XN000022-1991-05-31 — Page 4

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FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1991

THE REPORT WAS COMPILED BY A WORKING GROUP COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES FROM TERTIARY INSTITUTES, THE WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE, HONG KONG, MBAHK, AND RELEVANT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND CHAIRED BY DR JOHN HODGKISS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.

DR LEE SAID THE REPORT RECOMMENDED THAT HOI HA WAN IN SAI KUNG AND YAN CHAU TONG IN THE NORTHEAST SHOULD BE DESIGNATED AS MARINE PARKS WHILE CAPE D'AGUILAR AS A MARINE RESERVE.

IT ALSO SUGGESTED THAT SHELTER ISLAND AREA, SOUTH LAMMA, SOUTHWEST LANTAU AND PING CHAU TO THE NORTHWEST COULD BE SUITABLE FOR DESIGNATION BUT WOULD REQUIRE FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

WHILE THE DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES WAS CONSIDERED ΤΟ BE THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY то IMPLEMENT THE REPORT'S RECOMMENDATIONS, DR LEE SAID A MARINE PARKS AND MARINE RESERVES COMMITTEE WITH EXPERTISE FROM WITHIN AND OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE SET UP FOR SUCH A PURPOSE UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE COUNTRY PARKS BOARD.

ELABORATING ON THE THREE SITES PROPOSED FOR DESIGNATION, HE

SAID THEY WERE CHOSEN WITH GOOD REASONS.

HE SAID HOI HA WAN WAS ONE OF THE VERY FEW AREAS IN HONG KONG WHICH WAS STILL RELATIVELY UNPOLLUTED AND HAD RECEIVED EXTENSIVE RESEARCH INTEREST.

"OF THE 49 CORAL SPECIES HITHERTO RECORDED IN HONG KONG, 39 ARE FOUND IN HOI HA WAN. SIMILARLY, 50 PER CENT (31 OUT OF 63 SPECIES) OF THE LOCAL POLYCHAETE SPECIES ARE RECORDED THERE," HE SAID.

AS FOR YAN CHAU TONG, DR LEE SAID ITS COASTLINE WAS HIGHLY CRENULATE WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF LANDFORMS, ROCK CLIFFS AND BEACH TYPES RANGING FROM MUD FLATS TO ROCKY SHORES.

ITS REMOTENESS ALLOWED THE SITE TO RETAIN DIVERSE ECOLOGICAL NICHES MATCHED BY AN EQUALLY DIVERSE FAUNA AND FLORA.

MBANWHILE, CAPE D'AGUILAR IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF EXPOSED GRANITE SHORES FOUND ON THE SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH OF HONG KONG. SPECIAL GEOMORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES, SUCH AS DYKES AND SEA CAVES, ARE FOUND

THERE.

WITH

APART FROM THE ADVANTAGES ASSOCIATED EDUCATION, DR LEE ALSO SAW NEW HORIZONS BEING ESTABLISHMENT OF MARINE PARKS AND MARINE RESERVES.

MADE

CONSERVATION AND POSSIBLE BY THE

"FIRST, THIS PRESENTS A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR GOVERNMENT AND DEDICATED INTEREST GROUPS TO WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER TOWARDS A COMMON GOAL, AND IN THIS CASE, CONSERVATION OF OUR MARINE HERITAGE," HE SAID.

PREVAILING

NECESSARY

THIS WAS PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE UNDER THE GOVERNMENT BUDGET AND CONSTRAINTS, IT WAS LIKELY THAT THE MANPOWER AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES REQUIRED ΤΟ SUCCESSFULLY MAINTAIN AND MANAGE THE PARKS AND RESERVES WOULD NOT BE GRANTED IN FULL AND ACTIVE INPUT FROM INTEREST GROUPS MIGHT BE NEEDED TO HELP OUT.

/"SECOND, THIS