The Tung Chung River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
on
Lantau Island
Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands ...
, Hong Kong. It is designated by the
governmental
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, Executive (government), e ...
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 ...
as one of the "Ecologically Important Streams" within the territory. It is 4.31 km in length.
Ecology
According to the
University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...
, the Tung Chung River is home to more than 20 species of fish, including the Beijiang Thick-lipped Bard (''Acrossocheilus beijiangensis''), a species of conservation concern internationally.
Rare tree species including those in the genera of ''Exbucklandia'', ''Magnolia'' and ''Illicium'' are also present in the river area. A part of the river catchment at the upper course has been designated as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
History
Illegal Excavation for Hong Kong Disneyland project
In 2003, a 330-metre section of this ''Ecologically Important Stream'' near
Shek Mun Kap
Shek Mun Kap () is a village in the Tung Chung area of Lantau Island, Hong Kong.
Administration
Shek Mun Kap is a recognized village under the New Territories Small House Policy.
References
External links
Delineation of area of existing vill ...
was found damaged by unauthorised excavations. It was later revealed that the boulders
illegally excavated from this river were used by a subcontractor to build
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland () (local nickname ''HKDL''; also known as HK Disneyland) is a theme park located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and it is owned and managed by Hong Ko ...
. About 400 tonnes of the boulders were brought to
Penny's Bay
Penny's Bay or Chok Ko Wan () was a bay in north-eastern Lantau Island, and had been a port since the Ming dynasty. The bay has since been reclaimed and is the site of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, which consists of the Hong Kong Disneyland ...
to create an artificial lake as part of the development of the adjacent
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. In response, the government jailed the chairman of village interest group Tung Chung
Rural Committee
Rural committee () is a body representing the welfare of indigenous residents in the New Territories of Hong Kong. The chairman of each rural committee is the representative in the Heung Yee Kuk, and is ''ex officio'' member of a district coun ...
along with several others for this illegal activity.
Current situation
The government has touted this river as a potential eco-tourism area, but in a recent survey in 2021, over 90 per cent of respondents think that the government should "conserve the river and its estuary by restoring damaged areas, setting up conservation areas and restricting the number of tourists", according to a local media outlet.
See also
*
Conservation in Hong Kong
Out of the total 1,092 km2 of Hong Kong land, three-quarters is countryside, with various landscapes including beaches, woodlands, and mountain ranges being found within the small territory. Most of Hong Kong's parks have abundant natural di ...
*
Tung Chung
Tung Chung, meaning " eastern stream", is an area on the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. One of the most recent new towns, it was formerly a rural fishing village beside Tung Chung Bay, and along the delta and lower courses of T ...
*
Tung Chung Bay
Tung Chung Bay () is a bay west of Tung Chung, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, near North Lantau New Town and Hong Kong International Airport. It is also the location of Old Tung Chung Pier.
The bay flows out to South China Sea channel between Chek La ...
References
{{Rivers in Hong Kong
Rivers of Hong Kong
Tung Chung