A packet of crisps puts this UNESCO World Heritage site at risk

When we tell you that you shouldn't throw your trash on the ground, and even less in protected areas, there's a reason! In New Mexico, an unscrupulous tourist threw an empty bag of Cheetos in a magnificent national park classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ecosystem of one of the caves was seriously affected. : only the rapid intervention of the staff prevented the disaster.

an epidemic of tourists

In New Mexico, within the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, tourists can admire the fifth largest cave in North America, which measures nearly 1,200 meters long and 190 meters wide. This magical place, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracts many visitors, some of whom are not very respectful of the site's preservation conditions. Among other things, vacationers are asked to only consume water on site… A simple instruction, which The presence of an entire packet of Cheetos, abandoned in the cave called the “Great Room”, which is several million years old and accessible by a 2 km path, has however put things in jeopardy.

The incident, reported by CNN, has shaken up the ecosystem of the American park. According to park rangers, these industrial cheese crackers, softened by the humidity of the cave, created an ideal environment for microbial life and fungi. Cave crickets, mites, spiders and flies quickly formed a temporary food web, dispersing nutrients throughout the cave's spaces, changing life within the cave. Fortunately, staff responded quickly, spending more than 20 minutes removing the mold that had grown and spread across the surface of the ground.

< p>This is a reminder of how an anecdotal gesture on our part can disrupt nature…