Mai Po Nature Reserve

Mai Po Nature Reserve is the most important nature reserve in Hong Kong. In 1995, it was listed as Ramsar international important wetland and was forbidden to enter without permission. In this reserve, birds and animals can move freely, most of which are extremely rare. More than 300 bird species have been recorded. There are also many different kinds of insects and butterflies.

Mai Po Nature Reserve

Mai Po Nature Reserve is the most important nature reserve in Hong Kong. In 1995, it was listed as Ramsar international important wetland and was forbidden to enter without permission. In this reserve, birds and animals can move freely, most of which are extremely rare. More than 300 bird species have been recorded. There are also many different kinds of insects and butterflies.

Overview of the nature reserve

The reserve was established in 1984 with an area of 380 hectares, including 300 hectares of mangroves. The main protected objects are mangrove resources and rare animal and plant resources.

Mai Po Nature Reserve and its adjacent wetlands are known as bird paradise. 72% of Hong Kong's bird species can be found in Mai Po, as well as a variety of globally endangered birds.

Located in the northwest end of Hong Kong, the Mai Po marsh and Deep Bay inner bay wetlands have been a paradise for migratory birds for decades.

In the past, Mai Po was not protected in any way. It was not until 1976 that it was listed as a site of special scientific value. In 1984, WWF took over the management of the Mai Po Nature Reserve to promote environmental education and protection. In 1995, a total of 1500 hectares of wetlands in Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay were officially listed as internationally important wetlands under the Ramsar Convention.

natural environment

In front of the reserve is a large sandy beach. Behind the beach, there are 300 hectares of mangroves. Behind the mangroves, there is a swamp with some shrimp ponds.

Ramsar Site

March 6, 1995. After years of lobbying by the nature fund, local and foreign environmentalists, and with the support of the government's town planning board, the Hong Kong government has decided to classify 1500 hectares of land in Mai Po and Deep Bay as "wetlands of international importance" according to the Ramsar Convention. In addition to the establishment of Ramsar wetland, the government also decided to allocate HK $423 million for land acquisition, wetland education and visitor center and conservation management in the next five years.

Kiwai

Asian coastal residents began to set up shrimp ponds in the bay or estuary area hundreds of years ago. The shrimp industry in Hong Kong began in the mid-1940s, when a large number of new immigrants moved from China to Hong Kong and introduced the method of shrimp culture in the base enclosure. Kiwai refers to a pond surrounded by a dike. It is mainly used for shrimp culture, but also for fish, oysters, algae and brackish water sedge.

mangrove

Mangrove is a unique intertidal wetland ecosystem, which is located in the tropical and subtropical sheltered coast. In their environment, they are often washed by tides and freshwater rivers.

The habitat is characterized by high temperature, variable salinity, alternating aerobic and anaerobic conditions, periodic wet and dry, and unstable and flowing mud.

Mangrove community is composed of a variety of plants and animals, and each community has its own unique species of animals and plants.

Spring has just come. In the mangroves of Mai Po, there are white flowered Pittosporum trees, "mice" with clusters of purple flowers and red hyacinth with two red pointed fruits. There is a kind of liana in mangrove forest called Yuteng, which is a kind of medicinal plant. Rhizome can treat swelling and pain.

Mangrove nature care:

1. Mangroves should be protected in restricted areas, marine parks or marine reserves, such as the mangroves in Haixia Bay Marine Park.

2. Important mangroves should be designated as sites of special scientific value, such as Ting Kok mangrove.

3. Use land use planning and environmental impact assessment to reduce the impact of development.

4. Strengthen mangrove nature care.

Rare animal resources

Every year, about 2-3 million waterfowls, such as gulls, ducks, herons and waders, fly from breeding places in North China, Mongolia and Siberia to wintering places in Southeast Asia and Australasia. They rely on stopover, foraging and energy storage to prepare for the rest of the long journey. The wetlands around Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay are important supply points. In winter, as many as 68000 birds overwinter in these wetlands and then fly back to their breeding grounds in the north in the spring. In spring and autumn, about 20000 to 30000 waders visit the wetlands in Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay.

