TNAG-0532-FCO40-627-Conservation-of-wildlife-in-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 47

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RESTRICTED

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COMMITTEE PAPER NO. 19

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON RECREATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT AND NATURE CONSERVATION

Conservation of the Mai Po Marshes as a Wildlife

Refuge for Recreation and Education

Following the Meeting of 25th February when matters relating to nature education, nature conservation, sites of special scientific interest etc. were discussed, the Nature Conservation Sub-Committee has now forwarded a paper which has their support, proposing a project in the Mai Po Marshes on the lines discussed.

2.

Members of the Advisory Committee are advised to take note of the biological importance of the Mai Po Marshes and its potential as an area for study and popular education (part I, page 3). They are asked to note also that the importance of the entire marshland for long distance bird migration is unclear, but it seems unlikely that areas north of the Shum Chun River are being conserved yet.

3.

Members of the Advisory Committee are invited to support in principle the proposals outlined in the paper for the existing Fourth Schedule "No Hunting" Area, namely

4.

(a)

a Nature Conservation Area, with restricted access but subject to existing rights adjoining the estuary of the Shum Chun River (page 11)

(b) a Nature Education Area in the form of a wild fowl

park in the central section (page 12) and

(c)

an undeveloped area with unrestricted access in the southern section (page 14)

Members of the Advisory Committee are invited to consider the proposals in the paper thus :-

Phase I

Phase II

Phase III

Phase IV

designation of the area administratively and subsequently by legislation for the purposes proposed;

the establishment of protective measures and commencement of research into manage- ment procedures;

as finance permits, to develop the building and public facilities in the project; and

to establish long term ecological studies in the project.