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Five geologically important sites in the Northeast New Territories and the Sai Kung district will be designated as special areas in accordance with the Double Haven and Others (Special Areas) Order 2010 made under the Country Parks Ordinance, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said today (December 31).
The Order, which will come into effect tomorrow (January 1), will enable better protection and management of the geological resources within the Hong Kong National Geopark.
The majority of the land areas covered by the geopark are already within the existing country parks. However, there are some areas of the geopark that still fall outside the country parks' boundaries but are of geological significance. To better preserve and manage the geopark, it was proposed to designate these sites as Double Haven Special Area, High Island Special Area, Sharp Island Special Area, Ung Kong Group Special Area and Ninepin Group Special Area.
These five special areas cover a total land area of about 235 hectares.
Double Haven Special Area is located in the Northeast New Territories. The geology of the area is characterised by sedimentary rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. High Island Special Area, Sharp Island Special Area, Ung Kong Group Special Area and Ninepin Group Special Area are located in the Sai Kung district, and their geology is characterised by volcanic rocks of the Cretaceous period.
"After designation, the five special areas will be under the control and management of the Country and Marine Parks Authority, that is the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, and regulated by the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations," the spokesman said.
The Hong Kong National Geopark is made up of eight Geo-Areas distributed across the Sai Kung Volcanic Rock Region and Northeast New Territories Sedimentary Rock Region, covering a total area of about 50 square kilometres. It was established in 2009 with a view to promoting geo-conservation, popularisation of geo-science, public education and sustainable development of geological resources.
Ends/Friday, December 31, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:02
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