Hong Kong recently opened the Long Valley Nature Park in abandoned farmlands and privately owned areas in the northern New Territories to attract endangered bird species to Hong Kong. The park spans 37 hectares and is home to wet farmlands, a water flea pond, shallow ponds, and marshes, as well as irrigation channels to nurture various wildlife and facilitate eco-friendly farming practices.
Long Valley Nature Park is a freshwater wetland area located between the Sheung Yue and Shek Sheung rivers. It comprises three zones — the Biodiversity Zone for core conservation, the Agriculture Zone for eco-friendly farming, and the Visitor Zone equipped with facilities for visitors and educational activities. It was set up to compensate for wetland loss in Kwu Tong North and Fanling North New Development Area, and construction began in 2019.
Unlike coastal wetland, which is influenced by salty sea water, the freshwater wetland in the Long Valley Nature Park provides completely different habitats for water birds, amphibians, reptiles, and other wetland animals. Over the past three years, the numbers of critically endangered birds such as the Yellow-breasted Bunting, as well as nests of the Black-winged Stilt and the endangered Black-faced spoonbill have increased severalfold in the area.
Earlier this year, Hong Kong opened Robin’s Nest, the SAR’s 25th country park, which covers a series of mountain ridges stretching from the Shenzhen Wutong Mountain Scenic Area to the north and Pat Sin Leng Country Park to the south. The territory is also set to get its largest marine park in North Lantau, which will span 2,400 hectares and aims to aid the conservation of the famed Chinese White Dolphins.
Image credits: GovHK
