Hong Kong Wetland Park

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The Hong Kong Wetland Park ( Chinese  香港 濕地公園  /  香港 湿地公园 , Pinyin Xiānggǎng Shīdì Gōngyuán , Jyutping Hoeng 1 gong 3 Sap 1 dei 6 Gung 1 jyun 4 * 2 ) is a nature reserve in the northwest of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region . It is located in the northern part of Tin Shui Wai , Yuen Long District in the New Territories . The area serves tourist purposes as well as an environmental education center. In 2012 the park administration counted 440,000 visitors, including about 37,000 foreign tourists. Of these, around 74,000 visitors took part in more than 3,900 guided tours. The 85 lectures organized by the park management attracted over 7700 listeners.

description

The park consists of a 10,000 square meter visitor center, the Wetland Interactive World , and the approximately 60 hectare Wetland Reserve .

The visitor center

The visitor center.

Wetland Interactive World is overgrown with grass and houses a cinema, café, souvenir shop, viewing gallery and indoor playground. The importance of wetlands for biological diversity, culture and nature conservation is presented in five exhibition rooms, which are between 250 and 1200 square meters in size. In the first room, visitors get an overview of what constitutes wetlands, what functions they fulfill and why they are so important, as well as the aims of the Ramsar Convention to protect these areas. In the gallery below, the visitor center presents the diversity of wetlands around the world. Examples are those of the northern tundra, the tropics and the Hong Kong wetlands. In the viewing gallery, visitors are then given an initial overview of the outdoor area. The next room is devoted to the cultural significance of wetlands in the areas of religion, mythology, art, customs, leisure. Finally, the visitors stroll along a river in the last gallery. There they are presented with the threat to wetlands from human interference, but also shown how they can be protected through a change in lifestyle.

The Wetland Reserve

Footpath through the park.

The approximately 60 hectare outdoor area is divided into various artificial wetlands that are tailored to the special needs of plants, water birds, fish and other typical inhabitants of different wetlands. You can see a large freshwater mudflats, several ponds, reed areas, the Wadden Sea, mangroves, grassland and forest. The area is criss-crossed by six hiking routes with different thematic focuses. On narrow paths, they lead visitors to small huts that serve as hidden viewpoints for the different habitats.

In the middle of the park there is also the approximately 2000 square meter butterfly garden, which has been planted with special plants and has thus become home to over 60 species of butterflies. Not far away is the Wetland Discovery Center . There is an interactive exhibition there, which thematizes the habitats of the local wetlands. In several workshops, employees of the park present the flora and fauna of the Wetland Park every day.

Another attraction is the salt water crocodile Pui Pui ( 貝貝  /  贝贝 , bèibei , Jyutping bui 3 bui 3 ). The animal was discovered on November 2, 2003 on the Shan Pui River ( 山 貝 河  /  山 贝 河 , Shānbèi Hé , Jyutping Saan 1 bui 3 Ho 4 ) in Yuen Long. The origin of the crocodile is unclear. It's either an escaped illegal pet or was abandoned in the river by its owner after it got too big. After several unsuccessful attempts, it was finally caught on June 10, 2004 and was then kept on a farm for two years. Housed in an 8 by 9 meter outdoor enclosure since August 29, 2006.

  1. ↑ Pui Pui's name named after the place where it was found "Shan Pui River"
  2. ^ Transcription "Shan-Pui" according to the internal Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanization
Pui Pui

history

Aerial view of Tin Shui Wai New Town with Hong Kong Wetland Park (left)

The park was created as a compensation area for areas that were lost in the immediate vicinity in the course of the construction of the Tin Shui Wai New Town . The new building area, designed for 140,000 people, was built in 1987 on an area of ​​2.4 square kilometers, which previously contained wetlands and fish ponds. These were drained by 1990. Then the construction of the houses began, into which the first residents moved from 1991.

In 1998 the Office for Agriculture and Fisheries (today: Office for Agriculture, Fisheries and Nature Conservation) together with the Hong Kong Tourists Association (today: Hong Kong Tourism Board, HKTB) carried out a feasibility study for the expansion of the compensation area into a center for environmental education and ecotourism. As a result, the study came to the conclusion that this is possible without impairing the ecological functions of the park. As a result, the government of the Special Administrative Region had the Wetland Park project implemented as one of its Millennium Projects. Wetland Park was opened to the public on May 20, 2006.

aims

View from the park to Tin Shui Wai New Town

The Wetland Park serves to promote public awareness, knowledge and understanding of the ecological value of wetlands. As a destination for ecotourists, it is intended to appeal to locals and holidaymakers alike and to raise public awareness of the need for measures to preserve wetlands. In addition, the residents of Tin Shui Wai New Town should use the park as a recreational area.

Web links

Commons : Hong Kong Wetland Park  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Overview , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  2. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: What are Wetlands , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  3. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Living Wetlands , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Human Culture , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Wetland Challenge , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  6. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Wetland Reserve , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  7. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Pui Pui's Home , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  8. ^ Office for Agriculture, Fisheries and Nature Conservation / The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong (AFCD Hongkong) (香港 漁農 自然 護理 署 / 香港 渔农 自然 护理 署) - (Chinese / English) [1] - Retrieved on April 22, 2016 afcd.gov.hk - Online
  9. ↑ Hong Kong Tourism Association / The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) (香港 旅遊 發展 局 / 香港 旅游 发展 局) "- (Chinese / German / English) [2] - Retrieved April 22, 2016 discoverhongkong.com - Online
  10. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Background , accessed on August 21, 2013.
  11. ↑ wetlandpark.gov.hk: Mission and Objectives , accessed on August 21, 2013.

Coordinates: 22 ° 28 ′ 6.8 ″  N , 114 ° 0 ′ 18.7 ″  E