nicola 1st tpb, 19 may 14
TRANSCRIPT
HOI HA MARINE
PARK and RIVER
VALLEY
Sacrificed to the
Small House Policy?
Nicola NEWBERY
I first visited Hong Kong in 1966
Emigrated to HK
20 years ago
• HK is my home
• I am a Hong Konger
• Adopted 2 children
• My son has a 3* HK ID card
• Lived all their lives at Hoi Ha
• We love Hoi Ha
• Hoi Ha is our home
• Resident for 18 years, we are Hoi Ha villagers
• We are major stakeholders.
Environmentalist
I studied Environmental Impact Assessment at the Open University of Hong Kong
Still work with my Professor - an expert on Hoi Ha’s mangroves
Founded Friends of Hoi Ha in 2003, an environmental NGO
Guiding school children and university students around Hoi Ha for 18 years
Relocating starfish to Starfish Bay
Disappearing Countryside
• New Territories: used to be remote and beautiful
• Gradually the hills were
flattened
• Valleys were concreted and
cities built
• Wilderness areas still remain in
our Country Parks and Marine
Parks – but now under threat from plans to develop
• Come with me to Hoi Ha…
Where is Hoi Ha?
Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park
Hoi Ha Road
Hoi Ha is Special
64 species of hard stony corals
1989 – Site of Special Scientific Interest
1996 – Marine Park
MARINE BIRDS - CORMORANTS
Protected species, winter visitors to HK pass through Hoi Ha
White-bellied Sea Eagle and
Osprey
Protected Birds
Yellow SeahorsesIUCN Status: Vulnerable
The intertidal shore is also a habitat
The beaches are fringed by mangroves
Site of Outstanding Natural
Beauty
Tourist Destination
96,000 Visitors a year
A SCUBA-diving Destination
Sailing Boats moor overnight
Dive Boats come for the day
Outdoor Education and Field Trips
The River Valley and Marine
Park are a Biodiversity Hotspot Sea – including a lagoon
Shore
Rivers
Forest
Marshland
Open canopy shrubland
ALL VALUABLE HABITATS
See Lego Ho’s film:
The Beauty Of Hoi Ha.mp4
LAGOON
Mangroves
Mangrove flowers –providing nectar for insects
Marshland starts at the coast
MARSHLAND – insect habitat
Streams flow through the
marsh and into the sea
FOREST BEHIND THE MARSH
RIVER VALLEY
FOREST
Nature has reclaimed the abandoned
agricultural fields on the
valley floor
Now a 50-year old forest
CHAMPION TREEBanyan Tree and native epiphyte living in
harmony
Bracket FungusDead trees support life
Forest Streams
This one flows through the middle of the forest
Parallel to the main Hoi
Ha Stream
Exits through the marsh
into the sea.
The main Hoi Ha Stream
Crabs live in the stream
Protected orchids live alongside
Seasonal Marsh
Rare moth in the
seasonal marsh
Erebus hieroglyphica, Owlet Moth family
Within Hong Kong, this species is only found at Hoi Ha
Hundreds of moths found by Dr. Kendrick at this marsh
Seasonal Stream in Seasonal Marsh
Stream exits the Marsh into the sea
Open Canopy Shrubland
Very Rare Butterflies
Rare butterflies
Hoi Ha is surrounded by forest
Fung Shui Forest to the east
What is Fung Shui Forest?
• Mature, relatively undisturbed forest beside a village, typically less than an hectare in area
• Dense and tall with old trees and vines, including protectedspecies such as the Incense Tree, Aquilaria sinensis
• Surrounded by secondary and modified woodland which as a whole are of high ecological value
• Very important for maintaining biodiversity, rich in flora and fauna
Indian Muntjac Deer Porcupines
Leopard cats Wild Boar
Snakes Monkeys
Beetles Ants
Species Recorded by AFCD
Flora 243
Fish 26
Molluscs 20
Insects (Misc.) 24
Crustaceans 10
Butterflies 7
Amphibians & Reptiles 4
Birds 1
Moths 0
Spiders etc. 0
Other Marine Fauna 0
Mammals 0
Recorded by NGOs
222
20
27
139
26
50+
37
97
237
50
6
11
Poor Data from AFCD
“NGOs” include: HK Wildlife, FOHH, KFBG, HK Birdwatching Society
NGO DATA HAS BEEN COMPLETELY IGNORED
Plans to develop and destroy Hoi Ha
• You have now explored much of the river valley and looked into the Marine Park.
• You have seen that Hoi Ha is a special wilderness area, a biodiversity hotspot l loved by the public,
• The reason we are here today is because you have to decide how to zone Hoi Ha
Facing an Environmental Disaster?
A Monument to the Small House Policy
Death of the Marine Park? The forest keeps the sea clean and the coral healthy
Conservation AreaPlease protect Hoi Ha’s HABITATS and BIODIVERSITY
• Protect our forests from being felled
• Protect our streams from being diverted
• Protect our marshlands from being drained
• Please Save our Marine Park
• Please confine development to the existing village
• Please zone Conservation Area and Coastal Protection Area.
• Please place farming in column 2 to stop ‘Destroy First, Apply Later’ tactics
A Plan Which Conserves Bio-Diversity and
Preserves Hoi Ha for Future Generations.
Thank you. Any questions?