ENG-1995 — Page 449

Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve, on Deep Bay in the north-western New Territories, was designated a Wetland of International Importance in September, 1995, becoming Hong Kong's first declared site under the Ramsar Convention for the Conservation of Wetlands. It is managed in conjunction with a series of traditional inter-tidal shrimp ponds called gei wai. These are allowed to fill naturally with shrimp and fish fry coming in through a sluice gate on the rising tide. They are then kept inside until they grow to commercial size and harvested when the ponds are drained and a fresh supply of water and fry allowed in.

LEFT: Ponds empty on the ebb tide at Mai Po marshes, and wading birds follow their prey as the waters shrink into narrow runnels. ABOVE: This meaty crab was a bonus find when the gei wai in which it lived was drained in autumn.

NEXT PAGE: Magnificent scenery is one reward for the 2 400 entrants in the 1995 Trailwalker, an annual walk for charity organised jointly by the Queen's Gurkha Signals and Oxfam Hong Kong. The 1995 Trailwalker, held from November 3 to 5, was the 14th anniversary of the event, which has collected $45 million since it began in 1981 and has become one of Hong Kong's largest fund-raising activities. Participants run or walk along 100 kilometres of the MacLehose Trail in Sai Kung Country Park. The Queen's Gurkha Signals hold the record of 13 hours 18 minutes.