 Conservation News |
Mike Kilburn
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Illegal Immigrant Mudskipper Collectors Ignored by Police by Richard Lewthwaite On 4 May up to 64 mud-skipper collectors were seen on the mud in Deep Bay. These people appear to be nomadic opportunists from somewhere in China, who have taken up seasonal residence in the Deep Bay Ramsar site. They have no right to be in the Hong Kong SAR, their activities have caused serious disturbance on the Deep Bay mudflats in the past, especially to wintering flocks, and it's clear that they should not be allowed to remain in the area. Government action against them, however, has been shamefully weak. AFD mount an occasional operation, but the effects are short-lasting. Though the bay is within their jurisdiction, Marine Police have taken no action, and policing duties are carried out by the border patrol units who do not appear to view the mud-skipper collectors as a problem. In August, when alerted to the presence of two mud-skipper collectors who had wandered along the mudflats from Tin Shui Wai and were now under the main Tsim Bei Tsui bridge, two border patrol officers simply said "These are not illegal immigrants". If so, then Deep Bay must be the only place where people without adequate documents can enter and exit the SAR unchallenged, though in full view of uniformed government officials. It's hard to decide whether they had been instructed to take this approach by their superiors or simply couldn't be bothered to find out what was going on, just as in the past, when alerted to the illegal shooting of waterbirds in Deep Bay and the Shenzhen River, their fellow-officers used to say "these are not shots". This problem has continued into September, with a continuing lack of response from the Police. In late August a reporter from Apple Daily visiting Mai Po was able to interview one of the mud-skipper collectors. He said that they were allowed onto the mud by border guards from the Shenzhen side of Deep Bay in return for 25% of their earnings. Technically the mudskipper collectors are not "illegal immigrants", but "illegal border crossers", and by disturbing wildlife in the RAMSAR site are in contravention of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance. Access to the Boardwalk hides which are also in the Frontier Closed Area is by permit only, issued by the Hong Kong Police. It is obvious that the mudskipper collectors have no permit and must therefore be breaking the law. In addition AFD have recently discovered a hut built by the collectors in the mangroves, where they store equipment and sit out the high tides. A September helicopter flight over the bay revealed the presence of several more huts hidden in the mangroves. AFD do not have the authority to destroy these structures but have confiscated all the equipment found inside. In retaliation considerable damage was done to the Bird Watching Society hide, clearly a criminal act. Strong enforcement when the problem of mudskipper collectors first emerged would have prevented this. How much more damage has to be done before the problem is taken seriously? |
Under the terms of the RAMSAR Convention to which Hong Kong, is signatory, the Hong Kong SAR Government has a responsibility to support the legislation protecting the site with action. It is up to the Shenzhen Municipal Government to investigate the role of the border guards in allowing access to Deep Bay, and for The Hong Kong SAR Government to enforce legislation protecting the RAMSAR site and its wildlife.
In past years there were problems with nets set to catch birds on the tidal mudflats in Deep Bay. This was brought to an end by removing the nets, and wrecking the economic viability of the practice. The confiscation of mud scooters, traps , and the boats used to provide access to the mudflats and to conduct these illegal activities would remove the financial incentive and most likely end the problem in the same way. However this requires action from law enforcement bodies on both sides of the border. Without it Deep Bay's birds face a bleak future due to reduced food and intense human disturbance - Ed.
Painted Snipe Marsh Trashed by Cheung Kong
The small area of marsh next to the primary school in Kam Tin, known to birders as the best place in Hong Kong to see Painted Snipe was recently bought by property developer Cheung Kong. Since then the site has been bulldozed, a manned guard post and a fence have been erected, and an environmental consultant conducting a study on the site was evicted. Draw your own conclusions.
Shotgun Cartridges Found at Long Valley
During a visit to Long Valley on 31 August two recently discharged shotgun cartridges were found on one of the pathways near the centre of the valley. Although nothing suggests that these were use to shoot at birds, members are urged to be alert for any signs of shooting at Long Valley. All shells should be picked up and sent to the local Police station and incidents should be reported to AFD by Fax on 2314 2802 or email on afdcon@hkstar.com.
Long Valley Mitigation Scheme
The HKBWS/WWF comments regarding the mitigation planned for the meanders of the straightened rivers have been accepted. The design will be modified and an agreement for ongoing monitoring has been obtained from AFD. During the consulting process the joint contribution of the Society and WWF through Mike Leven and Alex Yau was warmly praised. Score one for the good guys.
