Instagram is destroying the world – but this photographer is trying to stop it

“We should never put likes, follows and money over the planet,” says Elisabeth Brentano, “and since we can’t seem to control ourselves, Instagram and Facebook have a responsibility to step in.”

The travel blogger (below) has launched a petition calling on social media companies to act against users who post images showing either illegal behaviour, such as camping in a prohibited area, or a neglect for sensitive environments. Brentano, a writer, blogger and photographer from Los Angeles, says Facebook and Instagram should introduce a specialised “report” button for such transgressions and be able to ban repeat offenders.

The petition has garnered 13,500 signatures in three weeks.

“It only takes one person to ruin a place,” she says. “For me it’s all about being aware of the long-term consequences after pressing the ‘share’ button - and taking an educational approach when possible. If there is any doubt as to how an image might be interpreted by someone who doesn’t read captions or understand what it means to be a responsible tourist, I would rather not risk it.”

Brentano is not the only one to notice the negative impact of social media. This week, conservationists in Scotland said they were concerned by a trend of building stone towers for photo opportunities that could lead to the erosion of delicate environments. “The overpowering urge is to prove they’ve been there on Instagram or social media,” John Hourston, founder of Blue Planet Society, told the Scotsman.

Brentano has put together a dossier of Instagram users behaving in irresponsible or illegal ways, from operating drones in national parks in America and Canada to camping and lighting fires in protected areas, as well as the illegal feeding of wildlife. In some of the cases, warnings signs restricting visitors from an area are just out of shot.

In one of the highest profile cases, Brentano contacted the US Instagram account of camera brand Canon after it posted to its two million followers a photo (above) of a couple camping beneath Delicate Arch in Utah, a protected area where it is illegal to camp. A number of other users commented on the photo, labelling the post “dumb”, “poor behaviour” and “extremely disappointing”. The post is still live today, with more than 20,000 likes. Canon USA has been contacted for comment.

In another instance fashion influencer and DJ Brandi Cyrus posted a video on Instagram to her 983,000 followers that showed her walking past a no entry sign at Fjaerárgljúfur in Iceland stating: "One of my secret favourite things is breaking the rules." After being criticised on the app, Cyrus removed the post and said: “I agree with you 100 per cent about protecting nature, but I assure you the path we stepped on was well worn already by many people before us or we would have never stopped on it otherwise.”

Icelandic authorities last winter closed footpaths around Fjaerárgljúfur to allow vegetation a chance to regrow.

Brentano points to a number of other destinations impacted negatively by mass social media exposure. For example, Keyhole Hot Springs in British Columbia has been closed by authorities after the pools became a popular photo spot. A growing amount of litter and food left in the area led to an increased presence of grizzly bears.

She also highlights the physical dangers to travellers, citing a fatality in Yellowstone National Park, after a visitor illegally left the boardwalk and slipped into a hot spring and died. The park’s principal geologist Hank Heasler said earlier this year: “Geothermal attractions are one of the most dangerous natural features in Yellowstone, but I don't sense that awareness in either visitors or employees.”

Brentano has directed her petition to Facebook and Instagram but says it is the responsibility of visitors, tourist boards and governments to protect destinations.

“As far as the government’s involvement, our national parks have used social media to bust people for offences in the past, but this is not something they consistently have the manpower to do,” she says.

“However, if there was a system that could potentially work with them and flag questionable content, I believe the parks would benefit from this, and be able to use the opportunity to better educate the community.

“We simply cannot continue to allow people to get away with posting illegal and harmful behavior outside, and Facebook and Instagram need to step it up and crack down on this, because their current system is only enabling this trend.”

Brentano, who recognises that as a travel blogger and photographer she has a greater responsibility than many, says travellers do not need to turn their phone off to have an adventure “but we need to ask ourselves why we have the urge to document every second of our lives and broadcast it on social media.

“There are plenty of moments worth sharing, but it’s also not possible to fully immerse ourselves in a culture or landscape if we’re constantly glued to our mobile devices. I think we put such an emphasis on capturing these moments that we forget to truly experience them.”