Hong Kong prides itself in dedicating about 40 per cent of our land to Country Parks, banning the destructive fishing method of trawling in our waters, and protecting globally important wetlands at Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay.
But there’s still much room for improvement.
We haven’t done a good job at protecting pockets of ecologically important land from all sorts of degradation. The number of Chinese white dolphins found in Hong Kong plunged to a new low. And we are guilty as charged for being a trade hub for shark fin and ivory.
Recently, an opportunity to right these predicaments has presented itself.
In 2011, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was extended to Hong Kong. The onus is on the government to conserve our rich biodiversity through developing a five-year Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP).
Over the past two years, the Environment Bureau enlisted the help of more than 100 experts and stakeholders to suggest how the city can step up measures to protect its natural heritage.
WWF-Hong Kong is heartened that, in the public consultation document of BSAP released this January, authorities proposed to develop/review the management plans of protected areas, enhance conservation of natural streams and rivers, and create a comprehensive, publicly accessible database of information on local wildlife and habitats.
That said, the document lacks concrete actions and targets to protect our most vulnerable wildlife – such as golden coin turtle and Chinese pangolin – and habitats – such as oceans and freshwater marshes.
WWF believes we can best protect our enchanting countryside brimming with biodiversity by including the eight following key recommendations in the final BSAP.
Support us by completing the letter below before 7 April, 2016 (Thursday)! The letter will then be sent to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department immediately.
