ENG-2005 — Page 356

306 The Environment

-

Hong Kong has over 100 species of amphibians and reptiles. There are 24 species of amphibians and three of them the Hong Kong cascade frog, the Hong Kong newt and Romer's tree frog - are protected by the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance due to their endemic status or very restricted distribution in Hong Kong. Most of the 51 species of snakes are harmless, and reports of people being bitten by highly venomous snakes are very rare. Among the 10 native species of chelonians, the green turtle is of particular interest as it is the only known species of sea turtle breeding locally. In 2002 and 2003, a satellite-tracking study by AFCD showed that two green turtles nested in Sham Wan and migrated back to their feeding grounds. off Hainan Island and Dao Bach Long Vi in Vietnam.

Marine Fauna

Hong Kong's subtropical marine environment supports species of both tropical and temperate climates. Local waters contain a wide diversity of fishes, crustaceans, molluscs and other marine life, of which at least 150 species are of significance.

Set on the eastern bank of the Pearl River's estuary, Hong Kong receives fresh water discharged from the river, especially in its western waters. The eastern waters, on the other hand, are little influenced by the Pearl River outflow and are predominantly oceanic in character. This unusual hydrography helps to contribute to the diversity of marine life.

Despite being close to the northern limit for hard corals, Hong Kong supports some 80 stony coral species. This diversity of corals is considered to be quite rich by international standards. A variety of marine fishes also breed in Hong Kong waters. Typical of the eastern waters is the red pargo, one of several sea bream varieties whose fry are abundant along the shore of Mirs Bay in early spring.

Two marine mammal species can be found throughout the year. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, also known as the Chinese white dolphin, is the best known and the other is the finless porpoise. The humpback dolphin prefers the estuarine environment and inhabits the western waters of Hong Kong while the finless porpoise lives in the eastern and southern areas, which are predominantly oceanic

waters.

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, the AFCD has installed artificial reefs to enhance fisheries resources and biodiversity. The Marine Parks programme continues to serve as an important scheme in protecting and conserving sites of special ecological and conservation value.

Legislation and Nature Conservation

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