Humans need nature. For Earth Day, let’s take some time to go hiking to appreciate the vastness and beauty of Hong Kong’s natural environment, and take action to protect it.
Plenty of research supports that being in nature enhances our physical and mental health in positive ways. Natural environments can improve mood and self-esteem, reduce feelings of negative emotions, relieve stress and anxiety, and promote brain restoration. In some countries such as Japan, Forest Therapy has become increasingly popular, in other places such as Scotland, the National Health Service has adopted Nature Prescription. Hiking in particular, is a cost-effective activity that encourages individuals to spend time in nature while being physically active. Just two hours a week is sufficient for us to feel significant physical, mental and social well-being benefits; it would do us all good to carve out a hike once a week.
We’re beginning to be more aware of just how truly important the outdoors are for all of us in Hong Kong. Parks and trails have become one of the best avenues for us to cope with anxiety, stresses of life and the pandemic, to have a place to stay connected with friends and family, and to feel uplifted and resilient. Analysis of individuals who have a habit of visiting country parks indicate the more frequent the visits to the country parks, the better the self-reported physical, mental, and social well-being.
Overlooking Sai Kung from Pyramid Hill
Unfortunately, our environment in Hong Kong is vulnerable to threats such as overuse, development, and habitat loss. The destruction of trees and forests from events such as forest fires result in biodiversity loss. Trees are necessary for storing carbon in their trunks and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as mediating current climate and weather. Without nature, we lose essential functions that sustain life on Earth. Worse yet, according to WWF, our ecological footprint in Hong Kong is two-and-a-half times the global average!
Being physically active on the trails is good for us, and what’s even better is that you can play a part to protect it! Volunteer activities such as supporting environmental conservation, tree planting, trail cleanup and trail maintenance can further enhance positive feelings and mood.
In support of Earth Day, we have some suggestions for you to enjoy and protect nature.
- Take a moment to breathe in deeply and use your different senses to see, feel, smell and listen to nature. What do you observe? Even if you’ve been on the same route a few times before, do you maybe see a new bud on the nearby tree? Do you feel the gentle breeze as it tickles your skin? Maybe you hear the trees as it whispers into your ears, or even to each other? Or you smell the sweetness of the flower that you just walked past.
- Say thank you to nature. You may not need to shout out loud, but you can be grateful and appreciative of our natural environment in Hong Kong. For it sustains us, cleans the air we breathe and provides habitats to the many insects, animals, plants and trees that exude life.
- Nurture your creativity. Captivated by what you see? Sit down by a tree and sketch the landscape. Want to harness the vibrancy of the daylight sun and its shining rays? Channel it into dance for nature! Feel the romance of earth and mountains? Write a poem! Feel the beat and the chirp of birds and insects? Hum tunes and write music scores!
- Clean up for nature. Aside from following Leave No Trace principles, you can participate in activities such as plogging. Or you can additionally bring a trash bag, a pair of tongs, wear some gloves and spend 10-15 minutes during your hike to pick up the trash that you see along the sides of the trails, bring it back to the city (not just the bins at some of the resting spots as these can attract wild animals to rummage through the trash). Cleaning up the trails isn’t just good for nature; doing something good and being kind to nature can also support better moods!
From April 2021 to December 2021, join our Waste Audit: What’s on the Trails? campaign. By joining this campaign, together we can preserve the natural environment in Hong Kong, so that all of us will always have a place to go to for our well being, and a healthier Hong Kong!