For centuries, town and city dwellers have been at odds with their wetlands. They consider that the heart of a city is the central business district. With this view, people may have missed the bare truth that wetlands have significant ecological, functional, and also amenity values to every one of us.
Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the ecosystem. They occur in areas where the water meets the land. They cover a wide variety of natural habitat types, including rivers and streams, freshwater or brackish marshes, intertidal areas at estuaries, and mangroves. Wetlands are among the world's most productive environments as they are crucial to biological diversity, supporting countless species of plants and animals.
There are around 6,640 ha of inland wetlands in Hong Kong, mainly found in the northwestern New Territories. Mr. S. P. Lau from the Conservancy Association spoke at a recent webinar organised by the Campus Sustainability Office and guided the audience through a journey to Hong Kong’s wetlands. Among these wetlands, the Mai Po Marshes is the biggest and most famous one, being a paradise for tens of thousands of migratory waterbirds. Long Valley is another well-known piece of freshwater wetland at the north of Sheung Shui. It provides important habitat which Mo Po lacks for wetland-dependent species, and has a record of 318 bird species, and other amphibian species of Hong Kong. While Pui O wetlands in southern Lantau Island give rise to a great diversity of insects, invertebrates, and amphibians. If we are interested in getting closer to the magic of wetlands, we can start with learning more about the animals there and take a moment to soak in the beauty of biodiversity, suggested Mr. Lau.
Hong Kong’s wetlands are under constant threat of destruction. Some people tend to see wetlands as unproductive and would instead convert them to other land uses to maximise their economic benefits or development. While wetland visits mean a great experience to visitors, some human activities and irresponsible behaviours can have negative effects on wetland habitats, animals and plants. Mr. Lau reminded us to rethink our wetlands as natural assets, not obstacles. Wetlands are a home to a host of wildlife, and they are more important than we might imagine.
