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Hong Kong environmental issues
Hong KongHealth & Environment

Visitor quotas needed to protect country parks, 4 trails challenge founder says

Andre Blumberg, who created 298km ultra-marathon, says recent scenes of overcrowding in country parks left him feeling ‘quite disturbed’

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Tourists flock to scenic Po Pin Chau during the recent “golden week” holiday. Photo: Dickson Lee
The East Dam of High Island Reservoir is also a popular spot, with Po Pin Chau nearby. Photo: Dickson Lee
Connor Mycroft
The founder of the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge has called for a quota system to be implemented during public holidays to protect the city’s natural resources, saying recent scenes of overcrowding left him feeling “quite disturbed”.

Andre Blumberg, who created the now-famous 298km ultra-marathon covering Hong Kong’s four major trails, said the city should consider adopting a reservation system akin to those seen in some national parks in the United States.

“Hong Kong is really privileged to have these natural resources and country parks,” Blumberg said on the sidelines of the Global Prosperity Summit on Tuesday.

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“I think it’s really vital for us to preserve those areas.”

As local country parks and nature-based activities become increasingly popular amid a push to promote “tourism everywhere”, concerns have mounted about damage to environmentally fragile ecosystems.
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Experts previously called for the establishment of a comprehensive, top-down ecotourism policy led by a single designated authority following scenes of overcrowding during mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday earlier this month.

During a panel discussion at the summit, Blumberg was asked about the risks involved in trying to preserve Hong Kong’s natural environment as it became more popular.

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