Hong Kong is all set to get its largest marine park off the shores of North Lantau, which will span 2,400 hectares. The North Lantau Marine Park will increase the SAR’s protected marine habitat from about 6,117 hectares to about 8,517 hectares and authorities say that it will be crucial in the protection of the famed Chinese White Dolphins.
According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the park will link the existing Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park and Brothers Marine Park, as well as the Hong Kong International Airport Approach Areas. This will increase the area for the conservation of marine ecology, fisheries resources, and marine biodiversity in the western part of Hong Kong. The newly designated protected marine space will also border the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve in Guangdong, and therefore will link the protected areas for the marine mammal between Hong Kong and Mainland China.
The North Lantau Marine Park is Hong Kong’s eighth marine park, and will come under the Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap. 476), which provides a legal framework for the designation, control, and management of all the territory’s marine parks and its sole marine reserve at Cape D’Aguilar. The Marine Parks (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2024 was tabled in the Legislative Council on June 19, and will come into effect on November 1, 2024.
Earlier this year, Hong Kong got its 25th country park — Robin’s Nest in Sha Tau Kok. When it opened in March, the 530-hectare park had two hiking trails accessible to the public: Robin’s Nest Country Trail and Lin Ma Hang Country Trail. Authorities are working on building a wider hiking trail network in the park, along with picnic sites and viewing points.
Header image credits: gionnixxx via Canva, Hong Kong Dolphinwatch
