Ramsar Site Management Plan

Introduction

Count 6 March 1995 as a very special date for Mai Po and the Inner Deep Bay area. After years of lobbying by WWF Hong Kong and conservations both locally and overseas, and even the government-appointed Town Planning Board, the Hong Kong Government decided to designate an area of about 1,500 hectares in Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay as a 'Wetland of International Importance' under the Ramsar Convention. Along with the announcement of the designation, there was also a proposal to spend a sum of about $423 million over five years for necessary land clearance, establishment of education/visitor centers and conservation management.

Boardwalk for visitors at the Kushiro Marsh Ramsar Site, Japan.		River transport in the Sunderbans Site, Bay of Bengal

An appropriate analogy to this Ramsar Site designation is the recognition of a scholar awarded a Nobel prize. Aiming at conserving and promoting the wise use of wetlands, the Ramsar Convention is an international treaty adopted at Ramsar, Iran in 1971. Following ratification by the U.K. in 1976, the Convention was extended to Hong Kong in 1979. China became a signatory in 1992.

A view of the freshwater marsh at Kushiro.		A view of the wetland in the Sunderbans.		The extensive mangroves at the Dongzaigang Ramsar Site, Hainan Island