Great outdoors:
Siu Fok-Keung has spent more than 200 hours volunteering in Hong Kong’s 24 country parks.
Great outdoors:
Siu Fok-Keung has spent more than 200 hours volunteering in Hong Kong’s 24 country parks.
Swept away:
Siu Fok-Keung is an exemplary leader, who has trained more than 100 other Hiking Patrol Team members.
Swept away:
Siu Fok-Keung is an exemplary leader, who has trained more than 100 other Hiking Patrol Team members.
Natural classroom:
Paul Yuen (left) shares his knowledge of trees with fresh eco-tour guide recruits.
Natural classroom:
Paul Yuen (left) shares his knowledge of trees with fresh eco-tour guide recruits.
Park volunteers get back to nature
December 16, 2012
Siu Fok-Keung and Paul Yuen have channelled their passion for nature and environmental protection into their roles as country park volunteers for the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department. These exemplary guardians of flora and fauna lead hundreds of other volunteers to help keep Hong Kong’s parks pristine.
Mr Siu was among the first to sign up when the department launched its Country Parks Volunteer Scheme in 2010. The self-professed tree-hugger developed his love of nature at a young age and is now in his fourth year of Environmental Sciences studies at the Open University of Hong Kong.
After completing training courses for hiking patrols and tree appreciation, he has taken up the role as a senior leader of the Country Parks Hiking Patrol Team. The team clears rubbish from the parks, and makes a record of any damaged plants or infrastructure they find along the trails.
Not long after it stopped raining one recent morning, Mr Siu led some volunteers to Shing Mun Country Park to clean up fallen leaves. As winter had arrived, trees had shed their leaves which covered great patches of the road leading into the park. After briefing the volunteers, Mr Siu and his team grabbed brooms and shovels and set to work.
“The road is covered with leaves, creating a beautiful scene. But we are moving them off the pavement and onto the land above the road side so that as they decompose, the nutrients will seep back into the soil,” Mr Siu said, sweating while smiling.
After the job is done, Mr Siu loves to stroll through the park, enjoying quiet moments.
“When I walk in town, I can’t avoid inhaling bad-smelling exhaust from vehicles. It makes me feel so uncomfortable. Here in the country parks, I breathe in fresh air, and exhale all my troubles.”
The sight of litter in the parks disturbs him, though.
“Once, in Tai Po Kau, we found wine bottles and seafood shells scattered everywhere. It’s fine to have a picnic there, but they should take the rubbish away. They came to the country park to enjoy the environment, so why do they think it’s okay to litter?” he asked.
Mr Siu, who has spent more than 200 days working in the 24 parks in the last two and a half years, has trained more than 100 of the 300 Country Parks Hiking Patrol Team members. He invites newcomers to join the green team and help sustain the parks’ natural beauty.
Learning through teaching
Businessman Paul Yuen is another frequent country park visitor. In his spare time, he studied to become a certified arborist. Now he volunteers as an eco-tour guide, teaching park visitors and other volunteers more about trees.
“Every single plant and tree has its own life,” Mr Yuen said.
“I always think if people are able to admire nature, they are also able to conserve it.”
Eco-tour participants generally show a deep interest in nature and ask many questions. He enthusiastically provides the answers.
“Sometimes when I lead the tour, the participants ask me questions that I can’t answer. I welcome this because I can go home and find the information - a satisfying experience,” he said.
“There is much to learn from the country park and I believe even a lifetime is not enough to learn it all.”
Volunteers welcome
The Country Parks Volunteer Scheme aims to arouse awareness of the need to protect Hong Kong’s country parks through participating in management, education and conservation works. It offers valuable opportunities for nature lovers to serve the community.
Volunteers can take part in hiking patrols to help clean country parks and monitor damage, workshops that promote nature conservation, and eco-tours to share their ecological knowledge with visitors on guided tours.
Since the programme was launched, more than 870 volunteers have received volunteer training and have provided more than 108,000 hours of service. If you would like to join their ranks, visit this
website.
