ENG-2000 — Page 351

THE ENVIRONMENT

Despite the small size of Hong Kong waters, two marine mammal species can be found here all year. The better-known one is the Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin, also locally known as Chinese White Dolphin. The other is the finless porpoise.

There has been concern over the degradation of the marine environment by pollution, coastal development works, over-fishing and destructive fishing practices. To counteract the disturbance to inshore marine resources, artificial reefs are being deployed to enhance fisheries resources and the biodiversity of the marine environment. The Marine Parks Programme continues to serve as an important tool to protect and conserve sites of special ecological and conservation values.

Legislation and Nature Conservation

The Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation is the Country and Marine Parks Authority responsible for the conservation of the terrestrial and marine ecological resources, as well as for the enforcement of legislation on conservation issues.

The Forests and Countryside Ordinance provides for the general protection of vegetation, and gives special protection 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 taken in Hong Kong. It also restricts unauthorised entry to three important wildlife habitats: the Mai Po Marshes, the Yim Tso Ha Egretry and the sea turtle nesting beach in Sham Wan.

The Country Parks Ordinance provides for the designation, control and management of the countryside as country parks and special areas, and enables them to be developed for outdoor recreational, educational and nature conservation purposes.

The Marine Parks Ordinance provides for the designation, protection and management of ecologically important marine environments as marine parks and marine reserves.

Besides general conservation of the countryside, Hong Kong has been identifying and conserving sites of special scientific interest, such as those that are natural habitats of rare plant or animal species. In all, 64 sites have been listed.

The Fisheries Protection Ordinance provides for the regulation of fishing practices and the prevention of destructive fishing activities such as using explosive or toxic substances for the purpose of fishing.

Protected Areas

There are 23 country parks and 15 special areas (four of which are located outside country parks). Covering a total area of 41 582 hectares, they comprise scenic hills, woodlands, reservoirs, islands, indented coastlines, marshes and uplands. They are carefully protected for the purposes of nature conservation, outdoor recreation, countryside education, tourism and scientific studies. Country parks and special areas are managed on a multi-use basis, involving protection of woodland and vegetation against fire, control of development, litter collection, tree planting, provision of educational and recreational facilities and promoting better understanding of the countryside. Over 10 million visitors were recorded in the year.

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