Deep Bay Wetlands MANAGEMENT OF THE MAI PO NATURE RESERVE, HONG KONG. Wetland Protected Area in Deep Bay Importance of the Deep Bay w etlands Betw ee n 99 9 2 0 05, th e site s up port ed Fu ti an Nat ur e on a ver ag e 5 8,0 00 wi nteri n g w ater bir ds Site re g ul arly s up po rts 22 gl ob al ly thre aten e d sp eci es Site s up ports m or e tha n % of the Ramsar Site Mai Po Res er ve East Asi a n po p ul atio n of 0 w ater bir d spec ie s, inc lu di ng on s om e 2 0% of the wi nteri n g po p ul atio n of th e en da ng er ed B lac k-fac ed S po on bi ll Site is th e typ e l oca lity of 3 inv erte brat e sp eci es. Wetland Park Importance of the Deep Bay w etlands The si xth l arg est sta nd of prot ecte d man gr ove s in Ch in a Prob a bly th e l arg est sta nd of r ee db ed s Deep Bay w etlands - 945 Has b e en m an ag ed f or ov er 00 y ear s, Und er go ne a ser ies of w etla nd la nd- us e ch an ge s, Kno wn fo r its wi ld lif e si nce ear ly co lo ni al day s. 9 45 in Gu an gd o ng Pr ovi nc e, so uthe rn Ch in a. Gei w ai. On e of th e on ly r ema in in g exa mp les of trad itio na l sh rim p farm in g usi ng ti da l shr im p p on ds. The c omm erci al fi sh po nd s ar e an exa mp le of th e w ise use of wet la nd
Land ow nership Mai Po Nature Reserv e 97 5, d esi gn ate d as 97 6, d esi gn ate d as The l an d w ithi n M ai P o is o w ne d by the g ove rnm e nt. a restri cte d acc ess, a Site of Sp eci al Sc ie ntifi c Interest (SSSI), a re a of 3 80 h a, 98 4, WWF Ho n g Ko ng be ga n taki n g over m an ag em ent for e d ucati o n an d Eac h of the ge i w ai is un der a sep ar ate L an d L ice ns e iss ue d by th e Distr ict La nd s Office. cons ervat io n. The l an d l ice ns e gi ves c on diti o ns for ho w WWF sh ou ld m an ag e th e la nd s. If WWF mana ges th e l an d b ad ly, then th e g ov ern me nt ca n take bac k the l an d after giv in g 3-m o nths n otic e. Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site Deep Bay buffer zones Wetland Con se rv ation Ar ea : aims t o co nser ve th e ec ol og ic al val ue of the fis hp on ds. On ly cons erv ati on, e nvi ro nm enta l ed ucat io n a nd e sse nti al infra struct ure activ ities are al lo we d. Liste d i n 9 9 5 Area of,50 0 h a Ra ms ar Site Wetland Buff er Ar ea: aims t o pr otect the fishp o nds an d w etla n ds in th e WCA, Sm al l scal e d ev el opm e nt may be p erm itted. Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site Management Compartments BMZ4 h a bitat for B lac k-fac ed S p oo nb ill s 3 BMZ5 r ee d h ab itats MANA GE MEN T Z ONES OF THE RA MSAR S ITE BMZ6 tra diti o na lly BMZ7 E duc ati on op erat ed g ei wa i Ce ntre BMZ8 o p en fres h wat er ar ea for r oo stin g w ater bir ds 3 Rubi n Chua CORE ZONE BMZ9 h ig h tid e ro ost for wate rb irds BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT ZONE 2 WISE USE ZONE PUBLIC ACCESS ZONE BMZ0 fres hw ater ha bitat PRIVATE LAND ZONE 2
Gei wai management Maintain cultur al v alue, - example of the wis e use of wetlands, - one of the last r emaining traditionally operated shr im p ponds in Asia. Maintain ec ologic al v alue, - mangr ov es, wildlife habit at. Gei wai management Gei wai shrimp s Summ er, adult shr imps br eed at the m outh of the Pear l River Estuary, Juvenile s hr imps attract ed into Inner Deep Bay by the s upply of mangrov e detritus, Autum n, shr im p larvae ar e flushed into the gei wai dur ing high tides at night, Feed on mangr ov e detr itus within the gei wai. Gei wai winter drain down Before draining Gei wai drain down for wildlife Gei wai no. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul A ug Sep Oct Nov Dec Draining and harvesting Gei wai 6/7 Gei w ai 2 3 2 indicates increas ing water level Food! Gei w ai 8 2 3 Gei w ai 6 2 4 Key: Wate r level lowere d to provide shallow water roo sting site fo r shorebird s o n passage, 2 Wate r level raised to control the sp read of gr asse s into the open ar eas of the pond, 3 Wate r level raised to provide r oosting habitat for winter ing water birds, such as ducks, 4 Wate r level lowere d to provide r oostin g habitat for wintering Black-faced Sp oonbills. Maintenance dredging Before dredging Maintenance dredging Before dredging Each m onth when water exchange in t he gei wai tak es plac e, silt is flus hed in and settles on the pond