Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site Management Plan 2011
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MAI PO INNER DEEP BAY RAMSAR SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2011 CONTENTS PART A OVERALL REVIEW OF RAMSAR SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN (RSMP) 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 BACKGROUND 1 1.2 RENEWAL OF RAMSAR SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN 1 A1 THE DEVELOPMENTS OF THE RAMSAR CONVENTION 4 A2 A REVIEW AND UPDATE OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, 8 VALUES, MANAGEMENT ZONINGS AND COMPARTMENTS OF THE MANAGEMENT PLAN A3 REVIEW AND UPDATE ON STATUS OF MANAGEMENT 23 PROGRAMME A4 THE CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION OF RAMSAR CEPA 66 PROGRMME A5 SILTATION 66 A6 MANGROVE COLONIZATION AND MANAGEMENT 68 A7 WINTERING WATERBIRD CONSERVATION 71 A8 DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE 79 A9 WATER BORNE POLLUTION 87 A10 CONSERVATION AND WISE-USE OF WETLAND 89 A11 CLIMATE CHANGE 93 PART B MAI PO INNER DEEP BAY RAMSAR SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN (RSMPII) PREAMBLE 96 RAMSAR SITE MANAGEMENT GOALS AND STRATEGIES 97 SECTION 1. DESCRIPTION 98 1.1 GENERAL SITE INFORMATION 98 1.1.1 LOCATION 98 1.1.2 GENERAL SITE DESCRIPTION 98 1.1.3 SITE BOUNDARIES, ACCESS AND TOPOGRAPHY 98 1.1.3.1 BOUNDARIES 98 1.1.3.2 ACCESS 98 1.1.3.3 TOPOGRAPHY 101 1.1.4 MAP COVERAGE, AERIAL PHOTO AND SATELLITE IMAGERY 101 1.1.4.1 MAP COVERAGE 101 1.1.4.2 AERIAL PHOTO AND SATELLITE IMAGERY 101 1.1.5 LAND TENURE 102 1.1.5.1 GENERAL 102 1.1.5.2 MAI PO MARSHES NATURE RESERVE (MPMNR) 102 1.1.6 HONG KONG WETLAND PARK (HKWP) 103 1.1.7 STATUTORY DESIGNATIONS AND PROVISIONS, AND 103 PLANNING GUIDELINES 1.1.7.1 WILD ANIMALS PROTECTION ORDINANCE (CAP. 170) 107 1.1.7.2 OUTLINE ZONING PLANS (OZP) UNDER TOWN PLANNING 107 ORDINANCE (CAP 131) i 1.1.7.3 SITES OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST (SSSIS) 107 1.1.7.4 WETLAND CONSERVATION AREA AND WETLAND BUFFER 110 AREA 1.1.7.5 LAND USE ZONING OF THE RAMSAR SITE 111 1.1.7.6 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT ORDINANCE (CAP. 112 499) 1.1.7.7 PUBLIC ORDER ORDINANCE (CAP. 245) 112 1.1.7.8 DEEP BAY WATER CONTROL ZONE 112 1.1.7.9 DRAINAGE RESERVES 112 1.1.7.10 FORESTS AND COUNTRYSIDE ORDINANCE (CAP.96) 112 1.2 RAMSAR CONVENTION MATTERS AND CONSERVATION 113 MANAGEMENT 1.2.1 CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE 113 1.2.1.1 AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND CONSERVATION 113 DEPARTMENT (AFCD) 1.2.1.2 NATURE CONSERVATION SUBCOMMITTEE 114 1.2.1.3 WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE HONG KONG (WWFHK) 114 1.3 ENVIRONMENTAL DESCRIPTION 116 1.3.1 PHYSICAL 116 1.3.1.1 CLIMATE 116 1.3.1.2 HYDROLOGY 116 1.3.1.3 GEOLOGY 118 1.3.1.4 GEOMORPHOLOGY 118 1.3.1.5 SOILS/SUBSTRATES 119 1.3.2 BIOLOGICAL 119 1.3.2.1 OVERVIEW 119 1.3.2.2 FLORA 120 1.3.2.3 FAUNA 122 1.4 CULTURAL 127 1.4.1 HISTORIC / PAST LAND USE 127 1.4.2 CURRENT LAND USE WITHIN RAMSAR SITE 127 1.4.3 COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION, PARTICIPATION AND 129 AWARENESS (CEPA) PROGRAMMES OF RAMSAR CONVENTION SECTION 2. EVALUATION, GOALS AND MANAGEMENT ISSUES 131 2.1 VALUES OF THE SITE AS A RAMSAR SITE 131 2.1.1 WETLAND TYPES IN THE RAMSAR SITE 131 2.1.2 DESIGNATION CRITERIA AS A RAMSAR SITE 132 2.1.2.1 GROUP B OF THE CRITERIA: SITES OF INTERNATIONAL 133 IMPORTANCE FOR CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY. CRITERIA BASED ON SPECIES AND ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES 2.1.2.2 GROUP B OF THE CRITERIA: SITES OF INTERNATIONAL 134 IMPORTANCE FOR CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY. CRITERIA BASED ON WATERBIRDS. ii 2.2 EVALUATION OF FEATURES 135 2.2.1 ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION 135 2.2.1.1 SIZE 135 2.2.1.2 BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 135 2.2.1.3 NATURALNESS 136 2.2.1.4 RARITY 136 2.2.1.5 FRAGILITY 137 2.2.1.6 TYPICALNESS 137 2.2.1.7 NOTEWORTHY FLORA 137 2.2.1.8 NOTEWORTHY FAUNA 138 2.2.1.9 RECORDED HISTORY 140 2.2.1.10 POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVEMENT 140 2.2.2 EVALUATION OF OTHER VALUES 142 2.2.2.1 SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL VALUES 142 2.2.2.2 COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION, PARTICIPATION AND 143 AWARENESS VALUES 2.2.2.3 RESEARCH AND STUDY VALUES 144 2.2.2.4 OTHER VALUES 144 2.3 FACTORS INFLUENCING SITE MANAGEMENT 145 2.3.1 NATURAL TRENDS 145 2.3.1.1 SILTATION 145 2.3.1.2 VEGETATION SUCCESSION 145 2.3.1.3 WINTERING WATERBIRD POPULATION TRENDS 145 2.3.1.4 PESTS 146 2.3.1.5 WILD BIRDS AND AVIAN FLU 146 2.3.2 HUMAN-INDUCED TRENDS 147 2.3.2.1 DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE 147 2.3.2.2 FISH POND MANAGEMENT 147 2.3.2.3 EXOTIC SPECIES 153 2.3.3 TENURE AND STATUTORY CONSTRAINTS 155 2.3.4 EXTERNAL IMPACTS 155 2.3.4.1 WATER POLLUTION 155 2.3.4.2 DRAINAGE AND RIVER DIVERSION 157 2.3.5 VISITOR DEMAND 159 2.4 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 161 2.5 THE RENEWED MANAGEMENT PLAN – RSMPII 168 2.5.1 THE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES 168 2.5.1.1 CORE ZONE 168 2.5.1.2 BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT ZONE 169 2.5.1.3 WISE USE ZONE 171 2.5.1.4 PRIVATE LAND ZONE 172 2.6 MONITORING PROGRAMME 174 2.6.1 BASELINE MONITORING SCHEME 174 2.6.2 TARGETED MONITORING SCHEME 174 iii SECTION 3. GOALS, STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS 176 3.1 GOALS AND STRATEGIES 176 3.1.1 GOAL 1. WISE USE 177 3.1.2 GOAL 2. WETLANDS OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE 181 3.1.3 GOAL 3. