FIFTEEN fresh nature education trails in Shenzhen are now free to the public, which makes more favorable resources and platforms available for natural teaching activities in Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

The educational paths are located in the Wutong Mountain National Forest Park and the Orchid Conservation and Research Cennter of Shenzhen in Luohu District, the OCT National Wetland Park in Nanshan District, the Guangdong Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve, and Dapeng Peninsula National Geopark.

At present, the number of routes featuring nature education in Guangdong totals 101, spanning 176.4 kilometers in total. Among them, 81 trails are accessible for free.

The nature trails are specially developed themed footpaths that convey nature knowledge. They include nature observation trails, nature education corridors, forest and flower walks, birding trails and paths along natural attractions.

The paths, as crucial parts of the Guangdong Nature Education Base Program, provide citizens the most direct way to experience nature. To give a better nature-based learning experience, information boards and interactive facilities have been erected along the routes.

An increasing number of residents are seen spending holidays and weekends walking nature trails near the city, exploring their natural settings.

Over the past three years, the Guangdong Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve increased funds in improving and upgrading its educational facilities, such as building more educational paths, setting up more display boards, repairing book stores and establishing nursery bases where visitors can experience growing plants, according to a staffer from the nature reserve.

The staffer told the reporter that nature classrooms, birding corridors and pavilions along the trails offer visitors an immersive approach to exploring a more natural environment, as these stops blend into surroundings to protect wildlife from human disturbance.

Since the beginning of the year, Guangdong has attached importance to the standardization of nature education paths and has been striving to establish high-quality nature education bases.

Shenzhen is also making steady headway in the construction of the “city of parks,” as it recently approved a three-year (2022-2024) action plan, including building one 260-kilometer walking trail from the city’s east to west regions.              (Xia Yuanjie)