LCQ4: Making good use of countryside resources
**********************************************
Question:
Our country's Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes to accelerate the building of a leading sports nation, including promoting the safe and orderly opening up of natural resources such as water, air and mountain areas for outdoor sports. There are views that as the total area of Hong Kong's country parks and special areas accounts for around 40 per cent of its land area, and they possess abundant resources for developing outdoor sports activities, the authorities may make good use of this advantage to promote "Sports for All", drive the development of outdoor events and cultivate the habit of engaging in outdoor sports among people, so as to dovetail with our country's planning. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as the holding of activities in country parks and marine parks requires the application for a permit under the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations (Cap. 208A), but some organisers have relayed certain difficulties such as the involvement of multiple departments in the vetting and approval process and cumbersome procedures when applying to hold an activity, whether the Government will review the existing application mechanism, formulate clear guidelines and provide one-stop co-ordination arrangements, with a view to facilitating the holding of large-scale outdoor activities and events; if so, of the directions and timetable of the review; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether the authorities will consider adjusting the conditions for applying for such permits, so as to strengthen the responsibilities of activity organisers in protecting the ecology of venues and managing crowd safety, and establish a more stringent monitoring and penalty mechanism to enhance regulation;
(3) as the work of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) for the current year includes the implementation of the "Four Peaks" tourism project, the enhancement of the educational, recreational and sustainable eco-tourism functions of country parks, and the promotion of a safe and environmentally-friendly approach to their use, but there are views that the popularity of hiking in recent years has led to frequent accidents and damage to walking trails, whether the Government will co-operate with professional sports organisations in stepping up the education on safe hiking and updating the Hiking Safety Guidelines, so as to strike a balance between the development of eco-tourism and risk prevention;
(4) as the AFCD's statistics indicate that the country parks in Hong Kong receive over 10 million visitors a year, and there are views that this amount has already far exceeded the carrying capacity of country parks and resulted in serious wear and tear of popular mountain trails and facilities, whether the authorities have any plans to allocate additional resources to strengthen the management of country parks and the repair and maintenance of walking trails, so as to maintain the appeal and sustainability of mountain trails as race courses and eco-tourism routes; whether they will formulate an integrated management strategy in the long term that incorporates technology-based monitoring such as drone patrols, with a view to enhancing management efficiency; if so, of the resources required and the plan concerned; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) of the number of prosecutions over the past five years for violating the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations and the irregularities involved (such as illegal camping activities and unlawful hawking), with a tabulated breakdown of the relevant figures and categories?
Reply:
President,
Hong Kong has rich ecological resources, with country parks and marine parks scattered across the territory, which offer beautiful scenery and are conveniently located near the bustling urban areas. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) seeks to protect the ecology and conduct site management properly, with arrangements made to complement actively to the Government's policies and plans to promote sports in the community. In consultation with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, our reply to the questions raised by the Hon Kenneth Fok is as follows:
(1) According to the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations (Cap. 208A) and Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A), a permit granted by the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation is required for holding large-scale events, such as sporting competitions, public meetings, funding raising events, etc, in country parks or marine parks. In vetting the applications, the AFCD will mainly consider the impacts of the event on the environment and users of country parks or marine parks, as well as risks to public safety.
All applications involving country parks can be made nine months in advance of the activity at the earliest, or must reach the AFCD at least 10 working days before the activity day. The AFCD pledges to complete the assessment within three working days upon receipt of all essential information of the application. For similar events involving marine parks, applications can be made at least eight working days before the event day. To facilitate applicants, the AFCD has formulated guidelines that clearly explain the application procedures and requirements. Based on past experience, some applications of competition in country parks involve road sections that are under the purview of other government departments. Upon receipt of such applications, the AFCD will provide immediate advice and support, assisting the applicants in contacting the relevant departments as soon as possible to ensure a smooth process. The AFCD will continue to review the process from time to time to ensure all applications are handled effectively.
(2) To ensure that events would not impact on the natural ecology and public safety, organisers are required to provide detailed information of the events when submitting applications to hold activities in country parks for the AFCD to process, including route maps, layout plans of the venue, staff arrangement, crowd control, contingency plan for inclement weather, first-aid service, etc. The AFCD would consider the past records of the organisers, as well as the safety and pedestrian flow of the proposed routes, and impose appropriate requirements to ensure smooth running of the events.
