Participatory Geographic-Information-System-Based Citizen Science: Highland Trails Contamination due to Mountaineering Tourism in the Dolomites 

DOI:10.3390/su151813908 

Authors: Sati Elifcan Φzbek, Alberto Lanzavecchia, Francesco Ferrarese 

Abstract: Environmental pollution is a persistent problem in terrestrial ecosystems, including remote mountain areas. This study investigates the extent and patterns of littering on three popular hiking trails among mountaineers and tourists in the Dolomites range located in northeastern Italy. 
The data was collected adopting a citizen science approach with the participation of university students surveying the trails and recording the macroscopic waste items through a GPS-based offline platform. The waste items were categorized according to their material type, usage, and geographical location, 
and the sorted data was applied to Esri GIS ArcMapTM 10.8.1. 
Even though littering is found to be widespread all along the trails, the outcomes of the study reveal diverse patterns based on density (cigarette butts, napkins and wet wipes, and mountain equipment littering) while highlighting the prevalence of plastic pollution. 
The other patterns include voluntary and involuntary littering and different hot spots of contamination, with lodge, barn, and cableway effects. 
The implications of littering patterns for alpine environment sustainability are discussed, and recommendations are drawn indicating the need for increased supervision for waste management and maintenance on-site, GIS tech-based participatory awareness raising, and zippered clothing and equipment design for sustainable practices of mountaineering in the area.


Initial Dataset for Geo-location.XLSX

* Column A indicates the start of the data collection in the form of day/month/year and time. 
* Column B indicates the end of the data collection, so the data submission, on the offline system in the form of day/month/year and time. 
* Column C indicates the person who collected the data within the team.
* Column D indicates the GPS position of the item captured. 
* Column E indicates the latitude position of the item captured.
* Column F indicates the longitude position of the item captured.
* Column G indicates the altitude level of the item captured.
* Column H indicates the precision of the location of the item captured by GPS.
* Column I indicates the code of the trail on which the item is captured. 
* Column J indicates the where the item is captured: on the trail, around the trail 2m range or off trail. 
* Column K indicates the quantity of the items captured per data entry.
* Column L indicates the covid-19 relevance of the items captured, in the form of “yes-no”. 
* Column M indicates what the item captured is, under the categories of “beverage/drink bottle, food packaging, mountain equipment, wet wipe/napkin, clothing, face mask, and other”. 
* Column N indicates the category mountain equipment. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column O indicates the category clothing. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column P indicates the category beverage/drink bottle. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column Q indicates the category food packaging. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column R indicates the category face mask. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column S indicates the category wet wipe/napkin. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column T indicates the category other. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column U indicates the specification of the item registered under the category of other. 
* Column V indicates the material type of the item captured under the categories of “plastic, tin can/aluminum, paper-cardboard, glass, fabric/tissue, mixed, and other”. 
* Column W indicates the category plastic. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category.
* Column X indicates the category tin can/aluminum. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category.
* Column Y indicates the category glass. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category.
* Column Z indicates the category paper-cardboard. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category.
* Column AA indicates the category tissue. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category.
* Column AB indicates the category mixed. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column AC indicates the category other. “0” means the item is not under this category, “-1” means the item is under this category. 
* Column AD indicates the specification of the items registered under the category of other. 
* Column AE indicates the state of the item captured in the form of “old, new, not sure”. 
* Column AF indicates the link of the photo of the item captured on ONA Data. 

Figure 1.
This figure shows the topographic map of the study area. The trails on which the study had been conducted are indicated in red, and the legend is on the down left. Important stand points are indicated in big fonts, such as the lodges and passes. The numbers in parentheses show the altitude of the 

Figure 2. 
This figure shows the density of waste items per hectare along three trails. The trail lines are indicated in black, and the trail codes in red. The legend is on the down left, and the assigned colors for density are light yellow for less than or equal to 3; dark yellow for the rage 4-9, orange for the range 10-27, 
and dark red for more than or equal to 27.

Figure 3. 
This figure shows the distribution of cigarette butts every 50 meters along the trail E601 Viel Del Pan, and the altimetric profile and slope change of the trail. The upper graph indicates the distribution of cigarette butts with brown line, horizental axis indicating the meters, and vertical axis indicating the number of items. 
The downer graph shows the altimetric profile in blue line and the slope change in pink line. The horizontal axis indicates the meters, the left vertical axis indicates the altitude above sea meters, and the right vertical axis shows the slope change in %. 
Important locations are indicated such as lodges, passes and viewpoints. 

Figure 4. 
This figure shows the distribution of plastic and tin/aluminum items every 50 meters along the trail E601 Viel Del Pan, and the altimetric profile and slope change of the trail. The upper graph indicates the distribution of plastic items with green line and tin/aluminum items with orange line, horizental axis indicating the meters, and vertical axis indicating the number of items. 
The downer graph shows the altimetric profile in blue line and the slope change in pink line. The horizontal axis indicates the meters, the left vertical axis indicates the altitude above sea meters, and the right vertical axis shows the slope change in %. 
Important locations are indicated such as lodges, passes and viewpoints. 

Figure 5. 
This figure shows the distribution of plastic and other/mixed items every 50 meters along the trail E698, and the altimetric profile and slope change of the trail. The upper graph indicates the distribution of plastic items with green line and other/mixed items with grey line, horizental axis indicating the meters, and vertical axis indicating the number of items.
The downer graph shows the altimetric profile in blue line and the slope change in pink line. The horizontal axis indicates the meters, the left vertical axis indicates the altitude above sea meters, and the right vertical axis shows the slope change in %. 
Important locations are indicated such as lodges, passes and dam. 

Figure 6. 
This figure shows the distribution of wet wipes/napkin items every 50 meters along the trail E698, and the altimetric profile and slope change of the trail.The upper graph indicates the distribution of wet wipes/napkin items with purple line, horizental axis indicating the meters, and vertical axis indicating the number of items.
The downer graph shows the altimetric profile in blue line and the slope change in pink line. The horizontal axis indicates the meters, the left vertical axis indicates the altitude above sea meters, and the right vertical axis shows the slope change in %. 
Important locations are indicated such as lodges, passes and dam. 

Figure 7. 
This figure shows the distribution of plastic and other/mixed items every 50 meters along the trail E699, and the altimetric profile and slope change of the trail.The upper graph indicates the distribution of plastic items with green line and other/mixed items in grey line, horizental axis indicating the meters, and vertical axis indicating the number of items.
The downer graph shows the altimetric profile in blue line and the slope change in pink line. The horizontal axis indicates the meters, the left vertical axis indicates the altitude above sea meters, and the right vertical axis shows the slope change in %. 
Important locations are indicated such as lodges, passes and cableway. 

Figure 8. 
This figure shows the distribution of mountain equipment items every 50 meters along the trail E699, and the altimetric profile and slope change of the trail.The upper graph indicates the distribution of mountain equipment items in dark red line, horizental axis indicating the meters, and vertical axis indicating the number of items.
The downer graph shows the altimetric profile in blue line and the slope change in pink line. The horizontal axis indicates the meters, the left vertical axis indicates the altitude above sea meters, and the right vertical axis shows the slope change in %. 
Important locations are indicated such as lodges, passes and cableway.