Legislation and Nature Conservation

The Director of Agriculture and Fisheries is the Country and Marine Parks
Authority responsible for the conservation of the terrestrial and marine
ecological resources, as well as for the enforcement of legislation on
conservation issues.

The Forests and Countryside Ordinance provides for the general
protection of vegetation, and gives special protection to certain plants,
including native camellias, magnolias, orchids, azaleas and the Chinese
New Year Flower.

The Wild Animals Protection Ordinance prohibits the hunting of wild
animals or the possession, sale or export of protected wild animals from
Hong Kong. It also restricts unauthorised entry to important wildlife
habitats, such as the Mai Po Marshes and the Yim Tso Ha Egretry.

The Country Parks Ordinance provides for the designation, control and
management of the valuable countryside as country parks and special
areas, and enables them to be developed for outdoor recreational,
education and nature conservation purposes.

The Marine Parks Ordinance provides the necessary statutory powers for
the designation and management of marine parks and marine reserves in
Hong Kong.

Besides general conservation of the countryside, Hong Kong has been
actively identifying and conserving sites of special scientific interest, such
as sites which are natural habitats of rare species of vegetation or insect.
In all, 59 sites have been identified.

The Fisheries Protection Ordinance provides for the conservation of fish
and other aquatic life within the waters of Hong Kong. It also provides for
the regulation of fishing practices and the prevention of detrimental
activities such as using or possessing explosive or toxic substances for
the purpose of fishing. Action is in progress to amend the Fisheries
Protection Ordinance with a view to increasing the maximum fine for
such offences and providing for the prohibition or restriction of the use
of any kind of apparatus for fishing which is detrimental to fisheries or
has a harmful effect on the marine ecosystem.

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