Ramsar Site Management Plan

What is Ramsar Convention?

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 conservationists 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.

Sunset over the Deep Bay wetlands.

As of 1 November 2000, over 120 Countries were Party to the Ramsar Convention and over 900 wetlands had been placed on the List of Wetlands of International Importance, covering an area of over 48,000,000 ha, an area about the size of Sweden. China joined the convention in 1992 and the United Kingdom in 1976. The convention was extended to Hong Kong in 1979 which means Hong Kong has an international obligation to protect its valuable wetlands.