ENG-2000 — Page 481

RECREATION, SPORT AND THE ARTS

Premises) Ordinance, sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The association's volunteer services group organised a variety of hiking and outdoor activities during the year.

Country and Marine Parks

Some 38 per cent of Hong Kong's total land area has been designated as country park land. The 23 country parks provide barbecue sites, picnic sites, camp sites and extensive hiking trails which attracted over 10 million visitors in 2000.

There are also three marine parks and one marine reserve for the conservation of marine life. In these marine parks, visitors may appreciate and receive educational information on the beauty and diversity of life in Hong Kong waters. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department manages both the country and the marine parks.

Horticulture and Landscape Services

The LCSD is responsible for improving the environment of Hong Kong through the planting of ornamental trees and shrubs in public gardens and roadside amenity areas as well as the preservation of trees. It maintains all public open spaces in the form of parks, gardens, sports grounds, soccer pitches and children's playgrounds, and also amenity plots and soft landscape plantings alongside highways and public roads. The services provided include landscape planting, plant production, horticultural research, tree maintenance and conservation. During the year, the department planted 60 000 trees as well as 2.7 million flowering shrubs and annual plants for these venues and carried out landscape improvement projects for 30 hectares of park land and roadside amenity areas.

Hong Kong Flower Show

Since 1987, the annual Hong Kong Flower Show has been held alternately in the New Territories and the urban areas. The show has been growing in size and popularity every year. Apart from numerous colourful landscape displays, artistic floral arrangements and horticultural exhibits, the show provides many other fringe activities, such as talks and seminars, demonstrations, guided tours, music performances, photographic competitions and children's games. More than 70 local and overseas horticultural organisations took part in the 2000 show held in March at Victoria Park, attracting a record attendance.

Green Hong Kong Campaign

The LCSD planted 60 000 trees in its 2000 Green Hong Kong Campaign, which was three times more than in the previous year. Most of the species planted were flowering trees such as the Hong Kong orchid tree, camel's foot tree, cotton tree, African tulip tree and flame of the forest. The trees were mostly planted along roadsides to help beautify the environment. To enhance public awareness of the natural environment, a series of educational activities, such as the Green Hong Kong Ambassadors Scheme, community planting days, green camps, theme flower shows, horticultural courses and seminars were organised in 2000. A Green School Subsidy Scheme was launched in April aimed at implementing green-campus projects as well as organising 'green' activities for students. The scheme attracted participation from more than 310 schools.

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