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 182 3.1.4 GOAL 4. INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AND 183 EFFECTIVENESS 3.2 ACTION TIME TABLE 185 3.3 DESCRIPTION OF NEW PROJECTS 202 Annex Background on Conservation Management of Mai Po area 206 Appendix I List of Plants 208 Appendix II List of Birds 211 Appendix III List of Mammals 219 Appendix IV Lists of Amphibians and Reptiles 220 Appendix V List of Species New to Science 221 Appendix VI-1 List of Butterflies 222 Appendix VI-2 List of Dragonflies 223 Appendix VII List of Fish 225 Appendix VIII Species with important global populations and Species 226 with important biogeographical (flyway) populations Appendix IX Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS) 229 Appendix X CEPA programmes organized by the Hong Kong 240 Wetland Park Appendix XI Bird surveillance programme in response to H5N1 250 Appendix XII Consultation on the Review and Renewal of the 252 Ramsar Site Management Plan REFERENCES 267 iv PART A OVERALL REVIEW OF RAMSAR SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN (RSMP) 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND In 1997, the then Agriculture and Fisheries Department (renamed Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department in 2000 (AFCD)) completed the study on “Development of a Comprehensive Strategy and a Management Plan in Relation to the Listing of Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention” (the Ramsar Site Study) which produced the first Ramsar Site Strategy and Management Plan (RSMP) for Hong Kong. The RSMP provided a general framework of management zoning and an outlined management programme for the long term conservation and wise use of wetlands of the Ramsar Site at Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay area in Hong Kong. The government adopted the RSMP for implementation in 1998 and regularly reviewed the management programme and issues of concern. 1.2 RENEWAL OF RAMSAR SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN In 2008-09, an overall review on the implementation of the RSMP has been conducted taking account of actions undertaken in the management programme and updated the status of issues of concern for the renewal of the RSMP. In considering that the implementation of the RSMP is a continuous process, the first RSMP adopted in 1998 was regarded as the first stage of RSMP and the renewed RSMP is regarded as the second stage, referred as RSMPII. Since the listing of the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site of Hong Kong in September 1995, there have been developments of the Ramsar Convention as results of several meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) (Ramsar COP). The development of Ramsar Convention relevant to the review and renewal of the RSMP included: the inputs required in the “Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands” (RIS) and the “Ramsar National Report” (RNR), the focus of “Ramsar Strategic Plan” and the Ramsar Convention’s programme on communication, education, participation and awareness (CEPA). At the Ramsar COP 10 (Changwon, 2008), the Ramsar Strategic Plan 2009-2015 (Resolution X.1) and the Convention’s programme on communication, education, participation and awareness (CEPA) 2009-2015 (Resolution X.8) have been adopted for providing guidance on the implementation of the Ramsar Convention for the next 6 years. In the RSMPII, opportunity has been taken to keep in line with the above developments. 1 The renewal of the RSMP followed the “New guidelines for management planning for Ramsar Sites and other wetlands” as outlined in Annex to Resolution VIII.14 adopted at Ramsar COP 8 (Valencia, 2002) which is shown in the figure below: The documentation on the overall review and renewal of the RSMP is organized into two parts, i.e. Part A: Overall review of RSMP, and Part B: Ramsar Site Management Plan II (RSMPII). Part A: Overall review of RSMP covered the development of the Ramsar Convention which provided guidance relevant for the continuous implementation of the RSMP, updating on goals and objectives, values, management zonings and compartments, updating on status of the management programme particularly the annual monitoring programmes of the Ramsar Site including the Baseline Ecological Monitoring Programme (BEMP), the Waterbird Monitoring Programme (WMP), habitat mapping projects and also annual habitat management work/ projects carried out by the WWF-Hong Kong (WWFHK) within the Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve (MPMNR) and the project proposals listed under the RSMP.