Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Report 2007-2008

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[Director's Message] [Overview] [Agriculture] [Fisheries]
[Inspection and Quarantine] [Nature Conservation]
[Country and Marine Parks] [Appendices]


Country and Marine Parks

WORK OF THE COUNTRY AND MARINE PARKS BRANCH

The objectives of the branch are:

  • To conserve the natural environment through the identification, designation and management of suitable areas as country parks, special areas, marine parks and marine reserves;
  • To conserve important marine and terrestrial fauna and flora, such as the Chinese white dolphins, finless porpoises, coral communities, birds, mammals, butterflies and dragonflies;
  • To promote nature appreciation through publicity and educational activities and the provision of suitable facilities.

 

COUNTRY AND MARINE PARKS

To conserve the countryside, by March 2008, 41 644 hectares (about 38 % of Hong Kong's total land area) had been designated as country parks and special areas. The Department continued to manage all 23 country parks and 17 special areas for conservation, recreation, education and tourism. Hiking trails, nature trails, barbecue and picnic sites, camp sites and visitor centres were provided in the country parks, drawing some 12 583 600 visitors in 2007-08.

The Department also continued to manage marine parks and marine reserves for conservation, recreation, education and scientific studies. There are currently four marine parks and one marine reserve, covering 2 430 hectares. They comprise scenic coastal areas, seascapes and important marine habitats with interesting marine fauna and flora, providing ideal opportunities for diving, snorkelling, canoeing and underwater photography. Some 211 000 visitors to marine parks were recorded in 2007-08.

 

HILL FIRES

During the year, 42 hill fires occurred over an area of 189 hectares with 20 600 trees damaged within or adjacent to country parks. The number of hill fires was similar to that of the past two years. However, the damage caused by hill fires was lower than that of the previous year as no special severe hill fire had occurred. Planting programmes to rehabilitate the areas damaged by hill fires continued.

 

TREE PLANTING

Some 933 000 seedlings were planted in 2007-08, as compared with 903 000 in 2006-07. The slight increase was due to the need to plant more trees at Tai Lam Country Park to rehabilitate the damage caused by hill fires that occurred in late 2006. To enrich local plant diversity, the Department continued to produce and plant seedlings of native tree species. Major native species planted included Castanopsis fissa, Celtis sinesis, Gordonia axillaris, Liquidambar formosana, Machilus chekiangensis, Machilus gamblei and Schima superba, accounting for about 56% of all plantings.

Seedlings of uncommon species like Aphananthe cuspidate, various Camellia species, Keteleeria fortunei, Nauclea officinalis and Pyrus calleryana as well as seedlings of tree species that were not readily available in the market, such as Machilus chekiangensis and Machilus pauhoi, were produced for planting in country parks.


Ecological Enhancement

Efforts continued to be made to enhance the diversity of flora and fauna in country parks. For instance, seedlings of native species were planted within plantations of exotic species to enrich their species diversity and ecological value. Artificial wetlands were constructed for attracting aquatic wildlife.  Butterfly gardens were also developed to increase diversity of butterflies through planting food plants to attract rare butterflies to breed there.

 

MANAGEMENT OF MARINE PARKS

With the increasing popularity of marine parks, a number of measures were taken to address problems arising from the increase in visitors. These included increased patrols, with volunteers assigned to advise visitors of rules to observe during their visits, the arrangement of guided activities and the publication of educational materials.  Law enforcement action was also taken to combat illegal activities.

In May 2007, Coral Beach of the Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park was closed for the purpose of allowing damaged coral to recover.

 

NATURE CONSERVATION EDUCATION

Publication of Nature Books

To promote nature appreciation activities, we collaborated with the Friends of the Country Parks to publish the "Eyes on Nature Series 2007" and "30 Years of Country Parks" series in 2008. The "Eyes on Nature Series 2007" is a set of 12 books focusing on local fauna and flora, geology features and promoting nature with the aid of music and lyrics. The "Eyes on Nature Series 2007" won the first annual "Hong Kong Book Prize 2007" award. The book entitled "30 Years of Country Parks" celebrates the 30th anniversary of the country parks, detailing the history and development of Hong Kong's country parks since their early days.

Nature Appreciation Activities of Visitor Centres

During November 2007 to March 2008, the Lions Nature Education Center launched a regular guided walk service utilising a web-based booking system. Over 660 participants from 16 organisations joined the guided walks.

Ngong Ping Nature Centre, the first country park visitor centre set up on Lantau Island, was opened in March 2008. The centre displays ecological and hiking information on Lantau.

Geoconservation Appreciation Tours

In collaboration with Friends of the Country Parks and the Association for Geoconservation Hong Kong, the Department offered a "Geo-landmarks Appreciation Guided Walks" program to the public in March and April 2008.  The appreciation tours were hosted at six geo-landmarks in Hong Kong, including High Island Reservoir, Ma Shi Chau Special Area, Ngong Ping (Lantau), Shek O, Tai Lam Country Park and Bride's Pool. The guided walks aimed to promote geo-conservation through appreciation of the unique natural landmarks in Hong Kong. The programme was so popular that all guided walks were fully subscribed with over 2 000 participants.

