HONG KONG SERIES—
DEEP BAY & MAI PO MARSHES
HONG KONG IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S DENSEST CITIES. IT IS SURPRISING THAT ONE OF ASIA’S GREAT WETLAND COMPLEXES IS LOCATED THERE—DEEP BAY. SIX DISTINCT WETLAND TYPES ARE PRESENT, INCLUDING GEI WAI (TRADITIONAL SHRIMP PONDS), INTER-TIDAL MUDFLATS, AND MANGROVES. MAI PO RESERVE IS A 380-HECTARE AREA IN DEEP BAY MANAGED BY THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND. IN MID-WINTER, MAI PO IS A STOPOVER POINT FOR 60,000 MIGRATORY BIRDS. THE AREA IS UNDER MULTIPLE THREATS. URBANIZATION IN NEARBY SHENZHEN, CHINA IS CAUSING A BUILDUP OF SILT IN THE BAY. THIS RAISES MUDFLATS AND REDUCES THE BIRDS’ FOOD SUPPLY. WHILE SEA LEVEL RISE MAY OFFSET THE SILTING PROBLEM, THE NET EFFECTS WON’T BE KNOWN FOR SOME TIME. WORLD CLASS MANGROVES ARE PARTICULARLY AT RISK IF THE SEA EVENTUALLY ENGULFS THE BAY.
Sham Shun Estuary, 2010.
