Human Responsibility for Environmental Conservation Conservation in Hong Kong

1
Human Responsibility for Environmental
Conservation- Conservation in Hong Kong

• Dr Benny Chan and Dr Billy Hau
• Department of Ecology Biodiversity
• The University of Hong Kong

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Learning Support Centres

• http//ecology.hku.hk/jupas
• For downloads of the PowerPoint file and
  web-based resources

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Ecology

• Study the interactions of organisms and the
  environment
• Conservation

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Aims

• Conservation in Hong Kong
• Env. laws in protecting endangered species
• Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Country parks
• Marine parks/Marine reserves
• Wetlands and RAMSAR convention
• Artificial coral reef and fisheries
• Pollution controls and industrial health

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Animals and Plants (protection of endangered
species ordinance) Cap. 187

• 1973 enforce with CITES
• 187 countries applied
• Restrict trading of live, dead or products of
  endangered species listed in cap 187
• Endangered species education centre

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Wild animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170)

• Protect collection and hunting of wild animals
• AFCD web-site

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Town planning ordinance (Cap 131)

• Divide the land use into 4 different zones
• Residential, commercial, industrial
• Green belt visual and noise screening
• Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Conservation areas more sensitive areas
  separate SSI from active development
• Country Park
• Coastal Protection Area high quality and scenic
  coastline

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Site of special scientific interest SSSI

• Conservation of biodiversity
• First step to identify areas that have high
  biodiversity
• Town planning ordinance in 1975
• Areas that contain important/special species for
  scientific studies are listed as Site of Special
  Scientific interest

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What is the aim of SSSI?

• Urbanization and development can destroy a large
  amount of habitats including areas that may
  contain rare or endangered species.
• To assign an area as SSSI is to draw attention
  when development will involve the destruction of
  those areas

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Where can we find SSSI in Hong Kong?

• 64 SSI have been designated
• Cape dAguilar two rare trees Keleleeria
  fortunei SSI
• Yim Tsao Ha, Sha Tau Kok important breeding
  grounds for egrets.
• Mai Po gei wai and important wetlands for
  supporting species of wildlife.

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Conservation status of SSSI

• Not all SSIs are receive legal protection
• Only those covered by the Town Planning ordinance
  are protected by restricting land use.
• Environmental Impact Assessment ordinance (EIAO)
  potential impacts of the construction near or
  inside the SSI must be assessed

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Limitation of SSSI

• SSI that are not in Town Planning Ordinance are
  serve as administrative purpose only
• No regular monitoring and management of SSI
• No monitoring of unauthorized developments
• No clear boundary of SSI

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Country parks and nature reserves Country parks
ordinance (Cap 208)

• Country parks ordinance in 1976
• To protect water catchment area, nature
  conservation and provide recreational space for
  population
• 23 country parks and 15 special areas

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Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Biodiversity Hot spots

• Area with highest species counted in the taxa
• How well are the hotspots are protected in Hong
  Kong?
• Target species?
• Criteria in selecting sites for conservation in
  Hong Kong

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How well do hot spots protected?
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Identifying gaps

• Identify target species and their hot spot sites
• Endemic to HK
• Global/region distribution restricted
• China Red Data Book as endangered species
• Native species

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Hong Kong Marine habitats
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Threats to marine biodiversity

• Trawling impact on seabeds
• Illegal use of explosives to catch fishes
• Reclamation
• Pollution
• Overfishing

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Development of the marine parks ordinance (Cap
476)

• From 1975, there are 27 SSI are coastal habitats
• Marine parks and Reserves Working group marine
  ecologist, government officials and fisherman
  representatives.
• 1995, Marine Parks Ordinance framework for
  marine parks and marine reserve designation and
  management

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Marine parks and reserves
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Yan Chau Tong

• A variety of landscape mudflats and rocky
  shores
• Target protect species
• stony corals and sea grass Zostrea japonica

Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
23
Hoi Ha Wan

• Sheltered bay with clean water quality
• Protection of coral communities and mangroves
• Trawling are not allowed, Fishing permit system

Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Lung Kwu Chau and Sha Chau

• Western waters
• Low salinity Pearl River discharge
• Protection target Chinese white dolphin

Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Tung Ping Chau

• Small island at the eastern waters of Hong Kong
• Protection target Coral communities and seaweed
  beds

Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Cape dAguilar Marine reserves

• What are marine reserves?
• no take area
• Restricted area and inhibit all activities
  involved in collection of organisms or harmful to
  the habitat.

