The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department has iterated that it is committed to enhancing the management standards of country parks.

The department made the statement in response to an investigative report, released today by the Office of The Ombudsman, on the Government's work on the management of countryside facilities.

It said it accepts the Ombudsman's recommendations and will make every effort to implement them. It added that some of the measures have already been initiated or completed.

The specific measures include enhancing facility maintenance and inspections at country parks; improving the system for monitoring the performance of cleaning contractors; allocating additional resources, hiring contractors, and adopting new designs to improve the maintenance of facilities such as rain shelters; updating the contents of the country park visitor questionnaire and the “Enjoy Hiking” website; and providing GPX files for all trails on the website.

The department said it agrees with the Ombudsman's recommendations on strengthening public education and the dissemination of information. It is currently developing several publicity channels, including establishing a YouTube account for Hong Kong Country Parks and applying to open an official Xiaohongshu account.

It will continue to work with relevant government departments to strengthen the management of ecotourism hotspots during weekends, public holidays and the Mainland Golden Week holidays as necessary.

It will also explore co-operation with other organisations to deepen education and publicity with regard to the protection of country parks and hiking safety awareness.