ENG-2009 — Page 353

The Environment | 285

breeding groups of rhesus macaques and a few long-tailed macaques, and their hybrids there. Some rhesus macaques have migrated to the forested areas of Shing Mun Reservoir and Tai Po Kau. Feeding of monkeys has been prohibited since July 1999 to prevent their growth in numbers.

Other mammals such as red muntjacs, leopard cats, East Asian porcupines, Chinese ferret badgers, masked palm civets, small Indian civets and Eurasian wild pigs are quite common in the countryside. Bats including the Himalayan leaf-nosed bats, Pomona leaf-nosed bats and Chinese horseshoe bats are found in caves and water tunnels. Sightings of less common species such as Eurasian otters, small Asian mongooses and Chinese pangolins are reported occasionally.

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 the Romer's tree frog are protected under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance. Most of the 52 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 in Hong Kong.

Marine Fauna

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

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

Despite being close to the northern geographic limit for the growth of hard corals, Hong Kong supports 84 hard coral species. This diversity of corals is quite rich by international standards. A variety of marine fish also breeds 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. 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 part, where the waters are predominantly oceanic.

To enhance inshore marine resources, the AFCD has installed artificial reefs to improve fisheries resources and biodiversity. The Marine Parks programme continues to be important in protecting and conserving sites of special ecological and conservation value.