Since it is unrealistic to expect Hong Kong to rely wholly on its internal resources to meet its food supply needs, agricultural and fisheries resources should be considered in terms of maximising the potential value of these resources in all the various senses of natural capital stock. This implies sustainable management of the resources not only for the benefit of yields but also for their contribution to ecological and landscape resources and to minimise the detrimental effects on the assimilative capacity of receiving media.

Land Use and Land Supply - Issues and Trends

• Land suitable for development in Hong Kong is extremely limited due to topographical constraints and existing development. Future development will need to focus increasingly on urban redevelopment and the Urban Renewal Authority has been established to spearhead such initiatives.

• Both the area of land reclaimed from the sea and the rate of reclamation of land (hectares per year) have increased significantly since the mid 20th Century. As of 1996, a total of 5,950 ha of land had been reclaimed.

• 38% of the land area of Hong Kong is covered by Country Parks (which are managed for conservation, recreation and landscape purposes) and Special Areas (which have particular conservation importance). Designated land of conservation importance also includes 64 SSSIs, the Mai Po Marshes Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site and three restricted areas.

• There are also three Marine Parks and one Marine Reserve which occupy around 1.5% of Hong Kong's marine waters and are designated to protect and conserve the marine environment.

• Pressure for future development will manifest itself through further reclamation, development of land in a natural state and urban renewal. The balance of these outcomes will be affected by the strength of the planning system in terms of protection of designated natural and conservation areas and land allocations, as well as considerations such as generation of construction and demolition material from urban regeneration projects.

• Land use and supply is also under pressure from pollution. Over 4,000 sites have been identified as potentially contaminated through the Black Spot Task Force and even designated areas such as Country Parks are impacted by adverse effects of visitor pressure including littering and fly tipping, hill fires and disturbance to habitats.

• The current stock of land supply is not sufficient to sustain current levels of development in the medium to long term and alternatives to continued development of natural areas will need to be identified. Weighing the importance of conserving an area against the benefits of developing it should be based on a holistic valuation of all capital stock functions provided by land resources.

Hong Kong has a rich natural resource provided by the availability and characteristics of the territory's land mass including a diverse range of natural and managed habitats, countryside, landscapes and beaches. Since land available for development is in short supply, if traditional development pressures continue, preservation of natural areas which may include developable land will come under increasing threat as Hong Kong continues to grow and space, for housing land in particular, is sought. The sustainability of these natural areas will also be influenced by the anthropogenic pressures placed upon them. Phenomena such as hill fires and the effects of visitor pressure have a significant impact on both its scientific/ecological value and its value as a place for recreation and enjoyment of the countryside. Careful management of areas such as Country Parks is important but it also appears that better community education about the effects of their activities on natural areas will be necessary to bring about changes in behaviour. There is a clear need for a robust conservation strategy which addresses these issues of habitat threat, development impacts and visitor pressures together with conservation requirements in a holistic and strategic manner.