The “one hundred years” in the keynote speech title refers to a long tradition as well as a specific event that took place one hundred years ago. 1921 is the milestone year in which the Appalachian Trail in the USA originated. The trail was an initiative led by Benton MacKaye and was completed with the help of the public sector, a robust civil society, and the tenacity of its volunteers. The Appalachian Trail became a long-distance trail renowned across the globe, an inspiration for thru-hiking tradition, and the foundation for the ethical concept of mountain trails as a positive force for wilderness protection. Numerous trails and organizations created in the 21st century either followed in its footsteps or were inspired by the great achievement itself, such as the Shinetsu Trail and the Michinoku Coastal Trail in Japan, and the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association behind the local eco-craft trail movement. The east Asian countries have their own long cultural heritage. Due to their connection through the sea and mutual influences, there is a duality to the trails in this region: the heritage of its ancient civilization (e.g. the Shikoku Pilgrimage and the Kumano Kodo in Japan) and the open and proactive spirit of a maritime civilization (e.g. the Jeju Olle Trail in South Korea, inspired by the Camino de Santiago in Spain, as well as the subsequent global extension of the Jeju Olle sister trails, and the international friendship trails network).

​

The 2022 Asia Trails Conference will be held in Taiwan. As we reflect on one hundred years of trail history, we welcome all Asian trail organizations, interconnected like ocean waves, to come together and share their journeys of heritage and innovation. Trails in Taiwan are a demonstration of the island’s strong maritime background: such as the historic trails dating back to the Qing Dynasty with influences from Mainland China, the pilgrimage trails by the Japanese that remain in Taipei, and east coast trails in Hualien that, much like Camino de Santiago, connects magnificent Catholic churches built by missionaries from the West. There are also the eco-craft trails - that combines the techniques used on the Appalachian Trail, the natural construction methods from Japan, and local Taiwanese traditional construction methods - as well as the friendship trail partnership in modern times with Jeju Olle in South Korea. Heritage and innovation are the shared values and common language of the journeys taken by each nation. Through this event, we will see how these journeys are formed and interconnected, and discover how we are quite similar yet very different.

​

ATC 2022 Main Theme: How to Maintain Trail Resilience Through Changes and Challenges?

​

Resilience is the ability to minimize damage and recover rapidly from a disaster. At the moment, we are gradually navigating out of a catastrophe that swept the world. This global public health disaster is a reminder that our planet is a tight-knit community with a shared future. As we march into the mid-21st century, we are reminded by the research conducted by many scientists or current events that global changes and challenges are growing with intensity; they could suddenly arise and will certainly have an impact on the domain of trails. Trails are a refuge from the challenges of reality, a space to recover health and balance of mind and body. However, the intensifying changes in the world also bring conditional changes and difficulties to trail activities. The trail movement is hard pressed to ignore the issues, and might even bear the brunt of the problem in certain cases. How could a trail management organization discover local issues and develop responsive measures from the cultures, traditions, and policies of their respective countries? We will attempt to learn from each other’s experiences and form a resilient and organic community by discussing a myriad of topics, as well as support each other in confronting challenges of these turbulent times.

​

Topic 1: Movement and Trail Policies in a Pandemic

​

COVID-19 may very well be the first public health crisis in history to have resulted in announcements to close public outdoor spaces. Even trans-national long-distance trail hikers are under strict movement control. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we must eliminate personal contact, maintain social distance, and also suspend the exchanges in the enthusiastic trail community. Trail organizations in countries with a severe outbreak must independently make difficult decisions and develop management strategies to respond to this public health crisis. The economies of communities along the trails and users seeking stress relief and exercise outdoors are particularly difficult to manage. One other extreme possibility is the potential impact from crowds flocking to the outdoors due to indoor space control in the cities. In this session, trail organizations of various countries will discuss and share how methods are meticulously executed to prevent any cracks in pandemic control.

​

Topic 2: Adapting Trails to Climate Change and Environmental Impact

​

Earth’s temperature is on the rise and global warming is exacerbating climate change. The resulting impact varies across nations around the world. Snow cover has decreased in many cold regions, changing the mountaintop water sources and the ecological patterns of animals and plants alike. Temperatures of regions with relatively hotter summers have continue to rise, causing heat strokes and other bodily harm in hikers. A series of environmental impacts may be what follows in the future. Along with growing crowds participating in outdoor activities, even various types of carnivals and competitions, there may be soil and water conservation crises for the trails such as trampled plantation and water erosion. In this session, trail organizations of various countries will discuss and share their observations of environmental impacts and the adaptive and responsive measures that they have developed.

​

Topic 3:  Trail Revitalization in the Context of an Aging Society, Ethnic Cultures, and Placemaking

​

Oftentimes, trails were initially connected paths to serve public interactive needs. Some of these historic trails are unused, unmaintained, and abandoned due to population aging and rural flight in farming villages; these village are the so-called “genkai shūraku” (literally “marginal village”) in Japan. On the other hand, many are exploring the touristic potential of these fascinating historic trails. They attract tourists from outside into a village that is facing a crisis, expand the opportunities and duration of their stay, and increase the possibility of invigorating the community’s economy; this is the so-called “placemaking” approach in Japan. Yet, can the service systems of an aging population support the functions required by a trail? Are we able to transform trail crises into opportunities with an aging society trend? How does the trail user demographics change in an aging society? What are the related trends and issues in other countries? What are some previous measures and cases from which we can learn?

​

Topic 4: Resilient Systems and Policies

​

A trail within a natural environment requires regular maintenance and management that are not limited to construction methods and materials suited for the local environment, but also include the policies drafted to adapt to changes in nature and the frequency and level of public usage. Occasionally, rigid construction methods and construction work that aim to require no future maintenance might not adapt to the changes in nature and cannot allow for flexible and timely solutions. Certain countries or regions are able to maintain trail access, reduce damage, and even rapidly recover from trail issues with higher efficiency through different social mechanisms, traditional cultures, or governmental policies. We hope to share and exchange experiences in different countries of whether the trail organizations can find, in traditional elements or governmental policies, resilient systems that effectively respond to trail issues.

​

Topic 5: Trails Community: Civil Resilience and Regional Peace

​

There has been mounting tensions internationally in recent times, such as ongoing conflicts of the past between east Asian countries, clashes between developing countries and the superpowers, and strains between the ruling parties of North Korea and South Korea, Japan and South Korea, China and Japan, and China and Taiwan. Contrary to the political relationships between nations of world, members of the Asia Trails Network represent the universal values of a trans-national civil society. As we face unpredictable changes in political development, we continue visits to each other’s trails, friendships within the community, and our shared values of caring for the land, the environment, and health. How can we overcome these political limitations and become resilient systems that maintain regional peace? We hope to share and advocate with all the trail organizations for the openness, diversity, respect, and inclusivity intrinsic to our trails.

​

The Declaration of the 2022 Asia Trails Conference Taipei: The Values of Diversity, Openness, Inclusivity, and Resilience