XN000022-1989-03-12 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 1989

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"BUT THESE EFFORTS CAN ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL IF THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE COUNTRY PARKS THE COMMUNITY ITSELF PLAYS ITS FULL PART, HE SAID.

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SIR DAVID MADE THE APPEAL WHEN HE ADDRESSED SOME 400 COMMUNITY THE YOUTH CLUB (CYC) MEMBERS AND INVITED GUESTS AT A CEREMONY HELD AT TAI LAM COUNTRY PARK TO LAUNCH A PILOT PROJECT WHICH WILL ACTIVELY INVOLVE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CONSERVING COUNTRY PARKS.

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PARKS ADOPTION SCHEME

IS AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT AND

THE PROJECT THE CYC COUNTRY JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

SAID.

"THE COUNTRYSIDE IS A SCARCE NATURAL RESOURCE, SIR DAVID

"NOWHERE IS THIS MORE OBVIOUS THAN IN HONG KONG WHERE OUR POPULATION IS NOW MORE THAN THREE TIMES AS LARGE AS IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO AND WHERE WE ARE CONSTANTLY BUILDING NEW TOWNS TO PROVIDE BETTER HOUSING FOR THIS INCREASED POPULATION.

"WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR THE EFFORT MADE OVER THE LAST 12 YEARS TO SET ASIDE AND DEVELOP OUR COUNTRY PARKS FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY."

SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS A WELL-KNOWN FACT THAT HONG KONG HAD SOME OF THE HIGHEST POPULATION DENSITIES IN THE WORLD.

"LESS WELL KNOWN IS THE FACT THAT 40 PER CENT OF THE TERRITORY CONSISTS OF COUNTRY PARKS, HE SAID.

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THERE ARE AT PRESENT 21 COUNTRY PARKS THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY, PROVIDING A MAJOR SOURCE OF OUTDOOR RECREATION AND NATURE EDUCATION.

"IF COUNTRY PARKS ARE TO BE THERE FOR THIS GENERATION AND SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS TO USE AND ENJOY, THEY MUST BE PROPERLY LOOKED AFTER.

"THAT IS WHY I AM SO PLEASED THAT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY YOUTH CLUB ARE TAKING THE LEAD IN HELPING TO CONSERVE THE COUNTRYSIDE THROUGH THE COUNTRY PARKS ADOPTION SCHEME, SIR DAVID SAID.

THE SCHEME INITIALLY INVOLVES 11 SECONDARY SCHOOLS FROM FIVE DISTRICTS AND STUDENTS FROM THESE SCHOOLS HAVE ADOPTED THE COUNTRY PARKS OF ABERDEEN, SAI KUNG WEST, SHING MUN, PAT SIN LENG AND TAI LAM.

SOME OF THOSE INVOLVED HAVE BEEN GIVEN BASIC TRAINING IN PRACTICAL COUNTRYIDE CONSERVATION AND HAVE BEEN APPOINTED AS JUNIOR PARK WARDENS.

THEY WILL LEAD THEIR FELLOW MEMBERS TO TAKE PART,

ON A TWICE MONTHLY BASIS, IN SUCH VOLUNTARY COUNTRY PARK WORK AS LITTER COLLECTION, GRASS CUTTING, TREE PLANTING AND TENDING, MAINTAINING FACILITIES, COUNTRY PARK PATROLS AND ADVISING PARK VISITORS TO KEEP THE COUNTRY PARKS CLEAN AND FREE FROM FIRE.

THE GOVERNOR