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CHEUNG CHI-FAI

Conservation officials are proposing to expand a scheme in which areas of coral off Sai Kung have been demarcated to avoid damage, after two green groups found extensive degradation in some parts of the city's waters.
Areas near Sharp Island, Tai Chau and Shelter Island, all within Port Shelter in Sai Kung, will be considered as candidates for protection by the marine park subcommittee of the Country and Marine Parks Board, which meets today.
The places chosen are popular areas for water sports. They also account for up to 12 per cent of all coral damage reported to the government, a source said.
Officials believe that a system of deploying buoys to mark areas of coral has been effective in preventing damage from boats anchoring and has helped coral growth.
Buoys were first installed at Bluff Island and Sharp Island in Sai Kung and Port Island in northeastern waters in 2001, reminding boat operators that the areas were not suitable for anchoring.
But two green groups, the Eco-Education and Resources Centre and Green Power, found evidence in a survey carried out in June that damage to coral was both "extensive and serious" off Port Island.
Similar levels of damage were also found at Crescent Island, Double Island and Tsim Chau.
In some cases coral was found cracked or collapsed. The area with the most damage was a 100 square metre strip near Port Island.
The green groups said they believed the damage was related either to the increasing number of people using the areas for recreational activities such as diving and boating, or to adverse weather.
"Some fast boats might race right above the coral cluster and this is particularly bad for infant coral which is the most vulnerable," said Dr Michelle Cheung Ma-shan, science manager of the centre.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department however claimed there was no "large scale or serious" damage observed in the four surveyed areas including Port Island.
"We will liaise with the environmental groups to study their findings in detail. We shall then organise an underwater survey in the subject area and carry out detailed investigations," a spokeswoman for the AFCD said.
The spokeswoman said damaged coral inside demarcated areas had shown signs of recovery and that there had been an increase in live coral cover.
But Cheung said the contradictory findings were a result of different survey methods. She said AFCD officials had only monitored the same 100-metre-long areas and turned a blind eye to other places.
The centre is now experimenting with relocating some collapsed coral to areas more suitable for growth, Cheung said.


Extensive damage has been caused to Hong Kong's coral: green groups

Hard coral cracked. Photo: Eco-Education and Resources Centre

News

Hong Kong

Officials are proposing to extend protection scheme to more areas after survey by green groups finds degradation to be "serious"


Conservation officials are proposing to expand a scheme in which areas of coral off Sai Kung have been demarcated to avoid damage, after two green groups found extensive degradation.
