Executive Summary of Environmental Baseline Report

Hong Kong's marine habitats can be classified as hard bottom and soft bottom seabed habitats. Hard bottom habitat typically occurs close to the shore in the form of areas of rocky coast and, particularly in eastern waters, hard corals. Soft bottom habitat covers the majority of Hong Kong's seabed and usually comprises a mixture of sand and mud.

Several areas of importance for marine biodiversity have been protected through designation of Marine Parks at Hoi Ha Wan and Yan Chau Tong and a Marine Reserve at Cape d'Aguilar. Further designations are currently under consideration. Marine habitats and species are particularly under pressure from reclamation and dredging, severe fishing pressure and disturbance and inputs of pollutants such as untreated effluent and sewage.

Maintenance of the marine ecological resource in Hong Kong will require adequate protection of remaining valuable habitat, effective implementation of the proposed fisheries management strategy and continued control of pollution to the marine environment. Management of threatened species should also be co-ordinated on a regional basis.