Songs of Nature

To promote the appreciation of nature through music, the Department, the Friends of the Country Parks and the Education Bureau jointly hosted a territory-wide singing contest "Songs of Nature" in January and February 2008. The event celebrated nature's beauty and dynamism with music and lyrics, drawing 2 450 students from 47 schools to participate. The participating teams were free to present any one of the 10 Songs of Nature written by Mr. Albert Au, a renowned local folk singer. Of the songs, each a eulogy to a local scenic site, five are newly written and five are golden oldies reinvigorated with poetic lyrics to extol the natural splendour of Hong Kong's countryside.

School Visits

Under the "School Visit Programme 2007-08", park wardens met some 2 800 kindergarten students from 36 schools to promote the message of nature appreciation through experience sharing and games during October 2007 to March 2008.

Marine Conservation Education Programme

The Department organised a variety of marine conservation education activities targeting various sectors of the community. During the year, we organised 88 public eco-tours, 9 public seminars, 7 beach cleanup activities, 13 school lectures, 7 exhibitions and 20 other kinds of educational activities, benefiting over 8 000 participants.

 

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Park wardens patrol country parks and special areas on a regular basis to provide visitor services and to enforce the Country Parks Ordinance and related legislation. In 2007-08, 929 offenders were prosecuted or given a fixed penalty notice with fines totalling $898,700. Statistics are at Appendix 12. Under the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness Offences) Ordinance, Cap. 570, a total of 525 offenders were given a fixed penalty notice for littering or spitting; 30 offenders were charged with unauthorised possession of protected plants or damaging plants; while 8 people were prosecuted for illegal use of fire in the countryside or a country park. Park wardens also conducted frequent special operations in the country parks, such as searching for illegal animal traps, visiting villages for the promotion of fire prevention and assisting the police in search-and-rescue exercises. Regular joint operations with the Police were undertaken to combat crimes, such as robbery and illegal felling of Buddhist Pines and Incense Trees.

In our marine parks and reserves, wardens patrol on a daily basis, paying special attention to any illegal fishing activities and other offences. Close liaison is also maintained with the Marine Police and the Fisheries Authority of Shenzhen to combat illegal fishing by Mainland fishermen in marine parks. Wardens give advice or warnings to visitors and institute prosecutions when necessary. In 2007-08, 90 prosecutions were instituted with fines totalling $72,400.

 

MARINE CONSERVATION

Reef Check

The Department coordinated the annual Reef Check, in collaboration with the Reef Check Foundation. In 2007, 33 coral sites were surveyed with the assistance of over 360 volunteer divers. Twenty-two of the total 33 coral sites recorded high coral cover (i.e. more than 50%) and the growth of corals at all sites was stable. Results of the Reef Check were publicised to enhance public awareness of the current status of our marine environment and to seek the public's cooperation in protecting our precious marine resources. The findings also provided the Department with important information on the health of corals so that appropriate action could be taken to protect them.

2007 was the 10th anniversary of Reef Check. To mark the occasion, a special handbook documenting the objectives and major achievements of Hong Kong Reef Check was produced.

Conservation of Corals

Specially-designed marker buoys were installed at Ung Kong Wan, Sharp Island and Port Island for better protection of corals from anchoring damage. Regular sea patrols and underwater ecological surveys were also conducted to monitor the effectiveness of the coral marker buoys in those areas. The results to date are encouraging. There has been an overall increase in live coral cover in the marker area and damaged corals have shown signs of recovery.

The Department organised the "Photo and Video Exhibition on Coastal and Marine Life of Hong Kong in 2007" with a view to promoting the beauty and diversity of coastal and marine environment and enhancing the public's understanding of the importance of marine conservation. A photo album showing the winning entries and the Department's work on conservation and management of Hong Kong marine environment was produced in 2007.

Conservation of Marine Mammals

There are about 1 300 to 1 500 Chinese white dolphins living in the Pearl River Estuary. About 200 dolphins of this population live in the western waters of Hong Kong around Lantau Island, Tuen Mun, Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau. The Department has been implementing a Conservation Programme for the Chinese white dolphin since 2000. Tasks include habitat protection and management, long-term monitoring of the dolphin population, investigation of dolphin stranding, promotion of public awareness of dolphin conservation, and liaison with the Guangdong authorities to exchange information on the conservation of the species. Population data analysis undertaken in 2007 indicated that the abundance of dolphins in Hong Kong waters was generally stable over the years.

Every reported dolphin stranding in Hong Kong is jointly investigated by the Department in collaboration with the Ocean Park. Tissue samples from the carcasses are collected for further studies. The Department also organises exhibitions and seminars as well as distributes posters and leaflets to promote conservation awareness, and publicise the code of conduct on dolphin watching and the dolphin stranding hotline. Through these efforts, the public's understanding of marine mammals has gradually deepened.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES

The Department regularly provides comments and advice on development proposals and projects that might affect the marine environment. We also comment on EIA reports from a marine-ecology point of view. During the year, examples of projects studied included the development of a bathing beach at Lung Mei, Tai Po, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong boundary crossing facilities, upgrading of Pillar Point Sewage Treatment Work, the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme, and the development of Offshore Wind Farms.

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