ENG-2011 — Page 494

422 Recreation, Sport and the Arts

trails, barbecue, picnic and camp sites and visitors' centres which attracted over 13 million visitors in 2011.

The Tai Lam Mountain Bike Practice Loop located at Tai Lam Country Park opened in May 2011, providing an additional route for mountain biking. To better preserve and manage the Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, five geologically important sites were designated as special areas on January 1, 2011.

There are four marine parks and one marine reserve for conserving marine life. Visitors can enjoy and learn about the beauty and diversity of marine life in Hong Kong at these parks. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department manages the country parks, special areas, marine parks, marine reserve, the Hong Kong Wetland Park and Hong Kong Global Geopark of China.

Hong Kong Global Geopark of China

The Hong Kong Global Geopark of China is made up of eight Geo-Areas. distributed across two regions: the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region and the Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region which together occupy 5 000 hectares of land in the East and Northeast New Territories. The Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region reveals spectacular hexagonal volcanic rock columns, rarely found elsewhere in the world in size and composition. The Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region comprises rocks formed by different earth processes over 400 million years, endowing them with great historical and educational interests.

Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, formerly known as Hong Kong National Geopark, was inaugurated on November 3, 2009. The Global Geoparks Network, supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), announced its acceptance of Hong Kong Geopark as a member of the network on September 17, 2011.

As an extension of the concept of the Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, an exhibition venue named 'Prehistoric Story Room' was established in the Bank of China Tower in the city centre to display for public viewing numerous pieces of fossils and models that tell the Earth's evolutionary story dating back to 4.6 billion years.

Hong Kong Wetland Park

The 61-hectare Hong Kong Wetland Park is a special area designated under the Country Parks Ordinance. Located in the northern part of Tin Shui Wai and the southern tip of the Mai Po inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site, it is a venue for promoting wetland conservation, education and ecotourism in Hong Kong.

The park gives visitors the opportunity to appreciate wetlands and the wildlife. of Hong Kong in an open and natural setting. In 2011, the park attracted over 470 000 visitors. The park also organised various education and publicity programmes such as the 'Bats at Wetland', 'Meet the Mud Wrestlers' and 'Bird Watching Festival' to cultivate awareness of wetland conservation.