EJ Insight » Hong KongToday, 11:32 AM
The Shing Mun reservoir lies within the Shing Mun Country Park. Visitors to Hong Kong's country parks are being encouraged to take pictures and post them on social media. Photos: Hong Kong Government, Facebook
Hong Kong environmental groups are planning a social media storm to protest a government plan to develop country parks for housing.
They will start uploading photos online on Dec. 13 under the hastag #saveourcountryparks to raise awareness of the potential ecological impact of the proposal, Apple Daily reports.
The Save Our Country Parks Alliance which includes World Wide Fund For Nature, Green Power and Designing Hong Kong will field volunteers to 15 country parks.
They will help visitors take pictures and upload them to their social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter.
Hong Kong has 24 country parks and special areas which collectively account for 40 percent of its land mass.
Last year, they received 11.7 million visitors.
Dr. Cheng Luk-ku, division head of scientific research and conservation of Green Power, said these country parks not only promote biodiversity but also offer Hong Kong people a natural retreat.
Also, they serve educational and research purposes, he said.
Cheng criticized the government for downgrading the ecological importance of some of these country parks, saying the move was intentional in order to justify the development plan.
He said Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying should be held to his 2012 campaign promise to protect the environment.
Meteorologist Lam Chiu-ying, former director of the Hong Kong Observatory, said country parks belong to Hong Kong people.
“No one should be allowed to take them away from us,” he said.
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