The Physical Damage of Climbing Activity on Sandstone Lichen Cover

Schweizer, Anne-Maria; Höschler, Lucas; Steinbauer, Manuel J.

doi:10.3390/su132413590

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This decrease is equivalent to the loss of around two plant individuals per climbing ascent, mostly occurring during the first 10 climbers' ascents. This is in line with the results of Schweizer et al (2021), which revealed that climber impacts occur mostly during the climbers' first ascents. Climbing outfitters typically remove loose rocks that might pose a safety risk for climbers.…”

Section: The Origin and Extent Of Climbing Impactsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Significant differences in lichen cover were observed after 20 ascents compared to the pre-opening monitoring, and after 30 ascents compared to the post-opening monitoring, resulting in an overall reduction of 34.6%. These findings also align with the results of Schweizer et al (2021), who reported a strong reduction in lichen cover within the first 50 ascents, with no significant decreases afterwards. However, lichen cover was constant in the nearby area of the climbing route (Fig.…”

Section: The Origin and Extent Of Climbing Impactsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Origin of the impact of rock climbing on cliff ecosystems: A guide to evidence-based conservation management to regulate climbing

Morales-Armijo,

Sobrevilla-Covarrubias,

Estrada-Castillón

et al. 2024

Preprint

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1. Cliff ecosystems provide refuge to 35-66% of the world’s endemic plants. However, they face growing threats from climbing. Evidence suggests that untouched cliffs harbor approximately twice the plant richness compared to climbed cliffs, with increasing impact as climbing intensity increases. Unfortunately, the origin and extent of the climbing impact has not been assessed so far. 2. We recorded cliff vascular plants and lichens at the protected natural area of El Potrero Chico (Mexico) before and after the establishment of new climbing routes. Subsequently, we re-recorded the routes at various time-points after openings while controlling the number of ascents. Additionally, we examined whether original cliff vegetation abundance influences the extent of climbing impact, and whether the surroundings of the new routes were also affected. 3. We found that the establishment of new climbing routes exerted the strongest negative effects on cliff plants, reducing species richness by 38%, while subsequent climbers’ ascents generated a minimal impact on richness. Worryingly, route opening affected not only species richness in the route itself, but also the surroundings of the climbing routes. Cliff plant abundance decreased by 60.6% within the bolted climbing routes, whereas it rapidly decreased by 42.3% in the surrounding area. However, this impact depended on the original vegetation abundance of the untouched cliffs. Lichen cover showed a gradual decrease, indicating that cliff-dwelling lichens are affected not only by the opening of the route but also by subsequent climbers’ ascents. 4. Synthesis and applications: Given the almost non-existent regulation of outdoor climbing activities in most countries, we urge the implementation of a conservation management protocol that defines clear strategies to regulate climbing activities and preserve pristine cliffs. On untouched cliffs with narrow endemic, rare, or threatened species, we propose banning the establishment of new climbing areas. On cliffs lacking protected or unique species, dynamic management actions should be implemented, setting a maximum number of climbing routes that can be established, and defining Limits of Acceptable Change as climbing intensity increases. The proposed conservation management should help to halt the loss of unique cliff biodiversity and safeguard pristine cliff ecosystems.

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Section: The Origin and Extent Of Climbing Impactsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: The Origin and Extent Of Climbing Impactsupporting

confidence: 91%

Origin of the impact of rock climbing on cliff ecosystems: A guide to evidence-based conservation management to regulate climbing

Morales-Armijo,

Sobrevilla-Covarrubias,

Estrada-Castillón

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Also, first ascents could be more impactful for cliff plant communities. Thus, the impact would not increase significantly with increasing frequency of climbers, as indicated by Schweizer et al (2021). They studied how lichen cover in a boulder changes during simulated increasing climbing frequency.…”

Section: Climbing Impact On the Presence And Diversity Of Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rock climbing affects cliff-plant communities by reducing species diversity and altering species coexistence patterns

March‐Salas¹,

Morales-Armijo²,

Hernández-Agüero³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Cliffs are unique ecosystems with an outstanding but relatively unknown plant diversity, harboring rare, endemic and threatened species, but also common and dominant species. The rising popularity of climbing represents an increasing threat to cliff biota, potentially diminishing diversity and species associations, and affecting the community composition. We used a novel closely paired sampling design in climbing routes with different climbing intensities in El Potrero Chico (Nuevo León, Mexico), differentiating plant species and analyzing species associations and community composition in climbed and unclimbed plots. Diversity on the sampled cliffs was high, even greater than in other regional ecosystems. We found reduced abundance, cover, and diversity in climbed plots, irrespective of the climbing intensity. Dominant species were the most negatively affected by rock climbing in terms of abundance, and some locally rare species, comprising endemics and endangered species, were entirely absent from climbed plots. Co-occurrence analysis showed that the number of associations between pairs of dominant and common species were greatly reduced in climbed plots, and that positive associations between locally rare species existed in unclimbed plots but not in climbed plots, which may contribute to the disappearance of endemic and threatened species. Finally, NDMS analysis revealed that the community composition significantly changed due to climbing. Our results indicates that conservation science should convince stakeholders of the need for a holistic conservation of cliff ecosystems and not only focus on emblematic or rare species, since the plant community dynamics and preservation depends on the coexistence and interactions between different plant species.

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Rock climbing affects cliff-plant communities by reducing species diversity and altering species coexistence patterns

et al. 2023

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Cliffs are unique ecosystems with an outstanding but relatively unknown plant diversity, harboring rare, endemic and threatened species, but also rock-specialist or generalist species that can become locally common and dominant on cliffs. The rising popularity of climbing represents an increasing threat to cliff biota, affecting community composition and potentially diminishing diversity and species associations. We used a novel sampling design of closely-paired climbed versus unclimbed points along the cliff-face. We sampled along climbing routes of different climbing intensities in El Potrero Chico (Nuevo León, Mexico), identifying plant species and analyzing species associations and community composition in climbed and unclimbed plots. Diversity on the sampled cliffs was high, even greater than in other regional ecosystems. We found reduced abundance, cover, and diversity in climbed plots, irrespective of climbing intensity. Dominant species on the sampled cliffs were the most negatively affected by rock climbing in terms of abundance, and some locally rare species, including endemics and endangered species, were entirely absent from climbed plots. Co-occurrence analysis showed that the number of associations between pairs of dominant and common species were greatly reduced in climbed plots, and that positive associations between locally rare species existed in unclimbed plots but not in climbed plots, which may contribute to the disappearance of endemic and threatened species. Finally, NMDS analysis revealed that the community composition changed significantly due to climbing. Our results indicate that conservation science should convince stakeholders of the need for a holistic conservation of cliff ecosystems and not focus solely on emblematic or rare species, since plant community dynamics and preservation depend on interactions between plant species.

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The Physical Damage of Climbing Activity on Sandstone Lichen Cover

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Origin of the impact of rock climbing on cliff ecosystems: A guide to evidence-based conservation management to regulate climbing

Origin of the impact of rock climbing on cliff ecosystems: A guide to evidence-based conservation management to regulate climbing

Rock climbing affects cliff-plant communities by reducing species diversity and altering species coexistence patterns

Rock climbing affects cliff-plant communities by reducing species diversity and altering species coexistence patterns

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