Common Problems on Trails
As a hiking enthusiast, do you pay attention to the changes of trails? What are the impacts of the dense tourist traffic on Hong Kong’s popular trails?
Scars on Hills
1.
Soil Erosion
“Water” can be the biggest “enemy” of trails.
Soil erosion on trails is a natural phenomenon, meaning that the surface of the land is washed by wind and water, causing soil erosion and water loss naturally.
However, visitor footsteps can displace topsoil and create sinkholes. When it rains, this causes rainwater to flow down the trail (runoff), resulting in varying degrees of erosion.
Continuous and frequent trampling can even cause vegetation to retreat, allowing rainfall to wash away the topsoil of trails more directly, exacerbating soil erosion.
2.
Concretisation
(Cementation)
Concrete trails are not in harmony with the natural environment, and the construction process can easily damage the surrounding ecosystem and increase carbon emissions. In addition, because concrete is impermeable, rainwater can only run off the topsoil on either side of the path. This continuous run-off will create gullies along the paths, further exacerbating soil erosion.
Concrete surfaces absorb more heat than natural soil, making the trail hotter. The hardened surface also puts more stress on joints than natural bare soil, negatively impacting on the walking experience for visitors. As a result, many people choose to walk on the soil or vegetation nearby to avoid the concrete surface, creating further problems for trail management.
3.
Creating Unauthorised Trails or Shortcuts
In addition to established trails, some people create shortcuts to get to their destinations more quickly. Common behaviours include walking straight up peak trails, cutting corners, trampling through vegetation or walking through the woods to shorten the journey. Visitors may also create their own paths to reach scenic spots.
However, these actions would damage the vegetation, fragmenting intact plant communities and adversely affecting plant growth, as well as disturbing local wildlife. In addition, taking shortcuts increases safety risks for walkers, such as the possibility of getting lost or encountering hazards in dense forests.
Symptom: Branches forming an isolated plant island
Initially, some visitors may stray from the main trail, so as more people use them, the side trails become more defined. This in turn attracts even more visitors, eventually making these shortcuts as well defined as the main trail. Shortcuts at bends in the path are particularly prone to creating “plant arcs”, where plants become isolated between the two paths. This isolation prevents the plants from accessing sufficient water and nutrients, ultimately compromising their survival.
4.
Widening
Due to waterlogging, muddy conditions or “not wanting to walk on concrete steps”, walkers may choose to walk on vegetation or dirt next to the original path. The result is a widening of the trail. As soil erosion occurs at the sides and walking becomes more difficult, people will tend to walk further away from the original path. Over time, the path gradually turns into a sandy and muddy avenue that is no longer green.
Symptom: Accumulation of water and mud, vegetation retreats and multiple compound lines occur
Due to hydrological, micro-topographical and soil characteristics, rainfall tends to accumulate on trails rather than run off, resulting in puddles or slippery conditions. This is particularly true of clay soils and poorly drained soils, which are more prone to muddy conditions. The original path becomes difficult for users to negotiate.
If visitors do not want to walk on the original trail, they will often choose to walk on the adjacent vegetation to create a more comfortable alternative route. Vegetation cannot grow back after being trampled for a long time, leading to various trail management problems such as vegetation retreat, trail widening or the creation of double trails.
As a result, trail widening is often accompanied by other problems that discourage visitors from using the main trail, such as water and mud on the trail surface, damage to the trail and soil erosion.
5.
Trail Litter
Plastic bottles, paper towels, food packaging, drink containers and other disposable items are common litter on the trails. Visitors can leave their litter in the countryside or fail to secure it in covered bins, allowing it to be blown away by the wind. This not only degrades the environment, but also attracts wild animals who may knock over the bins and inadvertently ingest the plastic debris, disrupting the natural ecological order.