The Hong Kong Wetland Park

Leslie Chen, Ryan Lin

A sequence of coincidences led to the development of the Hong Kong Wetland Park as an ecological and educational re- source. Replacing a former wetland, the park raises pertinent questions over conservation and design.

he Hong Kong Wetland Park is a predominantly man-made wetland with fresh water seasonal marshes, permanent marshes, T mud-flats, mangrove habitats, an earth-mound shaped visitor centre, and many other facilities and attractions. In this 64 hectare park, visitors are guided from the visitor centre – housing exhibits demon- strating and explaining wetland systems in different parts of the world – through an artificial stream and seasonal marsh planted with numerous wetland species. Then to the Satellite Building – an educational centre located in the middle of two large fresh water marshes – and from there to the outer zone for bird-watching in Bird Hides – a 1 to 3 storey building located next to a mud flat and tidal channel. Finally, one ventures out onto a floating boardwalk through the mangroves. In fact, visitors can only gain access to parts of the site; other areas vital to the upkeep of the Wetland Park water system are not open to the public. For example, reed beds and some large storage ponds have been constructed to supplement the proper functioning of the water system. The Hong Kong Wetland Park arose as a result of many coincidences coming together at a favourable time in the late 1990’s when there was a The 64-hectare artificial Wetland Park consists of different pressing need to develop new towns in the New Territories of Hong components like fresh water marshes, mangroves, mudflats Kong. The area of Tin Shui Wai was chosen as a location to develop large- and a visitor centre. The large areas in the west (coloured scale residential housing. Originally, Tin Shui Wai, meaning the “sky” yellow) are reserved for other developments. and “water” village in Chinese, was a rural area with farmland, fishponds and also a large natural wetland located in a delta area that discharged fresh water into Deep Bay. Tin Shui Wai is also the route of migratory birds heading south in winter, its diversified habitats providing the birds with a rich feeding ground.

45 A large area of fishponds and farmland had to be destroyed for the housing development and, to compensate for the loss of habitats, similar environments had to be provided, including land for the migratory birds. An artificial wetland area was created: using clay as the baseliner to construct several large fresh water marshes; a reed bed which naturally cleans the grey water discharged from nearby residential developments; a mud-flat for the birds to feed upon; and several storage ponds to upkeep the water circulation of the wetland area. At the time when this compensatory wetland was going into construction, environmental is- sues were gaining attraction in Hong Kong and they generated heated discussions about the development. Some people saw it as a chance to introduce educational facilities to the artificial wetland and this argu- ment prevailed, so many more facilities were added to the programme, including the Visitor Centre. The government invested hundreds of millions of dollars to construct this wetland park. The design team was comprised of architects and en- gineers from the public sector and landscape architects from the private sector, joined by wetland specialists. The original intention of the project was to compensate for the loss of wetlands by recreating new wetland habitats for wildlife, not for human beings. The new requirements of providing visitor facilities changed the focus of the project, contra- dicting needs in providing for wildlife (but the original intent of the project had to be kept and was also the main selling point and reason for the project’s existence). Conflicts between architecture, landscape and engi- neering arose because of different professional emphases. Compromis- es were made and sufficient architecture had to be introduced to provide for visitors in this natural-looking environment. As sightings of wildlife, such as migratory birds, can be unpredictable, a large visitor centre was required to house displays to ensure enough for visitors to see even when the actual presence of wildlife is not obvious. A geo-thermal system was installed to reduce the use of electricity and make the building more environmental friendly. A large piece of lawn was designed as the roof of the earth-mounded building to make it look phys- ically green and to blend it better with its surrounding environment. The 3-D model shows the Wetland Park before its construc- In the external area, visitor facilities were also required to animate the tion. The large residential buildings in the background have guided tours and provide resting places. To this end, the Satellite Building not been built. was constructed, surrounded by different facilities to demonstrate the hydrology of fresh water systems, fresh water plants, and animals species, including basic facilities such as a washroom, pavilions, shelters, and small bird hides for bird-watching. The whole process and logic behind the park raise very pertinent questions for landscape architecture. A large piece of natural wetland was destroyed and a manmade wetland was recreated and facilities supple-

46 HONG KONG WETTLAND PARK, CITY OF HONG KONG, CHINA Client: HKSAR - AFCD, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; The Government of The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PRC Landscape architects: Urbis Limited Architects: Arch SD (Architectural Services Department, HKSAR) Completion: December 2005 Area: 64 hectares

The timber boardwalk links the visitor centre to other areas of the Wetland Park. Information panels on the handrails in- form visitors about plants, animals and habitats.

47 mented to attract visitors and better educate them to appreciate the natural environment. Does this mean recreating an artificial landscape, mod- elled on the one that was destroyed, in order to educate people on the need to appreciate and protect the original? Or does it offer proof that whatever natural environment we destroy, we are able to design and recreate another one anywhere else as we desire? The degree of success of the original wetland can be measured by the amount of wildlife and the biodiversity created in the re-creation, the same number of animals and biodiversities need to be achieved as before. But now it seems that the degree of success is measured from the number of visitors per year. The more visitors that come, the lesser the number of birds and animals will access the area as disturbances increase. A balance needs to be sought, perhaps limiting the number of visitors at certain sea- sons or periods of the day and also limiting accessible areas so as to min- imise human traits that wildlife so often fear. There will be no more wetland parks in Hong Kong because of the limited land available, capital input required, and also the diminishing environmental concern of the general public. However, this wetland park can act as an example especially to the south-eastern portion of mainland Chi- na. Large-scale Chinese residential developments may wish to mitigate their environmental disturbance caused by constructing similar artificial wetlands, adding greenery and nature to improve marketability. New town planning may also consider this kind of manmade wetland as an ecological compensation tool just as the original purpose of this one was. It is rumoured that Chinese officials have already expressed interests to visit the park to learn of its experiences and to see for themselves how successful a manmade wetland can be. If one can redo the whole project again, to provide facilities for edu- cating the general public about wetland and its natural environment, will it still be the same? Will the size of the visitor centre be reduced and more attention paid to the external environment? Will the number of buildings decrease and will all be hidden instead of stealing the focus from the centre of a large pond? Will a simple footpath and some seats be enough to guide people walking in the external area to concentrate on the nat- It is a rare scenery for Hong Kong to have vistas which are ural environment rather than paying attention to the good-looking not disturbed by buildings (above). The pavilion next to a structures? fishpond provides shelter for birdwatchers. The existence of the Wetland Park is due to the destruction of a natural wetland. Although we have now had some experiences in recreating artificial wetland environments, it should not be treated as a tool or excuse to further destroy the natural environment. Natural environments should be preserved as they are and new developments give way to their existence. Only through sustainable human living/development and maximum preservation of nature can mankind live harmoniously on earth.

48 The intention was not to plant too many trees in the park. Water birds don’t like dense tree planting as it gives preda- tors the chance to hide.