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SECTION
3 NATURAL RESOURCES CAPITAL STOCK
| 3.2 |
Land
Use and Land Supply |
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| Country
Parks, Special Areas and Open Space
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| 3.2.1.7 |
Hong
Kong's conservation and open space areas
provide an important natural asset not only
in terms of land resources but also for
the ancillary benefits to ecological, assimilative
capacity, heritage resources, and the enhancement
of landscape and recreational values. The
Country Parks Ordinance (Cap 208) enacted
in 1976 established the Country Parks Authority
(now called the Country and Marine Parks
Authority), whose duty it is to develop
and manage Country Parks and Special Areas.
Country Parks are designated for the purposes
of nature conservation, countryside recreation
and outdoor education, while Special Areas
are primarily designated for nature conservation
purposes. Special Areas are non-leased land
with particular scientific, cultural or
archaeological features and are designated
to help ensure the awareness of their importance.
Both types of site are designated and managed
by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department (AFCD).
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| 3.2.1.8 |
There
are now 23 Country Parks and 15 Special
Areas (11 of which lie inside the Parks)
in Hong Kong covering 41,582 hectares of
land and water surface of reservoirs, amounting
to around 38% of the total area of Hong
Kong (see Annex A
for details on individual Country Parks,
Special Areas and their size). Figure
3.2b indicates the location of the Country
Parks and Special Areas which form a substantial
open space resource in Hong Kong's more
rural locations. In addition to the natural
resource for passive recreation afforded
in these parks by the high quality landscape
and ecology, Country Parks are also used
for a variety of active sporting pursuits
(eg cross country running, orienteering
and mountain biking) and for recreational
activities such as hiking, camping, barbecueing
and angling. Special Areas are less accessible
than Country Parks although picnic facilities
are provided at some locations.
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Marine
Parks and Reserves
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| 3.2.1.9 |
The
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
is responsible for designating, protecting
and managing marine parks and reserves. There
are three marine parks (Yan Chau Tong, Hoi
Ha Wan and Sha Chau & Lung Kwu Chau),
and a marine reserve located at Cape d'Aguilar.
The locations of these sites are shown in
Figure 3.2c. A summary
of the important natural resource features
of these sites is provided in Box 3.2a below.
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| 3.2.1.10 |
Marine
Parks and Reserves are designated under
Section 15 of the Marine Parks Ordinance
(Cap 476) in recognition of the need to
protect and conserve the marine environment
given that much of the Hong Kong coastline
has been reclaimed or altered for port activity
and to accommodate increasing population
and economic growth (AFD 1999a). Marine
Parks are relatively large areas of sea
set aside for conservation and recreation.
A Marine Reserve is a smaller area of particularly
high conservation value which is reserved
for scientific and educational study. Control
is more stringent in Reserves where activities
such as diving, swimming, canoeing and sailing,
which are permitted in Marine Parks, are
prohibited.
| Box
3.2a Marine Parks and Reserves in Hong
Kong |
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Yan
Chau Tong Marine Park, designated
in July 1996, consists of a marine
area of around 680 hectares. It
comprises a variety of coastal
features including bays, headlands,
rock cliffs, sandspits and beaches
- features which create diversified
beach types ranging from mudflats
to rocky shore (see Section
4 for further details on these
habitats in Hong Kong). The Park
also has a number of fringing
coral reefs along its shallow
shores which support species such
as the common starfish (Archaster
typicus) and at Lai Chi Wo, the
rare marine eel grass, Zostera
japonica. It is also a spawning
and nursery ground for commercially
important fisheries.
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Hoi
Ha Wan Marine Park is a sheltered
bay on the northern coast of the
Sai Kung peninsula, covering around
260 hectares. The Park is also
a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) and the sheltered, good
quality marine waters give rise
to a flourishing coral community.
The majority of recorded local
stony coral species (39 out of
50) can be found in this area
including Pavona decussata, Platygyra
sinensis, Porites lobata, Alveopora
irregularis and Cyphastrea serailia.
This Park was designated in July
1996.
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Sha
Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine
Park is situated in the open waters
of western Hong Kong and covers
a sea area of around 1,200 hectares.
The Park, designated in November
1996, is part of the sea area
where the Indo-Pacific hump-backed
Dolphin (or Chinese White Dolphin
as it is locally known) Sousa
chinensis are most often found.
The area also supports important
resources of marine fish and shrimps.
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Cape
d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, designated
in July 1996, is located at the
furthest south east corner of
Hong Kong island and extends to
around 20 hectares of rocky coastline.
Various gorgonian corals and stony
corals and other rare species
are found in the Reserve which
is also a spawning and nursery
ground for fish species such as
rock fish and cuttlefish.
Source:
AFD (1999a)
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| 3.2.1.11 |
There
is the potential for further parks/reserves
to be designated in the near future, with
four sites at Ping Chau, Shelter Island, South
Lamma and South-west Lantau currently under
consideration (AFD 1998). The Country and
Marine Parks Board has recently identified
the Ping Chau and South Lantau areas as priorities
for Marine Park/Reserve designation and a
commitment was made in the 1999 Policy Address
to designate Ping Chau as a Marine Park/Reserve
by the end of 2001 (AFCD, pers comm). |
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