The Beauty of Natural Ecology – Ramsar Site and Deep Bay Wetland
The Ramsar Site is a natural shallow estuarine bay lying within the Yuen Long Basin. The average water depth is about 2.9 m and the mean tidal range is 1.4m. Inner Deep Bay receives water and sediments from both Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The sediment forming the core part of the intertidal mudflat is predominantly clay and silt.
Hong Kong has a sub-tropical climate and it is strongly influenced by monsoons. Most of the rainfall occurs mainly from April to September. The salinity of the intertidal water varies depending on the seasonality. During the wet season (late spring to summer), the salinity drops and sometimes it’s almost freshwater due to the increase in rainfall. The values tend to increase from late summer and approach highest in winter/early spring during the dry season.
The site helps to alleviate floods in the northwest of the territory and the mangroves are of value in stabilising the shore of the Deep Bay.
Fishpond Conservation Scheme in Ramsar Site and Deep Bay
At present, two Nature Conservation Management Agreements are implemented by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) at Ramsar Site. HKBWS implements fishpond conservation schemes for fishpond habitat management, education activities and promotion activities, and scientific research. It will encourage fishponds in Ramsar Site and adjacent fishponds outside to drain down in order to increase the feeding ground for waterbirds.
Balancing Ecological Sensitivity and Enhancing Experience: Experiments for the Deep Bay Outer Ramsar Site
The experiment was conducted by the Rural Urban Lab, Faculty of Architecture of The University of Hong Kong in the Deep Bay outside the Ramsar protected area. The objective of the project is to balance the natural ecology and organise public events to contribute to the ecology and culture of the conservation fishpond.