floor, Each m onth when water exchange in t he gei wai tak es plac e, silt is flus hed in and settles on the pond floor, Siltation rate is estimat ed to be ar ound.3cm/yr, Dredging Siltation rate is estimat ed to be ar ound.3cm/yr, Dredging As a res ult, the gei wai channels hav e to be dredged ever y 0-5 years to stop the pond tur ning int o dry land, and to ens ur e ther e ar e deeper areas of water for shr imp and fish, After dredging As a res ult, the gei wai channels hav e to be dredged ever y 0-5 years to stop the pond tur ning int o dry land, and to ens ur e ther e ar e deeper areas of water for shr imp and fish, After dredging The dr edged m ud is plac ed on the gei wai bunds. The dr edged m ud is plac ed on the gei wai bunds. 3
As the dr edged silt is piled up on the bunds, the height and width of the bunds incr eases and they slowly become colonised by trees. The bunds then bec om e mor e forested, making the gei wai less attr activ e for roost ing water bir ds in cas e there are predat ors amongst the trees. Gener ally, fewer waterbirds r oost in gei wai whos e bunds ar e c over ed in tall trees. Ther e is theref ore a pr ogr amm e to manage the height and the num ber of thes e trees. Maintenance dredging Photo by B.S. Morton Early 980s 2003 Tree management Along the gei wai bunds, maintain a balanc e between; - open areas with few trees to ret ain tradit ional landsc ape and flight paths for waterbirds, with - more veget ated areas that pr ovide s hade f or visit ors and habitats for forest bir ds. Scattered trees and shrubs will be maintained Bor d er Fe nc e Decreasing height La n dw ar d pa t h Gei wai silt remov al Before de-silting works De-silting works in progress Habitat change Between 973 and 200, there was; A 70% increas e in t he area of reedbeds, and A 67% decr eas e in the area of open water 200 Re-flooding Vegetation control Gei wai Habitat improv ement Contr ol of the inv asiv e clim ber Mikania m icrantha to pr ev ent it from smothering and killing nativ e trees. Contr ol of the gr ass es along the bunds for vis itors, and to provide roost ing sites for water bir ds. 6/7 4
Roost site enhancement 2003 2004 Mangrove management Accret ion rate about 3 c m/year, Mangr oves extending out int o Deep B ay at s om e 5-20 m/y ear, Questions - Sour ce of s edim ents? - Past sedim entation patter ns - Future predict ions - Implications for the Ramsar Site 2005 Ming Pao Newspaper (7 November 2002) Mangrove Management Mangrove seedling clearance from the mudflat Before Clearance CEPA Communication education and public awareness (CEPA), Schools, public, special, volunteers, Build up support for the conservation of Mai Po. Balance between maximizing visitor access whilst minimizing impacts on the ecological value of the site, After Clearance Outdoor classroom Sources of v isitors School Visits (formal EE) Public Visits (non-formal EE) Volunteers (non-formal EE) Photo credi t : Samson So/ WWF H ong K ong Bird hide Pho to credit: Sam son So Freshwater pond Photo credi t : Samson So/ WWF H ong K ong Nature trail Interpr etation panel Photo credit: Samson So/ /WWF Hong Kong Photo credi t : Samson So/ WWF H ong K ong Float ing boardwalk Pho to credit: Sam son So Mangr ove Pho to credit: Sam son So Wooden boardwalk Pho to credit: WWFHo ng Ko ng Gei wai Photo credit: Samson So/WWF Hong Kong Pho to credit: MatthewChong/ WWFHo ng Ko ng 5
Student visit programme primary Student visit programme secondary Targ et se nio r form stu de nts (9 to 2 ye ars o ld). Story of Bi rds 2. Mai P o Ins ect Watc h 3. Mai P o D etect ive Wetland Management Training To rea li se th e trai ni ng pot enti al of the R es erv e as p art of th e Ra ms ar Site s o as to p rom ote wetl an d c ons erv atio n a nd wis e u se i n the E ast Asia / A ustra las ia n Fly wa y, in p artic ul ar Ch in a, Targ et al l stud e nt lev els (3 to 8 y ear s ol d) Investi g ate co ns erv atio n statu s of Ram sar wetl a nds Prog ram me des ig n cl os ely l in ke d with s ch oo l curr ic ul um General Visit Mangrove Ecology Water Pollution Land Use Diversity of Life Communi ty outreach Assist i n the pur ch ase of tras h fis h fro m loc al fi sh erm en as part of a n i nte grat ed pr o gra mme t o res olv e the iss ue of wi nteri n g C orm ora nts fee di ng in c omm erc ia l fish po nds. Deep