Systematic Monitoring of Long Valley
Owing to the intense pressure on all flat land in Hong Kong and the importance of wet agricultural land in particular the Society has decided to undertake a systematic survey of the birds of Long Valley. This excellent site, lying immediately to the west of the KCR railway between Sheung Shui and Lo Wu, holds birds throughout the year, but is particularly rich in winter and during the migration seasons.
Peter Hopkin prepared an excellent before he left Hong Kong, which will provide the basis for the study method. While the exact method for the count has not yet been confirmed, it will certainly begin this year. Anyone interested in making regular visits to the site or of receiving the map and the record sheet for noting species seen on occasional visits should contact Mike Kilburn on 2580 7802 or mkilburn@hkstar.com. Since the Society has already noted some success in shaping the future look of Long Valley, this provides an excellent opportunity to be involved in a systematic survey of one of Hong Kong's best birding sites.
Disturbance to Tern Colony at Shek Ngau Zhou
The Deep Bay tern colony was disturbed at least twice this summer by parties of hikers, who picked up birds for photographs and caused all the adult birds to flush, leaving the young. Under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance it is illegal to disturb birds, their nests or their eggs. AFD responded quickly to advise the Society on possible preventative measures and have agreed to erect a sign on the island's jetty as a warning. Although the terns have mostly left the breeding colony already, members are requested to contact the Police if any disturbance is witnessed during future breeding seasons - Marine Police are always patrolling somewhere close to the site.
Proposed Development of Tin Shui Wai Conservation Area by HKTA
The North end of Tin Shui Wai Reclamation was designated as a mitigation zone to compensate for the loss of wetland habitat when the Reclamation was built. While this intention remains in effect AFD have been approached by the Hong Kong Tourist Association about building a wetland theme park built with the intention of attracting tourists to Deep Bay. The Society is hoping to work closely with HKTA to create a design which allows for the construction of high quality visitor facilities, whilst retaining the original intention of creating some wetland in mitigation. It is hoped that the park will become a valuable education resource for the local community.
| Deep Bay Update |
By Lew Young
Long-term reedbed research
The reedbeds at Mai Po are the largest stand in Hong Kong and probably, one of the largest in Guangdong Province. Apart from being home to a range of specialist bird species, they also support nearly 400 species of insects. However, such reedbeds are only a successional stage as a wetland slowly turns into dry land. To try and halt this natural process, a variety of management techniques have been developed in temperate regions to maintain the reedbed. In Hong Kong however, research only recently begun into the ecology of the Mai Po reedbeds, as well as how best to maintain the reedbed through active management.
Over the coming years, the Hong Kong Bird-Ringing Group will be carrying out a study into how birds use reed stands of different age and structure in gei wai #8, in front of the Mai Po Tower Hide. A simple boardwalk has been built to allow mist-nets to be set, and the results of this study will be able to tell us what age and structure of reeds will attracts the greatest diversity and number of birds. In future, Mai Po staff can then manage the reserve to maintain such stands of reeds that will support the greatest diversity and number of birds.
Earthmoving works at Mai Po
The ponds in the southern part of the reserve where earthmoving works had recently finished, have been filling up naturally with rainwater over the summer months. In the absence of any fish in the ponds, the number of dragonflies breeding in these ponds have been very high, and the six ponds that make up gei wai #20 especially, have been very good for feeding egrets over the summer. Monitoring work in these ponds is still continuing, and we are waiting to see how the wintering waterfowl will use these ponds when they return.
Futian Update
The Shenzhen Government has started buying up the land within Futian National Nature Reserve and are evicting the large number of illegal squatters that have settled in the reserve over the years. The land will be handed over to the reserve for management, and a programme of tree planting has already begun. This winter, the Futian reserve director is planning to build a number of birdwatching hides on the edge of the mangroves looking out into Deep Bay, and it is likely that experienced Mai Po field staff will work with them on this project. The reserve is also having discussions with the Shenzhen Border Police to see how border restrictions can be relaxed so as to allow groups of students and members of the public access to the edge of Deep Bay, in the same way as at Mai Po.
There is therefore, good news from Futian at last. However, the price of all this is that the Shenzhen city government can now start work on building the final part of the Binhai motorway connecting Shenzhen and Shekou, which will run between the reserve headquarters and the main part of the reserve. The city government will try and reduce the disturbance to the reserve from the motorway, by setting up sound barriers along parts of the motorway closest to the reserve.