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Cape dAguilar
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Shores around Cape dAguilar
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Zonation patterns
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Field Trip (18/1/2003)

• Gathering point 1000 am Ground floor of
  Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building
• 1100 Bus arrive Cape dAguilar
• 1100 1300 Conducting transects surveys
• 1300 1400 Lunch time and free activities
• 1400 Bus leaves Cape dAguilar

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Green turtles

• Green turtle highly endangered species CITES,
  protected under the Wild Animals Protection
  Ordinance
• Green turtles return to the beach to breed where
  they hatched
• Green turtles lay eggs two or three times a
  season in every three years.
• Juveniles low survival rate predation and
  natural mortality

Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Protection of green turtles

• Breeding site at Sham Wan South of Lamma island
• 12 times between July November, 1998.
• 4 females may possible involved.
• Designated as restricted area from 1/6 31/10.
• AFCD patrol the breach remove the eggs and
  incubated artificially and release the hatching
  to the sea

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Horseshoe crabs
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Horseshoe crabs

• Tachypleus tridentatus, T. gigas and
  Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda
• Living fossils
• Distribute in the western waters of Hong Kong
  mudflats
• Summer adults migrate to the mudflats to breed
  and lay eggs

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Threats to horseshoe crabs

• Coastal development destruction of nursery
  grounds
• Overfishing
• Pollution of their breeding beaches

Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Pak Nai be include in marine parks or marine
reserve?

• Villager of Pak Nai reported gt100 horseshoe crabs
  invade the mud flat of Deep Bay in summer in the
  past.
• Today horseshoe crabs are very rare in HK.
• Pak Nai Construction of two large bridges to
  link with China

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Finless porpoise
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Distribution in Hong Kong
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Threats

• Pollution high DDT and PCB in tissues
• Vehicle collision
• Ghost nets trapped and dead

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Conservation

• Protected in Wild Animals Protection Ordinance
• Include more areas as marine parks in south west
  Lantau and South Lamma
• CITES highest protection
• Enhance disposal system upgrade of marine water
  quality

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Artificial reefs

• Artificial submerged structure to provide a
  variety of habitats of fish to aggregate.
• It also provide surface for fouling organisms to
  settler to enhance the biodiversity of the
  habitats.
• Aims to enhance fishery resources and inhibit
  trawling

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Types of AR vessels
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Custom build structure
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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3 layered pyramid
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Pier pilings
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Concrete structures
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Steel structures
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Locations of AR deployments
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Are AR useful?

• The production theory and the Attraction
  theory
• AR will enhance fishery resources if there is a
  limitation in habitats insufficient habitats
  for newly recruited fish to settle.
• AR will not enhance fishery if Recruitment is
  limited too few recruits to colonize the
  habitats surplus of habitat.

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Marine reserve
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Wetlands

• Areas including lowlands and floodplains with
  water that is brackish or freshwater or seawater
• Marshes, mangroves, fish ponds and estuaries

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Wetlands in Hong Kong
Sourcehttp//www.afcd.gov.hk
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Outwelling theory

• Mangroves and salt marshes export of plant
  detritus/dissolved organic matters/nutrients to
  support offshore consumers
• Enhance secondary productivity
• First proposed by E.P. Odum on salt marshes

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Outwelling evidence
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Detritus food chain

• Nutrients absorbed by mangrove plants leaf
  litter consumed by detritivores and enter
  higher level of the food chain

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Conservation of Wetlands

• The Ramsar conventions on wetlands
• Global inter-government treaty on conservation
  and wise use of wetlands
• Wetlands areas of marsh, fen, peat land or
  water, whether natural or artificial, permanent
  or temporary, with water that is static or
  flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas
  of marine water the depth of which at low tides
  does not exceed six metres.
• Mai Po marshes Ramsar site

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Replantation of mangroves

• Hong Kong replantation serve as 2 functions
• Compensation for the loss due to construction
• Education purposes

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Pollution and industrial health

• Control of water pollution
• Water Pollution Control Ordinance
• Divide the Hong Kong waters into 10 zones and
  each zone has its own water quality objectives

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Air Pollution Control

• Air Pollution Control Ordinance
• Control the use of asbestos
• Air quality objectives for seven air pollutants
  including Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide,
  carbon monoxide etc.
• Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance
• Stop the use and import of CFCs, Hydrobromo
  flurocarbon (HBFC), Carbon tetrachloride.

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EIA ordinance

• Designated projects must follow the EIA process
  before the constructions taking place

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Glasson et al. 1999. Introduction to EIA. Second
edition. UCL Press
The EIA process
Proposal profile
Screening
No EIA
Scoping
Public input
Impact assessment
Monitoring mitigation
Review
Public input
Decision making
Rejected
Monitoring audit
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Aims

• Conservation in Hong Kong
• Nature reserves
• Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Country parks
• Marine parks/Marine reserves
• Wetlands and RAMSAR convention
• Artificial coral reef and fisheries
• Pollution controls and industrial health