There are 325 species of birds recorded in Mai Po, among which there are about 90 species of Kingfisher. The most popular species are several species of Yulang in Kingfisher family. Most of them feed on fish. In Australia, the kookaburra preys on insects and small animals. In Southeast Asia, the red jadeite smashes snails on rocks to eat their meat.

The four kinds of Yulang who live in Mai Po are all experts in fishing. The biggest spotted Yulang is black and white with black spots on his white feathers. Spotted Yulang is the symbol of WWF's Mai Po project. White breasted Yulang is widely used in shrimp ponds, swamps and coasts. Its turquoise blue back and snow-white chest are eye-catching. Black head jadeite in black head, blue back, white neck, light orange abdomen is its remarkable characteristics. A kingfisher, known locally as "fishing Lang", has a blue back and an orange belly. In Mai Po, the number of "angling Lang" is the largest. It can be seen at any time of the year, and several pairs breed in Mai Po. The number of Kingfisher in Mai Po Nature Reserve is the largest in winter. Kingfisher lives in the cave. The cave is 0.75-1.5 meters long, with an oval nest at the end. The female lays eggs in the nest, 3-4 in each nest.

The water surface of the shrimp pond and the trees on the platform outside the pond in the Mai Po marshland are the world of egrets. Egrets, egrets, pond herons, herons and night herons all live here. There are five species of egrets in Hong Kong and three in Mai Po. The largest number of egrets are egrets and egrets. In summer, they leave Mai Po to breed on the tall broad-leaved trees in other parts of Hong Kong. Cattle egrets like dry environment, summer to Mai Po to breed, and put on a beautiful feather. Pond heron, green heron and night heron are smaller.

There are 6 species of Spoonbill in the world, and 2 species in Mai Po area, namely white Spoonbill and black faced Spoonbill. The morphology of Spoonbill is similar to that of heron, so it is listed as subfamily Spoonbill. Among the six kinds of spoonbill, the most beautiful is American rose spoonbill, and the most rare is black faced Spoonbill. There are 300-350 black faced Spoonbill in the world. In recent years, 100 of them have wintered in Mai Po.

In Mai Po, there are color and white. White is a common winter bird in Hong Kong. Choi's breeding area extends from Eastern Europe to Africa, Oceania and the United States. It is a long-distance migratory bird that has appeared several times in Mai Po.

Mai Po protection

To further protect Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar wetland and the wildlife in it, Mai Po and its adjacent marshes have been listed in the "restricted areas" of schedule 6 of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance to restrict the general public's free access. Conservationists from the agriculture, fisheries and Conservation Department patrol the Mai Po marsh area every day to detect violations and prevent people without permits from entering the Mai Po restricted area. The Department also purchased a high-speed hovercraft "flying fish" to patrol the mudflats in the swamp area.

In May 1997, the agriculture, fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) commissioned a consultant to complete the study on "formulating a comprehensive conservation strategy and management plan for Mai Po Inner Deep Bay as an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention". The agriculture, fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) started to implement the nursing plan recommended in the study in June 1998

1. Implementation of wetland nature conservation strategy.

2. Enhance public awareness and education on wetland conservation strategies.

3. Strengthen management and make good use of Ramsar wetland to achieve the effect of sustainable utilization of wetland resources.

The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been working closely with other non-governmental organizations, including the World Wide Fund for nature (Hong Kong) and the Changchun Society (CA), in wetland conservation, and the activities are funded by the government.

The Changchun Society (CA) has implemented plans to develop wetland care education in the community, educate the public and monitor birds, so as to raise public awareness of wetland care in Hong Kong.

Address: located in the northwest end of Hong Kong

Longitude: 114.046476

Latitude: 22.495746

Chinese PinYin : Mi Pu Zi Ran Bao Hu Qu