XN000022-1977-02-07 — Page 8

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1977

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FORMAL ORGANISED RECREATIONAL PURSUITS SUCH AS ATHLETICS, FOOTBALL AND THE LIKE WERE EXCLUDED, HE EMPHASISED.

HE EXPLAINED THAT LAND WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL COUNTRY PARK HAD TO BE ZONED SO THAT USE AND ACTIVITIES COMPLEMENTED EACH OTHER AND DID NOT COMPETE OR ENDANGER THE RESOURCE EITHER AS A WHOLE OR IN PART.

+THUS WHILST PICNIC FACILITIES MAY BE SPREAD MORE LIBERALLY THROUGH THE PARK, BARBECUE AREAS HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY SITED TO ELIMINATE OR AT LEAST MINIMISE FIRE HAZARDS, HE SAID.

+NATURE TRAILS MUST BE SAFEGUARDED AGAINST OVERUSE DESTROYING THE NATURAL PHENOMENA BEING LOOKED AT. NATURE RESERVES MUST BE STRICTLY CONTROLLED IF THEY ARE TO FULFIL THEIR PRIME PURPOSE OF CONSERVING AN ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDY AND EDUCATIVE PURPOSES.+

MR. NICHOLS POINTED OUT THAT MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR VISITED THE AREAS MANAGED AS COUNTRY PARKS AND APART FROM OCCASIONALLY TRAMPLING THE VEGETATION INTO THE GROUND AND DESTROYING THE ODD TREE, EACH OF THE VISITORS CARRIED HALF A POUND OF POTENTIAL LITTER.

THIS GAVE RISE TO ONE OF THE MAJOR MANAGEMENT PROBLEM THE PHYSICAL REMOVAL OF ABOUT 500 TONS OF LITTER SCATTERED OVER NEARLY 100 SQUARE MILES OF COUNTRYSIDE, HE SAID.

FIRE WAS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR ADVERSE CHANGE, HE SAID, ADDING THAT AN AVERAGE OF 500 FIRES COULD BE EXPECTED IN A NORMAL FIRE SEASON BUT UNDER WORSE CONDITIONS THERE COULD BE MORE THAN 1,000 FIRES, OR THREE TO SIX FIRES EVERY DAY, THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE VARIATION AND UP TO 100 FIRES HAD BEEN EXPERIENCED IN ONE DAY, HE INDICATED,

MR. NICHOLS POINTED OUT THAT OVER HALF OF HONG KONG'S POPULATION WERE LESS THAN 25 YEARS OF AGE AND ALMOST TWO MILLION PEOPLE LIVED IN SOME 50 SQUARE MILES OF URBAN SETTLEMENT.

+SOME 70 PER CENT OF OUR LAND, HE WENT ON, WAS STILL COUNTRYSIDE AND MUCH OF THIS WOULD CONTINUE TO REMAIN SO BECAUSE WE COLLECTED MOST OF OUR WATER SUPPLIES FROM 40 PER CENT OF OUR LAND.+

+WITH THE PROVISION OF PROPER FACILITIES OUR PEOPLE HAVE THE CHANCE TO DEVELOP PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY, TO BECOME MORE PRODUCTIVE AND MORE COMPLETE INDIVIDUALS, + HE SAID.

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