With countryside attractions set to draw thousands of day-trippers over the National Day break, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) on 30 September unveiled a package of crowd-management measures for beaches, hiking trails and remote campsites. At Shui Hau on Lantau Island, rangers will monitor visitor flow and run an educational booth on horseshoe-crab conservation, while drone patrols will scan the sand-flat to deter illegal clam digging. In Sai Kung’s Ham Tin Wan and Sai Wan campsites, the department is piloting a ‘grill-borrowing’ scheme to discourage travellers from bringing bulky barbecue racks that often end up discarded. Food-residue strainers have been installed outside toilets to stop grease from clogging septic tanks, and daily rubbish clear-outs will be doubled. Permit quotas remain in force for the Po Pin Chau trail and other sensitive geosites; all 500 daily slots for 1 October were snapped up within hours of release, underlining the popularity of Hong Kong’s UNESCO Global Geopark. AFCD staff will work jointly with the Marine Department, Police and Food & Environmental Hygiene Department to enforce no-camping zones, issue littering fines and coordinate marine patrols around Kai Kung Leng. Travel trade bodies welcome the clarity, noting that overseas agents have resumed marketing Hong Kong’s “green side” as part of multi-city Greater Bay itineraries. Corporate mobility managers arranging incentive trips, however, are cautioned to secure permits well in advance and brief participants on leave-no-trace rules, or risk last-minute itinerary changes. Environmental NGOs say the stepped-up enforcement is long overdue after viral social-media posts led to trampling of mangroves and coral damage last year. They argue that technology such as drones and real-time capacity dashboards should become permanent features if Hong Kong wants to balance tourism growth with conservation.
Source: news.gov.hk
