OBJECTIVES: (derived from the Declaration:)

"... We shall undertake all steps and measures of care to preserve the safety and serenity of the mountains and the living communities in them. This orientation will guide our lives from day to day."

"At the same time, we shall tirelessly show and explain this to many other people, especially our fellow mountaineers, and each of us will persuasively draw in more people who would join us in signing this declaration and in solidarity behind it. This, becuase Human life is inextreicably linked to that of Mother Nature and each one can contribute significantly to efforts of caring for her.

"In this manner, we shall form and strengthen an environment of mountaineers, a movement totally focused on environmental concerns, that would hold an annual convention of mountaineers for environmental rescue and conservation."

FOCUSES

• Purely environmental concerns among mountaineers.
• Purely mountain-ecosystems concerns among environmentalists.

MEMBERSHIP

• All mountaineers, backpackers and outdoor enthusiasts, whether or not belonging to any club or organization, who have signed the Declaration, who are credibly pledge to constanly try to promote its propagation and observance, and who are willing to work along the thrusts and task set by the Annual Convention and/or by the standing mechanism it creates. (N.B. the Coordinating Committee for the the period March 2000 - March 2001.)
• Organization and groups the majority of the members of which shall have previously signed the Declaration, as attested by its formal leadership.

THRUSTS

1. Campaign - to continualy educate climbers on the how to restore, protect & preserve the Mountain Environment..

2. Research on Micro-Habitat & Bio-Diversity - to gather datas, and inform the climbers alike on the uniqueness of species of every areas concerned, and how we(climbers) affect the unique diversity of species & creatures in the wilds.

3. Research on Carrying Capacity/Load - since the huge number of climbers direct or indirectly affect the mountain environment, this study will inform climbers on the capacity of each areas not just the camp site but the entire mountains.

HISTORY

1.) C.L.E.A.R.'s KAMAYAN FORUM, 1995

Featured Topic :

Is Mountaineering Environment Friendly?

Panel Include

Boboy Francisco of FED, Rey Cuyugan of SB, Official from DOT, official from DENR, Ed De Vera

Forum Participants were mostly mountaineers from UPM, AM, SB, SAM, & environmentalists.

Discussions established that,

• Mountains' degradation was accelerating
• Many problems from tourists & settlers
• Mountaineering clubs & Fed not educating fast enought to cope with recruitment. "They step all over the place before learning to love the environment."
• "Low-impact Mountaineering" has been to vogue to be useful in protecting mountains.
• Action poin: Form an environment oriented network of mountaineers. CLEAR Sec-gen. (Ed Reyes) appointed as point person representing CLEAR(convenor).

2.) SERIES of ORGANIZING COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

A series of meetings was called and held, mostly in classrooms in UP Diliman, attended by volunteers unofficially representing various mountaineering groups, with the following decisions.

• Drafting, Discussion, Refinement & Finalization of a declaration of commitment to preserve the safety and serenity of the mountains.
• Signature drive on the declaration of commitment.
• Call a meeting of signatories as a "First Annual Convention of Mountaineers for the Environment" that would set year long plans and elect an implementing committee that would also organize the succeeding annual convention.
• An organization may become a signatory only if a majority of its members have become singatories.
• Clarify to all that this movement will be working exclusively on environmental concerns. It will not duplicate, much less compete with, the FED or any mountaineering groups.

3.) Four-Year Lull

The declaration signature-solicitation forms were reproduced and farmed, but most of these did not move.

4.) Second Wind: March 2000 at Kamayan Forum

That focused on the topic "Mountaineering for the Environment." Right after the forum, the declaration singatories were convened in the same venue as the long-delayed "First annual convention of mountaineers for the environment" which produced a year-long plan & a 5-member coordinating committee. Mountaineers for the Environment was born & the rolse of CLEAR's Ed Reyes as convenor was terminated. MofE has since gravitated around SALiKA(Saniblakas ng Inang Kalikasan.)