THE ENVIRONMENT
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Countryside Conservation and Management
The Agriculture and Fisheries Department is the principal government agency responsible for the conservation and management of Hong Kong's countryside. The Forests and Countryside Ordinance provides for the general protection of vegetation, and special protection is given to certain plants, including native camellias, magnolias, orchids, azaleas and the Chinese new year flower.
The Wild Animals Protection Ordinance prohibits the hunting of wild animals or the possession, sale or export of protected wild animals. It also restricts the entry of unauthorised members of the public to important wildlife habitats, the Mai Po Marshes and the Yim Tso Ha Egretry.
The Country Parks Ordinance provides for the designation, control and management of the most important areas of countryside as country parks and special areas, and enables them to be developed for recreational, conservation and educational purposes. It gives particular protection to vegetation and wildlife. There are now 21 country parks and 14 special areas, covering about 40 per cent of the land area in the territory. There were over 10 million visitors to country parks in 1993.
Overall enforcement of the ordinances is carried out by nature wardens and park wardens. These officers also provide information at seven visitor centres and escort groups on guided visits.
In addition to general conservation of the countryside, Hong Kong has adopted the concept of identifying and conserving sites of special scientific interest, such as a site where a rare tree or a rare species of butterfly can be found. Fifty sites have so far been identified.
The department is also responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of off-site ecological mitigation measures, recommended by consultants, to alleviate adverse effects of the new airport and related projects.
Meteorological Services
Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory was established in 1883, mainly to provide scientific information for the safe navigation of ships. In the ensuing century, the observatory has evolved in line with the changing needs of the community. The scope of its studies and services now covers the fields of hydrometeorology, climatology, physical oceanography, applied meteorology and radiation monitoring and assessment. The observatory also operates the official time service for Hong Kong, provides basic astronomical information and maintains a seismological monitoring network.
Its most visible services are weather forecasting and warnings of hazardous weather responsibilities borne by the Central Forecasting Office at the observatory's headquarters. Regular weather programmes for the public are presented on television by professional meteorologists from Mondays to Saturdays. Live interviews and briefings are also given by forecasters over the radio and television when the situation warrants. Two special bulletins, with accompanying weather charts as illustrations, are prepared for the press each day. Bulletins and advice are also issued to meet the diverse requirements of specialist users such as the shipping, aviation, fishing, recreation and oil-prospecting industries.
Whenever Hong Kong is threatened by tropical cyclones, frequent warnings with advice on necessary precautions are widely disseminated. The heavy rain on May 8, 1992 led to the introduction of a colour-coded rainstorm alert and warning system. A rainstorm