The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups called on Wednesday for authorities to launch rural festivals and cultural exchange programmes aimed at deepening young people’s engagement with countryside conservation efforts.

This push follows a survey conducted by the federation that took in 534 residents aged 15 to 34.

Its findings revealed support for preserving rural areas, with more than 90 percent of respondents agreeing that countryside conservation is vital for sustainable urban-rural development.

"We can really feature the distinctive cultural and landscape features of Hong Kong countryside with a big event and these big events would boost diverse participation by the general public and they would see how countryside conservation has been happening,” said John Poon, deputy convener of youth development and engagement group.

"No matter [whether it's] on the cultural side, economic side or environmental side, we hope that could really boost and raise public awareness and build a broad base of community engagement."

He also suggested the government create a blueprint for sustainable urban-rural development and provide opportunities for young people to join the Advisory Committee on the Northern Metropolis, enabling them to share their insights on the city's future development.

The study also found that approximately two thirds of the respondents think that countryside conservation is vital to local economic development.

“There are people who have been doing countryside conservation and cultural development," Poon said.

"They can make use of the cultural heritage as well as some of the economic projects, which can be small and micro, but in the meantime, it can allow the village, the countryside to sustain itself with a little bit of economic development.

"We also see that a lot of you believe this could be one of... their employment options.

"They can go back to the countryside and they could see some employment opportunities and avenues for them to contribute and they can have a stable job."

Poon added that promoting awareness of countryside conservation not only addresses environmental concerns but also opens a window of opportunity for youths to explore Hong Kong’s history and heritage.