LCQ22: Conservation of marine ecosystem
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Question:
Regarding the conservation of the marine ecosystem, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of marine mammal stranding cases recorded in Hong Kong in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by the month and the district involved;
(2) whether it has collected information on cases about the injuries and deaths of marine mammals in the waters of Hong Kong, and studied the setting up of a database on such information; if so, of the details;
(3) of the details of and expenditure on the Government's work on the conservation of the marine ecosystem in each of the past five years, as well as the relevant plans and expenditure for the coming year;
(4) what technologies the Government will use and what measures it will take to ensure that the impacts to be posed to the marine ecosystem by the works related to the reclamation project of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision can be minimised;
(5) whether it will review the policies and measures on the conservation of the marine ecosystem, and take into consideration the cumulative impacts on the marine ecosystem posed by the infrastructure projects implemented over the years when conducting such a review; and
(6) whether it will organise more education activities on the conservation of the marine ecosystem in collaboration with organisations which are committed to promoting the conservation of the ecosystem, so as to enhance public awareness of the conservation of the marine ecosystem; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has established several marine parks to protect the important marine species (such as Chinese White Dolphin and Finless Porpoise) in Hong Kong waters. With the designation of the Southwest Lantau Marine Park and the South Lantau Marine Park in 2020 and 2022 respectively, the total sea area under protection in Hong Kong are more than 6 000 hectares. At the same time, the AFCD is also preparing for the new designation of the North Lantau Marine Park. Upon the completion of its designation, the total sea area under protection in Hong Kong will exceed 8 500 hectares. In addition, the AFCD also carries out long-term monitoring of the important marine species in Hong Kong waters, and cooperates with different stakeholders to promote relevant public education and publicity activities, with a view to raising public awareness and participation in marine conservation.
Having consulted the Development Bureau, our consolidated reply to the six parts of Hon Chan Hak-kan's question is as follows:
(1) The number of cetacean stranding cases in the past five years is tabulated as follows:
| Number of cetacean stranded | |||||
| Year | Jan to Mar | Apr to Jun | Jul to Sep | Oct to Dec | Total |
| 2017 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 26 |
| 2018 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 45 |
| 2019 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 55 |
| 2020 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 52 |
| 2021 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 32 |
Cetacean stranding cases in Hong Kong scatters at various districts along the shoreline, such as Sai Kung, Clear Water Bay, Southern District, Lamma Island, Lantau Island and Tuen Mun, etc. There is no apparent spatial pattern. Cetacean stranding cases are recorded all year round, with more Chinese White Dolphin stranding recorded in summer while more stranding of Finless Porpoise during winter. Chinese White Dolphin and Finless Porpoise are the two resident cetacean species in Hong Kong waters and are also the species involved in most of the stranding cases.
(2) The AFCD follows up and conducts investigation on each and every cetacean stranding cases, including collection and keeping records of relevant data and information. Since 2006, the AFCD and the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong (OPCFHK) has been collaborating in handling cetacean stranding cases in Hong Kong, which has further strengthened our professional expertise in dealing with cetacean stranding. In addition to the cetacean stranding data kept by the AFCD, the OPCFHK has also set up the Hong Kong Marine Life Stranding Online Database to provide information on cetacean stranding cases in Hong Kong since 2006, for the reference and use by the public and researchers.
