Safeguard our countryside with “Megaphone”

Some might like to put their phones aside while hiking, but what if snapping a few photos can protect and ameliorate the environment in countryside? Have you ever seen trash on the trail that is an absolute eyesore but you cannot clean it up yourself? Ever came across trees that are skeptically chopped off or devices that suspiciously look like animal traps and not know what to do? Besides recording your hiking journey, the TrailWatch App also offers an unique function for reporting incidents.

Safeguard our countryside with “Megaphone”

Some might like to put their phones aside while hiking, but what if snapping a few photos can protect and ameliorate the environment in countryside? Have you ever seen trash on the trail that is an absolute eyesore but you cannot clean it up yourself? Ever came across trees that are skeptically chopped off or devices that suspiciously look like animal traps and not know what to do? Besides recording your hiking journey, the TrailWatch App also offers an unique function for reporting incidents. The information will be passed on to relevant governmental agencies and organisations for follow-up actions in order to protect our environment. Due to the technological features of this function, reporting incidents via the TrailWatch app has allowed investigation and actions to be taken much more efficiently. However, this would not be made possible without the input of nature lovers like you who relentlessly unveil and report to us on-site problems that need to be addressed.

To report destructive or suspicious activities via the TrailWatch app, simply click on the “megaphone” icon at the bottom right of the map. You may upload basic information and corresponding photos right away and preliminarily categorize the incident. The types of incidents could be waste dumping, water pollution, tree felling (incense tree), concrete path, fly-tipping, marine litter and animal traps etc.
 

 

An incident of “waste dumping”

 

An incident of “fly-tipping”

 

An incident of “marine litter”

  

A sighting of a fallen tree, categorised as “danger”

 

Click on the “megaphone” icon to instantly report an incident

Our country parks span a massive area, thus it is not always easy to quickly describe the actual situation and pinpoint the exact location when one tries to report an incident or give feedbacks to certain agencies and authorities, thus causing delay in the handling process.  As most people have smartphones in hands nowadays, reporting incidents cannot be made any easier. Through the TrailWatch App, the reporting function allows users to upload photos of the actual sighting at real-time while the GPS coordinates are being logged simultaneously, which enhances the precision and accuracy of the information. After sorting the reported incidents by districts and categories, the TrailWatch team will then pass on the cases to the responsible governmental authorities or agencies. This hugely reduces the administrative procedures required when cases are being transferred between departments, thus speeding up the handling process. Most of the trails might comprise of multiple sections that do not necessarily belong to the jurisdiction of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). In fact, many of the cases concerns area that should be handled by Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) instead. “Reported Incidents” are made available on the TrailWatch website for the general public, who can view any recently reported incidents and follow their current status.

TrailWatch has given the original “megaphone” icon a new animated look that is more colourful and eye-catching. Through the app, users can also view the incidents they previously reported and check their latest status.

 

Immediately report any suspicious sightings in countryside by tapping on the megaphone icon (bottom right corner)

Select the categories of incidents when reporting it on the TrailWatch App

Update to the latest TrailWatch App version to view and track the current status of reported incidents
 

High number of reported incidents have been handled

Up until now from 2014, TrailWatch has received over 2000 reported incidents through the reporting function on the app. As of 2018, over 90% of the 300+ incidents had been referred to the relevant authorities, documented and followed up on. Over a hundred of these cases had been handled successfully with their closure confirmed by the authorities. Throughout the past years, “waste dumping” has been the top 1 category, with an average of one incident being reported every two days.
 

Practice “Leave No Trace” to reduce waste at source

A considerable amount of trash originates from people visiting the country parks. The purpose of the “megaphone” is not only about reporting existing waste dumping incidents, the data it collects also serves as a reminder that it is of foremost importance to minimise waste generation in the first place. The 101 solution includes bringing the 4 essential items to “leave no trace”. Trash in countryside often comes from human activities, it is an eyesore to the landscape and could cause ecological disasters. Many wild animals could ingest trash by mistake; in other cases, its association with food source alters the natural feeding habits of these animals. This is the case of the late Billy, well-known as “the legendary Pui O cow”, who was found dead after ingesting too much plastics rubbish.
 

A civic movement to monitor and protect our country parks

If you come across issues that are relatively easy to handle (such as seeing a small amount of trash), we encourage you to have a go, clean it up and give some love to to our countryside. Whether you are reporting with the “megaphone” or cleaning up, always ensure safety comes first.
 
Categories of incidents reported in 2017 and 2018
 
Browse the incidents reported by TrailWatch App users: https://www.trailwatch.hk/?t=incidents
 
Reminder from megaphone: bring your 4 “Leave No Trace” essentials

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