Members of the public are invited to participate in the Country Parks Hiking and Planting Day to be jointly held by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and Friends of the Country Parks on three Sundays in March and April.
 
     The dates and locations of the tree planting days are as follows:
 

March 17	Tai Tong Nature Trail, Tai Lam Country Park
March 31	Lantau Trail Section 3, Lautau South Country Park
April 14	Pat Sin Leng Nature Trail, Pat Sin Leng Country Park

 
     An AFCD spokesman said today (March 8), "People who wish to participate should enroll in person at the registration point on the event day from 9am to 10.30am. Due to limited planting space, enrolment will close once the quota is full. The AFCD will provide seedlings and planting tools.
 
     "The activities aim to promote public involvement in countryside conservation and enhance awareness of nature conservation and tree preservation."
 
     The spokesman reminded participants to select an appropriate planting site and hiking route by taking into account their physical ability and hiking experience, as the time needed to go to the planting sites on the hillside varies from about 10 to 45 minutes. After tree planting, the participants may continue to hike the recommended route (the whole course takes about two hours to complete) to enjoy countryside and the beautiful scenery of the country parks. The spokesman also encouraged participants to prepare before joining the event by bringing their own water bottles and towels to avoid using one-off disposables, and take away their litter to help maintain the naturalness of the country parks.
  
     The seedlings for the tree planting activities were raised in the AFCD's tree nursery at Tai Tong, Yuen Long. In recent years the AFCD has been planting local species to enhance the biodiversity and ecological value of the country parks. About 400,000 tree seedlings were planted in country parks last year by the public, various organisations and staff of country parks.
 
     Details of the activities are available on the AFCD's website (www.natureintouch.gov.hk/hikingandplanting) or Country Parks Education Programmes's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/countryparkseducationprogammes). For enquiries about the Country Parks Hiking and Planting Day, please call 1823 or email nature@afcd.gov.hk.

Ends/Friday, March 8, 2019
Issued at HKT 12:00

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