(3) Marine conservation work in Hong Kong is mainly undertaken by the AFCD. Key measures being implemented include designating ecologically important waters as marine parks or marine reserves and managing the habitats and species in these protected areas; continuously studying and monitoring the biodiversity of Hong Kong's marine environment; formulating and adopting appropriate measures to conserve important marine species (e.g. Chinese White Dolphins and corals); imposing stringent requirements in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for development projects nearby the coastal areas to ensure that the potential impacts to marine ecology are adequately addressed; taking forward relevant public education and publicity activities to enhance public awareness and participation in marine conservation, etc. The major work in the coming year is the preparation of the designation of the North Lantau Marine Park and continuing the public education and publicity activities related to marine conservation. The Government's expenditure on marine conservation in the past five years and the estimated expenditure for the coming year is tabulated as follows:
| Year | Expenditure ($million) |
| 2018/19 | 67.93 |
| 2019/20 | 86.75 |
| 2020/21 | 102.63 |
| 2021/22 | 101.88 |
| 2022/23 | 99.23 (estimate) |
| 2023/24 | 86.65 (forecast) |
In addition, the Government has also been providing support to local non-profit making organisations through the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF) for promoting marine conservation projects and activities. During Financial Year (FY) 2018/19 to FY 2022/23, the ECF funded a total of 96 Clean Shoreline special theme projects, with a total of around $24.69 million. For FY 2022/23, the ECF has also allocated $10 million for Clean Shoreline special theme projects.
(4) and (5) The Government has taken into account the balance between development and conservation when formulating the Lantau Tomorrow Vision in 2019. The prevailing reclamation techniques are effective in reducing impacts on surrounding water quality and ecology arising from the works. For instance, the use of "non-dredging methods" for reclamation and "deep cement mixing" can eliminate the environmental pollution caused by the removal of seabed sediments by avoiding the procedure of removing seabed sediments, hence significantly abating the impact of the works on marine ecology. The Government will also retain the existing natural shorelines as far as possible and establish eco-shorelines at the artificial islands if situation warrants.
In addition, reclamation works associated with the Lantau Tomorrow Vision are designated projects under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499) (EIAO). According to the requirements under the EIAO, the project proponents of designated projects have to conduct EIAs to assess the potential environmental impacts. Section 4.3 of the Technical Memorandum (TM) under EIAO explicitly stipulates that the project proponent shall assess the cumulative environmental impacts resulted from the concurrent construction and operation of their projects together with other projects, and propose corresponding mitigation measures. When examining the EIA report, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will also ensure that the assessment of cumulative environmental effects is accurate and its findings can meet the relevant statutory acceptable level set out in the TM.
In general, the EIAO has already set out requirements for project proponents to adequately assess and consider the impacts on marine ecology arising from the works projects. Furthermore, one of the proposed recommendations under the review of EIAO currently carried out by the EPD is to establish an open Centralised Environmental Database (CED) encompassing all environmental data prepared for EIA studies and collected by the Government, including ecological survey results in the past and information from the Geographic Information Systems on local protected species, for progressive inclusion in the CED upon consolidation. The CED will facilitate the project proponents in effectively assessing environmental impacts caused by the projects as well as considering the potential cumulative impacts during project planning.
The AFCD will also continue to closely monitor the impacts of works projects on marine ecology, and will review in due course the conservation measures mentioned in Part (3) above, based on the latest situation, so as to ensure that the marine ecology is duly protected at all times.
(6) The AFCD has been cooperating with various stakeholders in publicising conservation messages to raise public awareness on protecting the marine ecology. Since 2000, the AFCD has been cooperating with the Reef Check Foundation and Hong Kong Underwater Association in organising the annual Hong Kong Reef Check. This worldwide citizen scientist activity aims to monitor the condition of Hong Kong corals, and raise public knowledge and awareness on coral conservation. In 2022, there were a total of 108 teams involving over 800 volunteer divers participated in the event. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, the AFCD has also co-organised the Coral Nursery Education Programme with the Coral Academy of the Chinese University of Hong Kong which aims to let local secondary school students participate in and experience the coral restoration work. In the 2020/21 school year, there were over 250 teachers and students from 18 secondary schools participated in this programme. In addition, the AFCD has also been working with various environmental groups, tertiary institutions, and district organisations to carry out public education activities (e.g. in Ting Kok and Tolo area), which includes ambassador programmes, photography competitions and exhibitions, guided eco-tours and cleanup activities, production of ecological education video clips and self-guided tour materials, to promote awareness of coastal protection.
Ends/Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Issued at HKT 11:00
Issued at HKT 11:00
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