導賞點 3
繁忙的行山徑
A busy trail
龍脊是一條非常繁忙的熱門行山徑,郊遊旺季和假日時常都十分擠迫,甚至見長長人龍排著登山。
The Dragon’s Back is a very popular mountain trail, often crowded during peak season and public holidays. Sometimes, people are seen queuing to climb up the path.
香港大學公共衞生學院於去年進行了有關香港郊野公園使用概況的電話訪問,郊野公園使用者較1990年多了2.6倍,而當中使用者進行「行山」活動的人增長了超過3.5倍(1982-1991年為12.6%,2018年為47.0%)。
A telephone interview survey was conducted by The School of Public Health, of the University of Hong Kong last year. Results indicated that country park visits increased 2.6 times since 1990 and of those visiting there was a 3.5 times increase of people hiking on trails (1982-1991 12.5% hikers, 2018 47% hikers).
山徑用量高,天然路面的水土流失現象也不免加劇,龍脊也見類似現象。
Frequent use of a hiking trail adds to a natural soil erosion problem. Erosion is evident also on the Dragon’s Back mountain.
山徑上的水土流失本是自然現象,指土地表面受到風和水等沖刷,造成土壤侵蝕及水的流失,遊人絡繹不絕地使用山徑,會把泥土踏實,令表面植物和草都難再生長,也會把沙石踢起或帶走,缺乏植物根部抓緊泥土,大雨時泥土便更容易隨雨水沖走。
Soil erosion on mountain trails is a natural occurrence. The surface layer is continuously washed away by wind and water runoff. The endless stream of hikers also compact the soil and kick up loose dirt from the trail, making it difficult for plants and grass to grow. Without the plants’ roots to hold the earth in place, soil gets washed away during heavy rainfall.
龍脊上不少拍攝熱點的泥土侵蝕現象更嚴重,不少遊人都會踩到山徑旁的草被,久而久之,植物和草都不再長,成了禿地。
Constant treading by visitors has caused soil erosion at many hotspots on the Dragon’s Back. Unnecessary trampling on grass and plants by visitors has gradually scarred the soil’s surface creating bald patches.
一條山徑的承載量究竟是多少?這是非常複雜的運算。得出結果後,又是否有可以平衡用量需求及生態承載量?香港在這方面的研究少之又少,為持久保存自然山徑的價值,值得投入資源去進行更多研究。
What is the carrying capacity of a nature trail? How many visitors can a trail tolerate and be sustainable? It’s a complicated calculation. How to get a balance between satisfying usage demand and minimising environmental impact? Studies in this area have taken a back foot in Hong Kong. Research in preserving the importance of natural mountainous trails should be worth investing.