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Although much of Hong Kong's ecological resources natural capital stock has been degraded in the past few decades, recent studies indicate that a considerable range of biodiversity remains intact. Ecological resources serve a number of important functions and they are integrally related to the sustainability issues of land use, freshwater resources and assimilative capacity. Assessment of the sustainability of ecological resources in Hong Kong must address the extent to which existing resources being preserved and maintained and whether existing resources are adequate to support the other natural capital stock values underpinning sustainability.
The current system for statutory protection of ecological resources is composed of:
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protection of habitats through Ramsar, Country Park, Special Area and/or Restricted Area designations; and
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protection of individual species through the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, the Marine Parks Ordinance, the Country Parks Ordinance, or the Forestry Regulations of the Forests and Countryside Ordinance.
Whilst Country Parks, Special Areas and Restricted Areas are undoubtedly useful in protecting large areas of natural land and important habitats in Hong Kong, they often encompass land which is largely undevelopable anyway. In addition, outside of the Sai Kung and Plover Cove peninsula areas a limited number of coastal and lowland areas are included. The Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site conserves a substantial portion of Hong Kong's remaining valuable lowland areas, including wetlands, mangroves, fishponds/gei wais and intertidal mudflats. Similarly, the Marine Parks system currently provides for three Marine Parks and one Marine Reserve covering around 1.5% of the marine area of Hong Kong.
However, other areas containing natural watercourses and wetlands, such as Sha Lo Tung, which is of international importance as a dragonfly habitat, and coastal areas, such as Tai Long Wan, one of Hong Kong'smost pristine beaches and hard coral communities, are not wholly encompassed by either the Country Park, Marine Park, Special Area, Restricted Area or Ramsar site protection schemes. Other designations, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Buffer Zones, or Conservation Areas are potential protection instruments, but outside of areas covered by statutory plans, the protection afforded is only of an administrative nature.
Species protection, though offered by several legal instruments, is not often extended to protection of the critical habitats of these species. For example, although horseshoe crabs and their habitat are afforded protection within the confines of the Marine Parks/Reserve, the three nursery beaches where the crabs are known to breed and mature at Pak Nai, San Tau and Shui Hau do not receive this protection (Chiu and Morton 1999). Two notable exceptions to this are the designation of the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park to provide habitat for the Chinese White Dolphin, and the designation of Restricted Areas for the nesting sites of turtles and waterbirds. Similar protection could be offered to spawning fishes under the Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap 171) in the form of designated spawning and nursery ground but thus far none has been designated. Most fauna that could be threatened by trapping or collecting are provided legal protection, however, other species, which may be equally at risk from habitat encroachment or pollution, are not listed. Protected flora are generally widely distributed across upland areas of Country Parks (HKU 1999).
Significantly, the lack of an explicit or co-ordinated conservation policy in Hong Kong also affects the way in which designated conservation areas are managed. Country Parks are managed for multiple uses (nature conservation, countryside recreation and outdoor education) simultaneously and in all geographic areas. Although conservation objectives in Country Parks involve elements of management of visitor pressure, disturbance and hill fires, the management scheme does not acknowledge or address the inherent conflicts between, for example, ecological conservation and recreation. Because this type of management scheme is only partly driven by specific conservation objectives, it also serves to distribute resources equally throughout the Country Park areas (eg enforcement patrols, fire response infrastructure) rather than channelling them toward species or habitats which are particularly in need of them. There is a need therefore for improved co-ordination among conservation programmes to demonstrate that an integrated and co-ordinated policy is being worked towards.
Addressing the issue of the sustainability of the remaining ecological stock requires more information on the interrelationships between species and their habitats, and between these resources and the multiple forces which act on them than is currently available. Since it is impossible at this time to address ecological resource sustainability in Hong Kong using this approach, it is necessary to focus attention on resource protection and work toward continual improvement through adaptive management. Management actions which could provide benefits for the ecological resources capital stock include enhanced cross-border and international liaison, incorporation of newly available scientific information, and better management of the public's interaction with ecological resources.
Many of the threats to Hong Kong's ecological resources are generated by forces that act on a regional or global scale. There are important steps that can be taken locally, but these must be a component of a concerted regional approach to ecological management. Hong Kong must work with its provincial counterparts to forge a holistic approach to environmental planning and management as suggested by the Chief Executive's 1999 Policy Address. Priority issues such as environmental improvement of Deep Bay and characterisation and management of Mirs Bay have already been the focus of joint efforts. Additional topics such as conservation of migratory species, harmonisation of fisheries protection schemes, and a coordinated biodiversity inventory to identify regional rarities are also worth pursuing.
International liaison will also be necessary in meeting Hong Kong's international commitments on biodiversity and habitat preservation. Since both China and the UK are signatories, the Ramsar Convention applies to Hong Kong and the SAR is therefore technically required not only to designate and protect at least one Ramsar Site, which it has done at Mai Po, but also to adhere to a requirement to include wetland conservation considerations within national land use planning so as to promote, as far as possible, the wise use of wetlands. The Convention on Biological Diversity which was signed by both Britain and China in 1992 requires signatory countries to develop strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Whilst the Convention has not been extended to Hong Kong, many of the deficiencies in Hong Kong's own policy framework would be addressed by preparation of such a strategy.
Another area with high potential for future improvement in ecological management is the incorporation of new scientific information. With the upcoming release of the findings of the HKU Biodiversity Survey results, many former data gaps will be filled and thus provide a solid basis for the targeting of future conservation efforts toward those areas which most require protection. Other products of the SUSDEV 21 study such as the habitat mapping and ranking based on conservation value, will also aid in future decision-making involving ecological resource management.
Better management of the public's interaction with ecological resources can be accomplished through improved environmental education awareness and through stricter enforcement of existing regulations. For example, although public advice is provided by government against the starting of fires, very limited enforcement of penalties or prosecutions are brought against offenders. Given the severe damage to habitats and species caused by hill fires every year, prevention of fires through further education and enforcement is arguably as important as, and more cost-effective than, having in place fire fighting procedures and response plans. Greater enforcement of existing regulations governing littering, disposal of refuse in marine waters and land, illegal fishing activities, poaching and trapping, and unpermitted development such as filling of wetlands, would also result in tangible benefits to ecological resources.
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