Can Kitesurfing Save The World?

Can Kitesurfing Save The World?

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Kitesurfing is a very environmentally friendly sport, as kitesurfers we live for the buzz of being driven by the wind and the waves. We dont pollute the environment, instead we move with the flow of the wind and the journey of the tide. This buzz is created by the environment we are in. If we fail to honour the environment and the wildlife around us, then we fail to respect the very thing that makes our enjoyment possible!! By respecting our coastal environment we can ensure that kitesurfing will be around for many more years to come and that we have continuing access to some of the amazing spots we currently enjoy.

Here in Tarifa for example we have the privilege of being one of the last stops (and the first) for huge numbers of birds migrating from Europe to Africa (and vice versa) a huge natural lagoon, which forms at spring tides, used to be a prime feeding ground for these birds. This lagoon also offer glass flat, waist deep water...who do you think wins there! You got it, every time its windy and the lagoon fills up it is packed not with migrating birds but with kitesurfers enjoying the amazing conditions. Not that I'm saying this is necessarily a bad thing...I'm out there with everyone else, but there are legitimate concerns that this practice is interfering with the birds natural behavior and possibly disrupting the migration cycle.

More and more, environmental concerns are being raised against kitesurfers by local town councils. Why is this? Due to its nature of following the wind kitesurfing is very difficult to control and to legislate for. This leaves most councils leaving kitesurfers to legislate themselves. In practice that means that if you as a kitesurfer see another kitesurfer do something that it stupid, illegal or likely to annoy others which could potentially lead to kitesurfing being banned at any particular spot, it is your duty to step in and do something about it. Now thats a pretty tall order, especially if your new to the sport or are riding in a spot for the first time. Your not just gonna cruise up to Jo Bigshot and tell him he's an idiot and I wouldn't recommend you do. The best way to deal with this is by educating kitesurfers to their effect on the environment and this should start with the kitesurf school you choose to take kitesurfing lessons at and continue throughout your kitesurfing career. Many councils are becoming aware that kitesurfing can have an effect on much of the local flora and fauna and can interfere with the food chain and the natural patterns of local wildlife at a quite astonishing level.

Due to concerns such as the one in Tarifa many councils are looking carefully at where they allow kitesurfers to practice. As members of the kitesurfing community it is up to us to ensure that these concerns remain just that and that we don't give the councils a reason to act and take away our right to ride. This will only be achieved by using common sense when deciding where to ride and remembering that our sport is possible because of our environment we should therefore take all possible steps to protect that environment whenever possible.

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For more on kitesurfing and its effect on the environment visit Kitesurf School.



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