence a wildlife photographer to go off-trail. The most probable reason (based on what I observed) is to get closer to the wildlife. Getting closer means that there is less atmosphere between the lens and the wildlife, resulting in a sharper photo. Just a few weeks ago, there were reports of a rare parrot appearing in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR). I decided to make a trip there to photograph this elusive parrot too. Of course, the sighting also drew quite a large crowd. The narrow pathway in that area caused some of the photographers to step off the trail due to a lack of space and some also venture “off-trail” to get closer to the parrots.
Notice the difference in the vegetation on the left and right of the trail?
Impacts
An article noted that while some off-trail use does not severely impact an ecosystem, the amount of soil compaction and erosion caused by going off-trail also depends on the number of visit each area receives. Soil compaction basically means that the soil becomes denser and the air pockets in the soil is reduced. This reduces water infiltration into the soil, leading to runoffs which can then cause erosion. Denser soil may also affect certain species of plant growth as it will be more difficult for the roots to penetrate the soil.
The most obvious impact of going off-trail is that small plants and animals get trampled on. Purpose built trails concentrate traffic on hardened surfaces, to protect sensitive ecosystem from the heavy visitorship rate. On a 39 hectare island in the Potomac Gorge, 16.1km of informal (visitor created) trails have been formed due to the extensive presence of off-trail hiking. Going off-trail puts these sensitive ecosystems at risk as these informal trails are not properly designed or located.
Managing off-trail goers has its challenges. In some places, it is difficult to draw the line between going off-trail and staying on the path. It will also require a lot of resources (fences & signs) and people to manage errant park users. Hopefully though this blog, I will be able to convince some photographers and park users to be more aware of their actions in our nature reserves.
*All images belong to me unless otherwise stated*
Hi Benjamin!
This is a really interesting post! I’ve never thought of how a simple action by us can impact the environment. Reading this post reminds me of how we trample over grass patches just to take a short cut, but end up harming that patch of land. Over time, the area that is trampled over is often converted to another walking path, as it can no longer fulfil its use as a grass patch. Do you think that the nature reserve areas affected by people going off-track will lead to an extension of the trail width?
– Jo
Hi Jo!!
Definitely!! In fact, the article that I used also did mentioned about it. I’ll put the article’s link at the bottom for your reference. Besides trail widening, the article also mentioned other impacts of the informal trail that is attributed to their poor design.
https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S0301479717306643
– Ben
Hey Benjamin & Jo,
Some of your yr 4 seniors did their urban ecology group project on the phenomenon of desire paths and their impacts. They did a phenomenal job. If you contact Linus, he was one of the group members – I bet he’d gladly tell you about their findings.
jc
HI Benjamin!
I was wondering whether you think that going off-trail for wildlife photography is always unjustified. From what I know, don’t animal documentary photographers and videographers often have to enter off-trail areas to film and take pictures of the wildlife for their documentaries? Most animals can be found in off trails areas. Where would you draw the line at who can enter the off-trail areas for photography and videography?
Regards
Azhari
Hi Azhari, thanks for having a look at my blog!
On the point of “Most animals can be found in off trails areas”, I don’t think that is necessarily the case for all scenarios. In fact, sometimes it is easier to find animals that are near the trails as they are already used to the presence of us humans. Animals that are more likely to found off-trail are usually seclusive and do not want to be seen out in the open.
As for the filming of documentaries, usually a permit has to be acquired before the film crew can proceed off-trail. As mentioned in the blog, some off-trail will probably have negligible impact. It is the collective impact of many off-trail goers that will place greater pressure on the ecosystem.
– Ben
Hi Benjamin,
Sorry to ask all these Qs – but your blog is so informative and I’m so curious. You say that having less atmosphere between you and the subject makes for better photos. What do you mean ? Like, are you saying a zoom lens doesn’t give great results ?
jc
Hi Dr. Coleman!!
The air might have dust, pollution and mist. Heat from the ground can distort the light going through the air too. All these factors can distort an image and reduce its sharpness. Hence, getting closer and having less atmosphere between you and the subject makes the photo sharper.
– Ben 🙂
interesting !