Opinion | Ocean zoning can help Hong Kong repair and rejuvenate its precious seas
- To keep up with development needs that will inevitably impact its seas, Hong Kong must catch up with international and national standards and adopt a holistic, long-term marine management system
The sea is part of Hong Kong’s soul. It is ever-present – in our sight, hearing and imagination – and it shapes the city’s climate, geography, society and financial fortunes. In spite of this, we almost always take it for granted.
June 8 marks United Nations World Oceans Day, with a theme of “Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean”. The sea belongs to us all, and everyone has a responsibility to protect it.
Around the world, a series of future-focused negotiations and agreements centred on the planet’s oceans have been taking place. One was the Our Ocean Conference, held in April in Palau, in the Philippines. Countries, companies and organisations that attended made more than 400 commitments to marine protection, restoration and governance, worth US$16.35 billion.
Late last month in Berlin, the environment, climate and energy ministers of the G7 nations met and reaffirmed their commitment to lead the protection, conservation, restoration, and sustainable and equitable use of the oceans.
These important priorities will also feature prominently at the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, later this month. As part of its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN has set 10 ocean-related targets to be achieved during this decade.
Nationally, the 14th five-year plan has a stand-alone section on the ocean that includes the term “sustainable” in relation to the utilisation of marine resources. Efforts will be made to enhance innovation in marine technology and coordinate the conservation and development of marine resources, among other measures.
