How Hikers Can help with Conservation in NSW

How Hikers Can Help with Conservation in NSW

When you think of conservation work, you might picture researchers in the outback, volunteers pulling weeds for hours, or teams building fences to protect endangered habitats. And while all of that matters deeply, so does something else: the quiet, everyday choices made by regular hikers on regular tracks.

Yep — even your short weekend loop walk can be part of something bigger.

In New South Wales, we’re lucky to walk among ancient escarpments, rare species, and ecosystems found nowhere else in the world. And with that comes a responsibility — not just to enjoy the bush, but to help protect it.

Here’s how hikers (yes, even day hikers) can make a genuine contribution to conservation efforts across NSW.

1. Stick to the Track (Even When It’s Tempting Not To)

It’s easy to step off-trail to get a better photo or avoid a muddy patch — but those side steps add up. Fragile plants, fungi networks, and nesting animals can be damaged with just one careless footstep.

• Stay on marked tracks, even if they’re wet, rocky or slower
  
  
• Resist the urge to take “shortcuts” on switchbacks
  
  
• Help kids understand why staying on track matters — even if it looks like “just grass”
  

If it looks like no one walks there, there’s probably a good reason.

2. Pack Out More Than You Pack In

This one’s simple, but powerful. Every bit of rubbish we carry out (ours or someone else’s) helps protect waterways, wildlife, and soil health.

• Bring a small rubbish bag and pick up as you go — snack wrappers, tissues, even bottle caps
  
  
• Avoid leaving behind micro-trash like fruit stickers and bandaid wrappers
  
  
• Be careful not to lose items like hair ties, baby wipes, or soft plastics (wind carries them fast)

In the past few months, on three separate hiking trails, I’ve found five pairs of underwear left behind at wild swimming locations. While normally we’re not ones to judge, we’re judging this one pretty hard — Why would you leave those behind? Why are you walking around the bush commando? Take your underwear with you when you leave a National Park!

3. Walk Gently Through Wildlife Territory

We share the trails with wallabies, lyrebirds, goannas, and countless critters most of us never even see. Our presence alone can affect their behaviour.

• Keep noise low to avoid startling animals
  
  
• Don’t feed wildlife — even crumbs can attract scavengers and upset local diets
  
  
• Keep dogs on-leash in approved areas only (and leave them home in national parks)
  

Avoid bringing bluetooth speakers into the bush.... No one wants to hear that.... Hikers or animals.

4. Don’t Bring Hitchhikers (Clean Your Gear!)

Invasive weeds, fungi, and pathogens can hitch a ride on your boots, socks, or even your backpack.

• Brush down shoes and gear before and after hikes
  
  
• Use boot scrub stations if provided (especially in areas affected by Phytophthora)
  
  
• Avoid hiking in closed or quarantined zones — closures are there for a reason
  

Some fungi can live in a single muddy tread for years — cleaning your boots isn’t overkill, it’s bush protection.

5. Get Involved in Citizen Science

You don’t need a biology degree to help the experts. There are loads of ways hikers can contribute to wildlife tracking and habitat health.

• Use apps like iNaturalist or FrogID to log sightings
  
  
• Take photos of wildflowers, fungi, and animal tracks — your snaps might contribute to long-term data
  
  
• Report invasive species like foxes, deer, or even unusual plants
  

Kids especially love this one — it gives their curiosity a real purpose.

6. Respect Fire-Affected and Recovering Areas

NSW is no stranger to bushfires — and while the land does regenerate, it’s vulnerable for years afterwards.

• Avoid off-track walking in post-fire zones (even if they’ve reopened)
  
  
• Stay out of regrowth — trampled seedlings don’t grow back
  
  
• Be extra careful with campfires, stoves, and cigarettes
  

Bushfire recovery can take decades. Every cautious footstep helps.

7. Support Conservation with Your Wallet and Your Voice

If you’re able to, put your money or your voice behind conservation efforts in NSW.

• Buy your national parks pass — fees support park maintenance and protection
  
  
• Donate to local groups like WIRES, NPWS volunteers, or wildlife hospitals
  
  
• Speak up in support of environmental protections, track upgrades, and funding for public land
  

Even writing to your local MP about protecting green spaces counts as a form of conservation.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to carry a clipboard or pull out weeds to be a conservationist. Sometimes it’s just about paying attention — to where you step, what you carry, and how you treat the land that holds you.

Every small action matters. Every trail choice leaves a mark.

So next time you’re out for a day walk, know this: your respect, your care, your quiet effort — it’s noticed. Maybe not by the next hiker. But by the lyrebird who still has a place to scratch the soil. By the creek that runs clear after heavy rain. And by the patch of scrub untouched by careless feet.