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I'm a geologist who loves kicking those fuckers, and I have a few reasons:
First is that leaving a cairn is essentially spitting in the face of 'leave no trace' for the reason of simple egoism.
Second is that it reduces the spread and amount of cover/hiding for insects and other small critters. More open ground = more chances for predators to catch them = upsetting natural ecosystem.
Third, it increases a landscape's susceptibility to erosion by removing any rock armor.
Fourth, there are microecosystems that are evolved rely of these small rocks.
Fifth, they're gay as fuck.
