With areas of outstanding natural beauty throughout the world under attack, the onus is on every visitor to the Pyrenees to do their own bit in helping to preserve the landscape.

There are a number of ways in which you can assist without creating any great difficulties for yourself – it's just a matter of following a few simple rules.

Don't leave litter
The following sign had been pinned up on a notice board in Mérens-les-Vals:
‘A bit of orange peel lasts six months before decomposing. Silver foil lasts eighteen months, textiles last 15 years, and a plastic bag ten to twelve years. An aluminium drinks can will last for 85 years on the ground, or 75 years in the sea. Scrap iron takes more than two centuries to be broken down. It takes the soil five years to recover from unauthorized dumping. Think about it.'

Some people persist in leaving rubbish along the main trails and near the refuges. Everything that you take up into the mountains should either be eaten, buried if it's biodegradable, or carried with you to the nearest village where you can find a bin. It is not possible to dump your litter at refuges as they have to deal with their own rubbish. Guardians, however, have supplies of plastic bin bags which they give away free to encourage walkers to take their litter with them.

Don't pick the flowers
However tempting it may be, leave the flora completely intact for the next people to enjoy.

Stay on the main trail
Increasing numbers of visitors are travelling to the Pyrenees in the summer – particularly to the busiest areas of the Central Pyrenees. This is causing severe erosion along the paths. The staff of the national parks and the local population elsewhere can cope with carrying out erosion control on one path but not on several where walkers have made separate ways up or down the hillsides.

Burn used lavatory paper
Used lavatory paper is an unsightly health risk. If you're camping rough or just have to answer the call of nature along the way, burn the paper rather than leaving it to rot in the open air. Bury the faeces.

Don't pollute water sources
If there's a latrine available, use it. Don't defecate within 20 metres of a water source.

When washing yourself or your clothes using detergents, don't pollute streams or lakes. Carry the water well away from the water source, and after using it dispose of it at least 20 metres from the original source.