Mai Po Marshes (; Hong Kong Hakka: ''Mi3bu4 Sip5ti4'') is a nature reserve located in
San Tin
San Tin () is a loosely defined area in Yuen Long District in New Territories, Hong Kong that is part of the San Tin constituency. Unlike Hong Kong's highly urbanised areas, San Tin is sparsely populated due to its marshlands.
San Tin is loca ...
near
Yuen Long
Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Na ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. it is within
Yuen Long District
Yuen Long District (formerly romanised as Un Long) is one of the districts of Hong Kong. Located in the northwest of the New Territories, it had a population of 662,000 in 2021
Geography
Yuen Long District contains the largest alluvial p ...
.
It is part of Deep Bay, an internationally significant
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free ( anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. T ...
that is actually a shallow
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environme ...
, at the mouths of
Sham Chun River
The Sham Chun River, Shum Chum River, or Shenzhen River () serves as the natural border between Hong Kong and Mainland China, together with the Sha Tau Kok River, Mirs Bay and Deep Bay.
It formed part of the limit of the lease of the New ...
, Shan Pui River (Yuen Long Creek) and Tin Shui Wai Nullah. Inner Deep Bay is listed as a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites ( wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...
in 1995, and supports globally important numbers of wetland birds, which chiefly arrive in winter and during spring and autumn migrations. The education center and natural conservation area is wide and its surrounding wetland has an area of 1500 acres (6 km2). It provides a conservation area for mammals, reptiles, insects, and over 350 species of birds.
The reserve is managed by the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong since 1983 and WWF runs professionally guided visits for the public and schools to the reserve ; the
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (; formerly the Agriculture and Fisheries Department () before 2000, of the Hong Kong Government is responsible for agriculture and fisheries in Hong Kong, conservation projects and issu ...
has responsibilities for the Ramsar site as a whole. Deep Bay faces threats, including
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...
, and rising
mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal f ...
levels that perhaps arise from intense
urbanization
Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly th ...
, especially (in recent years) on the north,
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern provin ...
side of the bay.
In recent years, it housed over 55,000 migrating birds, including Saunders's gull (''Chroicocephalus saundersi'') and a quarter of the world's
Black-faced spoonbill
The black-faced spoonbill (''Platalea minor'') is a species of wading bird in the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, found in eastern Asia. This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and it is the ...
(''Platalea minor'') population. The critically endangered
Spoon-billed sandpiper
The spoon-billed sandpiper (''Calidris pygmaea'') is a small wader which breeds on the coasts of the Bering Sea and winters in Southeast Asia. This species is highly threatened, and it is said that since the 1970s the breeding population has dec ...
(''Calidris pygmaea'') is recorded regularly on migration. The reserve also includes inter-tidal
mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...
along with 24 traditionally operated shrimp ponds (called Gei Wai locally) to provide food for the birds. Mai Po Marshes receives some 32,000 visitors annually.
While the area was taken out of the Frontier Closed Area on 15 February 2012, Mai Po Nature Reserve remains a restricted area under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Chapter 170) in order to minimize disturbance to wildlife.
Visitors need a 'Mai Po Marshes Entry Permit' to enter the Reserve.
By joining a WWF professionally guided activity you can book online wwf.org.hk/en and be part of a small group ecovisit and WWF will take care of permits for you.
Individuals can apply for a permit by writing to the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department of Hong Kong Government. The aforementioned Individual Permits normally take about four weeks to be processed.
38 mammal species inhabit the reserve, more than anywhere else in Hong Kong. Mai Po is home to one of the highest densities of
leopard cat
The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by ha ...
in the territory, however they are nocturnal and rarely seen.
Small Asian mongoose Small Asian mongoose is a common name applied to two mammals which were formerly considered to be a single species:
* Javan mongoose
*Small Indian mongoose
The small Indian mongoose (''Urva auropunctata'') is a mongoose species native to Iraq and ...
s are quite common in the reserve, often encountered by visitors near Gei Wai ponds during the day in winter. A small population of
Eurasian otter
The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia. The most widely distributed member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of ...
s, a locally endangered species, is found in Mai Po.
The marshes also have rich insect biodiversity, housing the endemic Mai Po bent-winged firefly (''Pteroptyx maipo'' Ballantyne) was discovered. Not only was the species new to science, but it was also the first time for the genus Pteroptyx has been recorded in China. To understand the seasonal population changes, distribution and habitat requirements of the species, WWF Hong Kong have been carrying out firefly surveys of the nature reserve. The surveys have also incorporated
Citizen Science
Citizen science (CS) (similar to community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, participatory monitoring, or volunteer monitoring) is scientific research conducted with participation from the public (who are sometimes re ...
participation, and using this approach to further monitor the biodiversity, WWF have incorporated iNaturalist and the City Nature Challenge into activities at their Mai Po centre.
Avian flu outbreak
In February 2008, the Hong Kong government closed Mai Po for 21 days following the discovery of a
great egret
The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and ...
infected with
H5N1
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (A/H5N1) is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species. A bird-adapted strain of H5N1, called HPAI A(H5N1) for highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of type ...
, also known as
avian flu
Avian influenza, known informally as avian flu or bird flu, is a variety of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds.World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
criticized the government, however, for what it called a discrepancy between the standards for closing Mai Po and the comparably less strict standards applied in urban areas. The
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
wanted compensation of 1 million
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is subdivided into 100 cents or 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong an ...
s. WWF then claimed that the government had not compensated it for lost income.
Education
Mai Po is in Primary One Admission (POA) School Net 74. Within the school net are multiple aided schools (operated independently but funded with government money) and one government school: Yuen Long Government Primary School (元朗官立小學).
Environment of Hong Kong
The ecology of Hong Kong is mostly affected by the results of climatic changes. Hong Kong's climate is seasonal due to alternating wind direction between winter and summer.
Hong Kong has been geologically stable for millions of years. Flora an ...
*
List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
The following is a list of areashttp://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/MusicOffice/download/imts18.pdf of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Island
* Central and Western District
** Central District
*** Admiralty
** Mid-Levels
***Soho
** Sai Wan
*** Ke ...