The AFCD would maintain close communication with the organisers during the preparation and implementation of the events, and deploy staff to monitor the activities onsite during the events. If any non-compliance with the permit conditions is observed during the events, the AFCD would issue warning letters to the organisers. If there is any contravention of the law, the AFCD will take resolute enforcement actions. In order to establish a more stringent monitoring and penalty system, the AFCD had updated the guidelines in December 2025. If the organisers commit any non-compliant acts during the events, the bad track record will be recorded and taken into account by the AFCD when handling their future applications for holding events. If the organisers commit serious non-compliant acts, such as violations of the permit conditions, the AFCD may having regard to the circumstances impose a "suspension period" on the organisers for a certain period of time.
(3) The AFCD adopts a multi-prong approach to enhance safe hiking experiences, including placing information boards and direction signs at appropriate locations within the country parks, installing railings and warning signs at high-risk locations to prevent hikers from wandering into these locations and resulting in accidents. The department deploys additional staff to patrol, and utilises technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles in reminding hikers to pay attention to safety. On publicity and education fronts, the AFCD provides comprehensive information on various hiking trails on its "Enjoy Hiking" website (www.hiking.gov.hk), which also lists out high-risk locations with records of fatal and serious accidents, thereby enabling visitors to plan their trips properly. The AFCD has formulated country park hiking safety guidelines to remind visitors to pay attention to the weather, hike with company as far as possible, etc, and disseminates information on hiking safety through the AFCD's website, "Enjoy Hiking" website, the thematic webpage "Hong Kong Great Outdoors" of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/outdoors.html), and the social media platforms locally, and those in the Mainland and overseas as well.
The AFCD will continue to listen to the views of different stakeholders, including sports associations and professional bodies, and consult the statutory body of the Country and Marine Parks Boards, which is boardly represented by different sectors, to review practically the country park management strategies, and update safety guidelines as needed.
(4) The level of wear and tear of hiking trail facilities is dependent on multiple factors, including visitor numbers, hiking etiquette and nearby environment conditions. Certain popular trails and attractions may experience vegetation and soil erosion due to large visitation, aggravating deterioration of the facilities. In the light of the increasingly keen public interest of visiting country parks, the AFCD is enhancing the coverage and connectivity of the trail network, as well as implementing enhancement projects in various country parks, to divert visitors with diverse needs, thereby alleviating pressure on the hotspots. The AFCD will continue to closely monitor and analyse the visitor flow, and assess the usage conditions of country park trail facilities, and undertake appropriate enhancement works subject to resource availability, including rehabilitating eroded trails, controlling soil erosion on pathways, improving vegetation, enhancing cleansing services, upgrading visitor information, and strengthening public education to foster awareness regarding the protection of country park environments. Where deemed necessary, the AFCD may restrict the frequency of organising events at certain popular sites in the country parks.
In addition, the AFCD is actively applying technology to enhance management of country parks. To facilitate more effective monitoring of visitor flow in country parks, the AFCD has launched a pilot scheme since 2022 involving the installation of automatic people counters at main entrances of Aberdeen Country Park and Tai Lam Country Park, utilising infrared sensor technology to continuously record visitor flow. The scheme will be progressively extended to other country parks. Furthermore, the AFCD is currently assessing the feasibility of utilising unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring trail conditions.
(5) The number of prosecutions instituted by the AFCD for various offences in country parks and special areas across the territory over the past five years is tabulated below:
| Nature of offence | Number of prosecutions | ||||
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Unauthorised possession or driving of vehicles or bicycles | 426 | 342 | 236 | 416 | 227 |
| Illegal camping | 151 | 364 | 199 | 214 | 116 |
| Entering closed sites (Note 1) | 371 | 297 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Illegal lighting of fires | 94 | 74 | 22 | 20 | 17 |
| Damaging plants | 40 | 38 | 29 | 15 | 20 |
| Littering | 42 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 42 |
| Others (Note 2) | 16 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 33 |
| Total | 1140 | 1144 | 531 | 692 | 455 |
Note 1: All designated camping sites and barbecue sites in country parks were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened on November 17, 2022. Some of the prosecutions were instituted in 2023.
Note 2: Other offences included illegal selling of objects, displaying advertisement, damaging country park facility, disturbing soil, spitting, holding of sporting competition and other commercial activities without approval, entering specified zone (i.e. the Hong Kong Wetland Park) without paying admission fee and obstructing authorised officer in discharge of duty.
Ends/Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:30
Issued at HKT 11:30
NNNN