Hiking trail group launches website in bid to reduce concreting

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) The Thousand Miles Trail Association (TMI Trail) has launched a new website that seeks to enlist the public's help in reducing concrete hiking trails in Taiwan.

At a press conference Tuesday, Hsu Ming-chien (徐銘謙), TMI Trail's deputy director-general, encouraged hikers to upload photos of damaged or at-risk trails to itrail.tw, as part of efforts to reduce the spread of paved paths in mountainous areas.

After walking more than 200 mountain paths in rural areas in Taipei and New Taipei, volunteers found that nearly 74 percent of the trails in Taipei were completely paved with concrete, with natural trails accounting for only 10 percent, Hsu said.

The discovery sparked grave public concern about the issue, leading to the establishment of Taiwan Trail Day, celebrated on the first Saturday of every June, Hsu added.

Meanwhile, TMI Trail Chairwoman Chou Sheng-hsin (周聖心) said the association is dedicated to reducing the widespread existence of paved trails in mountainous areas around Taiwan, an upgrade from the "zero damage to natural trails, zero growth in concrete trails."

She said itrail.tw was launched in conjunction with nearly 40 supportive groups and companies from a broad range of areas.

On its website, the TMI Trail said it invites all members of the public to join the initiative by walking through forests and strolling along trails, encouraging them to record and report the problems related whenever and wherever they find along the way using their smartphones.

The association said that it hoped the website would increase public awareness of the importance of maintaining a sound natural environment and encourage self-discipline among hikers.

Through a collective effort among the public, trails that need protection or repairs will be found, which will be referred to government authorities in charge to deal with, according to the association.

Trails that need protection or repairs will be rebuilt by hand if necessary or with other environmentally friendly methods, the association said.

Hsu said the objective was set in the annual NGOs environmental conference in 2012, opening the way for a Taiwan trail stewardship campaign of scores of trained skilled volunteers with the TMI Trail to protect and maintain natural mountainous trials across the country.

As more and more people have become enthusiastic about hiking following COVID-19, mountainous areas and hiking trails have become much more vulnerable to the damage caused by increased mudslides and land erosion, Hsu said.