|
SECTION
3 NATURAL RESOURCES CAPITAL STOCK
| 3.3 |
Agriculture
and Fisheries |
| |
|
 |
|
| Pressures
Common to Agriculture and Capture Fisheries
Resources |
| |
|
| 3.3.2.11 |
Both
the agriculture and fisheries industries
produce food for the local market. As such
both must ensure that the natural environment
which supports them remains free of substances
that may taint the products, either by creating
a health risk or by attaching a stigma to
locally produced foods. In the agricultural
sector threats could arise from the use
of certain pesticides or excessive quantities
of chemicals, or from improper rearing,
slaughtering or product handling procedures.
In the marine environment, threats from
algal blooms, or red tides, may harm the
quality or reputation of fisheries products,
and high levels of contaminants in locally
produced shellfish may diminish the market
for these products. The impacts of environmental
quality on food products can affect both
the quantity of production (eg lower yields
in polluted environments), the quality of
production (eg poor quality products fetch
lower prices or are shunned by consumers)
or both. These issues illustrate both the
relationships between food production and
economic (man-made) capital, as well as
between agricultural and fisheries resources
and the assimilative capacity of the environment
to absorb pollution (Section
5).
|
|
| |
|
| 3.3.3 |
Sustainability Appraisal
|
| |
|
| |
| 3.3.3.1 |
In
common with many other major world cities,
Hong Kong's agriculture and fisheries natural
capital stock does not fully support the
local demand for fresh foodstuffs, and alternatives
have already been sourced to meet demand.
As such, there is no particular critical
threshold of local production which can
be used as a sustainability benchmark. While
maintaining and improving local food production
provides a measure of self-sufficiency,
it is unrealistic to expect that Hong Kong,
in line with many other major world cities,
can rely solely on its own internal resources
for its food supply needs. Instead, it is
more useful to consider both agricultural
and fisheries resources in terms of maximising
the potential value of these resources in
all senses of the natural capital stock.
|
| |
|
| 3.3.3.2 |
Identifying
the appropriate balance between local agriculture
and fisheries production versus competing
alternatives (eg conversion of all agricultural
land to development, or diversion of funds
for fisheries management to incentives for
the mariculture industry), it is important
to assess the value of the production itself
as well as the associated benefits. For agricultural
resources, these include ecological values
such as habitat for water birds, landscape
values such as open space and aesthetic variety,
and the heritage value of preserving traditional
activities including, in some cases, historical
structures or sites. The associated benefits
of enhancing fisheries resources would include
ecological benefits to non-commercial fish
species, marine mammals and other marine organisms,
as well as the scientific value of re-establishing
species that are now rare in Hong Kong and
the recreational values (including tourism)
associated with improved angling and diving
opportunities. |
| |
|
| 3.3.3.3 |
It
is also important to acknowledge that the
agriculture and fisheries industries produce
unwanted byproducts, such as pesticide residues,
nutrient enrichment around fish culture zones,
and seabed disturbance from trawling. These
detrimental environmental effects should be
balanced against the ancillary benefits described
above in order to determine the appropriate
controls and incentives for these industries. |
| |
|
| 3.3.3.4 |
Whether
Hong Kong's food resources are produced locally
or imported from the immediate hinterland
or farther abroad, the quality of the supply
must be ensured through regulation, inspection
and testing and perhaps greater labelling
of products. Applying the sustainability concept
beyond the immediate environs of Hong Kong
could entail greater attention to sources
of food supplied and whether these producers
are operating under standards applicable in
Hong Kong. Where this is not the case, for
example many vendors in the live fish trade,
policy or public education initiatives could
be used to encourage changes in supply practices.
A summary of key sustainability issues for
agriculture and fisheries capital stock is
shown in Figure 3.3a. |
| |
|
| 3.3.3.5 |
The
HKSAR Government is already taking several
steps to enhance agricultural products and
fisheries resources. Agricultural initiatives
include the implementation of the Accredited
Vegetable Farm Scheme to encourage the raising
of standards in vegetable farming, encouragement
of improved hygiene standards in markets through
better facilities and tenancy requirements,
and plans to launch training sessions for
farmers on the proper use of pesticides. These
measures, while arguably not directly associated
with Hong Kong's agricultural resources natural
capital stock, do address the articulated
policy objective of ensuring the provision
of fresh high quality food produce to meet
the needs of Hong Kong. |
| |
|
| 3.3.3.6 |
In
the marine environment initiatives include
designation of additional marine parks/reserves,
deployment of artificial reefs both within
and outside of marine parks, and development
of a fisheries management programme based
initially on a licensing system. Provided
the appropriate powers and resources are vested
in the management organisations responsible
for these programmes, and that effective management
and control measures are implemented, improvements
in the fisheries resources natural capital
stock will be realised. |
|
|
|
|