Bay fishponds Problems facing pond-fish farmers 00 0 h a ar ou nd Ca nn ot com p ete w ith th e in cre asi n g imp ort of ch ea pl y pr od uce d fis h from Ch in a. In wi nter, the se fis hp o nds are dra in ed s o that the fis he rme n c an w al k int o the sha ll ow wat er a nd h arv est the fi sh at ni ght. Most fis herm e n ar e no w m ore th a n 50 year s ol d a nd th er e ar e no y o un g pe op le wil li ng t o ent er the tr ad e. The n ext mo rn in g, wat erb ird s (suc h a s her on s an d e grets ), wi ll fly i nto th e sh al lo w wate r an d fe ed on th e sm all no ncomm erc ia l fish an d shr im ps l eft in th e po ols of wat er. Som e fish erm en ha ve a b an do ne d the ir po nds or h ave c h an ge d the ir man a gem ent to m ax imi se pr ofits. Other fis hp on ds ar e n o w us ed for othe r us es, that m ay n ot be go od for wi ldl ife. Ma i Po a n d Inn er D ee p Bay sup po rtin g so me 30 0 p on d-fis h farm ers Ph oto c red i t: S.K. L au Ph oto c red i t: S. K. La u 6
Working w ith the commercial sector Possible solutions 20 00, i niti ate d a c omm un ity pr ogr am me to un der stan d th e pr ob lem s, an d o pe n u p di al og ue with th e fis her me n 20 04, i niti ate d a p il ot Ma na ge me nt Agre em ent pro ject with a lo ca l fishe rma n: - econom ic i nc entiv es are g iv en to the fishe rme n w ho agr e e to carr y out man ag em ent p ract ices t hat are be nef ici al for wat erb ir ds. 20 07, i niti ate d a p il ot pr ogr amm e to dev el op org an ic al ly pr od uc ed fis h for sal e. Fun g Lok Wai Ph oto Cred ti : S. K.L au Bund modificatio n Ph o to c red i t: S. K. L a u Total are a = 80. hect are s 95 % set a si de for wetl a nd cons erv ati on on a lo ng-t erm bas is 5% s et asi d e for h ous in g dev el op me nt on a le ss eco lo gic al ly s ens itiv e sect io n of the sit e Modified Dev elo pment Working w ith the gov ernment Agricultu re, Fishe rie s and Con se rv ation Dep art ment Preve nt il le ga l d istur ba nc e Provi de fi na nc ia l su bve nti on to WWF Grant a ppr ov al for h a bitat m an ag em ent works Working w ith the gov ernment Environm ent al Prote ction D epa rtm ent Mon itori n g an d e nforc in g w ater qu al ity obj ectiv es i n D ee p Ba y Carry out Av ia n Infl ue nza s urv ei ll anc e Con d uct ba se li ne e co lo gic al m o nitor in g of the Ram sar S ite out co mm un ity pr oj ects Carry Working w ith the gov ernment Planning Depa rt ment Grants p la nn in g p erm issi o n for infra struct ure pro jects, e. g. bo ard w alks, b ir dw atch in g h id es etc. Dist rict Land s Office Ensur e th at al l the h a bitat man a gem ent wor ks carr ie d o ut fal l with in th e co n diti on of the l an d lic ens e gr ant ed to WWF. Working w ith the gov ernment Work w ith th e g over nm ent i n She nz he n, on th e n orth er n sid e of De ep B ay, to e ns ure th e effect ive cons erv ati on of the Ba y. Futia n N NR Pla nn in g D ept Fut ia n R a ms a r Sit e MP D is t ribut ion of radiot ra ck e d B lac k -f ac e d Spoonbills during t he w int e r of 2 0 02 /2 0 03 - Deve lo pm ent pr oj ects 7
Working with other NGOs and groups Hong Kong Birdw atching Soci ety Monthly Deep B ay water bir d counts Shor ebirds counts Egretry c ounts Working with the commercial sector WWF has nearly 00 Corporat e Members with the aim to inv olv e them mor e in env ironm ent al c ons erv ation. Voluntary work Financial donat ions Rotary Clubs Partner in pr om oting gr eat er awar eness of the im portance of wetlands Wetland awareness res ources Seminars on wetland c onser vation Field trips t o wet land areas Cooperation in the management of Mai Po Legislation enforcement and monitoring AFCD Waterbird m onitoring Hong Kong Birdwatching Society Waterbird monitoring Thank you! Hong Kon g SAR Gover nm ent Land Office Planning Departm ent EM B Habitat m anagem ent Land use Planning c ontrol Sc hool educ ation WWF Hong Kong M anagem ent Com m ittee WWF Educ ation Com m ittee Res erv e M anagem ent Team c om munic ation CEPA Team Habitat & infras tructure m anagem ent Env ironm ental educ ation Mai Po Nature Reserv e Polic e Control access to Closed Area and crime prevention Highway Departm ent Maintenance of Closed Area fence road EPD Env ironm ental (water quality ) m onitoring Other organizations and publics M onitoring 8