XN000022-1996-09-30 — Page 10

+

- 9.

"To achieve our target, we had to balance various conflicting interests, cultivate support from different sectors of the community, undertake considerable surveys and studies. seek legislative approval, and obtain necessary financial and human resources," he said.

Mr Leung cited various examples at the designated marine parks at Hoi Ha Wan and Yan Chau Tong and the marine reserve at Cape D'Aguilar to show their research and educational potential.

"About a dozen animal species new to science have been discovered in these marine parks and marine reserve in the past decades," he said.

Cape D'Aguilar Marine Reserve is a place full of special marine creature. There is a coral rock pool where 12 species of corals can be found in a tiny area and one of them is indigenous to the area.

Meanwhile, the rarer species of marine eel grass can still claim their stand at Yan Chau Tong Marine Park.

"Further research to obtain more valuable baseline information of Hong Kong's coastal ecological systems will be carried out to provide us with a better understanding of our coastal environment," said Mr Leung.

He stressed that the establishment of this first batch of marine parks and marine reserve was only an initial step in conserving our marine environment and enhancing

our resources.

"We shall continue with efforts to designate the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park in the near future, and conduct detailed studies of other, further, potential sites," he said.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Lawrence Lee, said the concept to setting up marine parks and marine reserves in Hong Kong was dated back to the late '80s.

He said: "In 1991, Cape D'Aguilar, together with Hoi Ha Wan and Yan Chau Tong have been identified by the Marine Parks and Reserves Working Group as suitable sites for designation."

He noted that the Marine Parks Ordinance enacted in 1995 offered the government the mechanism to designated these areas.

Page 10Page 11