Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Report 2007-2008
[Director's Message] [Overview] [Agriculture] [Fisheries]
[Inspection and Quarantine] [Nature Conservation] [Country and Marine Parks] [Appendices] |
Director's Message 2007-08 was both a challenging and encouraging year for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) as we reaped rosy results through our services and efforts. During the year, we continued our detailed preparation for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events with excited anticipation. Not only did we aim for the smooth running of the events, but we did our best to ensure the animal quarantine, disease prevention and overall welfare of the participating horses would be well taken care of. The development of organic farming has grown to meet the greater demand of consumers. During the year, 110 farms joined the Department's "Organic Farming Support Service". Together, they produce about four tonnes of organic vegetables per day, marking a 33% increase from the previous year. On the fisheries side, following the successful completion of culture trials on jade perch, the Department conducted trials on the hatching of imported fertilised eggs and the rearing of fish fry in temperature controlled tanks, and induced spawning of jade perch to help fish farmers secure a stable supply of fish fry at a lower cost. Prevention of avian influenza (AI) outbreaks has been one of our major tasks over the years. The Department's AI year-round surveillance programme continued to monitor and screen for the presence of the virus at various sites considered to be at risk, such as poultry farms, the wholesale poultry market, pet shops, recreational parks and nature reserves. Dead wild birds were also collected daily and tested for the H5 virus. The achievement of Hong Kong in enforcing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has received recognition in the international arena. At the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP14) to the CITES, the Department was awarded the "Ecomessage Award" by Interpol for its commitment to combating illegal trade in endangered species. The Department was the second recipient of the award since its establishment in 2004. The Hong Kong Wetland Park has continued to play an important role in promoting wetland conservation and education in the Asia Pacific region. The ecotourism park has attracted more than 20 million visitors since its opening in 2006. To promote nature appreciation activities, the Department worked 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 former focuses on local fauna and flora while the latter traces the history and development of Hong Kong's country parks since their establishment. The "Eyes on Nature Series 2007" won the first annual "Hong Kong Book Prize 2007" award. We believe education is the most effective way to help conserve nature. We continued to organise school visits, public seminars and eco-tours, exhibitions, beach cleanup activities in 2007-2008. These outlines are reported in detail in the following chapters. Here I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our staff and volunteers for their hard work and our collaborative partners for their full support. Without their dedication and contributions, all these achievements could not have been realised.
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