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Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, today (November 23) officiated at the Lantau North (Extension) Country Park opening and hiking festival at Tai Ho, Lantau Island.
To celebrate the opening of the 24th country park in Hong Kong, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) organised a hiking excursion from Tung Chung to Mui Wo. More than 2,000 hikers participated in the event, escaping from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoying the scenic views of Lantau.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Yau said that after the designation of the new country park, Lantau Island would be covered by 10,000 hectares of country park area, which was about 70% of Lantau land area.
"Lantau strikes a fine balance between development and nature conservation. The overall objective of this country park is to conserve the natural environment, protect the diversified habitats, preserve the scenic landscape and provide recreation opportunities where appropriate," Mr Yau said.
The country park adds another 2,360 hectares to Hong Kong's country park area. It is mainly mountainous and upland valleys covered with natural woodland and unspoiled stream courses, which provide a highly scenic backdrop to the urban development at Tung Chung. The upland areas also offer magnificent views of the airport to the north, rural and wilderness mountainous areas to the south. The well established areas of secondary woodlands, shrubland, grassland and fresh water habitats are of high conservation and landscape value.
Lantau supports a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It is home to a large percentage of many of Hong Kong's recorded species including 70% of its herpetofauna, 60% of its dragonfly species and more than 50% of its butterfly species.
The island is also home to several plant and animal species which are rare in Hong Kong. These include the Romer's Tree Frog, Striped Bush Hopper, Hong Kong Asarum and Lantau Star-anise. It is a great country destination that blends sightseeing and nature education.
Also attending the opening ceremony were acting Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Mr Lau Sin-pang; Chairman of Country and Marine Parks Board, Professor Nora Tam; and Chairman of Community Affairs, Culture and Recreation Committee of Islands District Council, Mr Leung Siu-tong.
Ends/Sunday, November 23, 2008
Issued at HKT 13:12
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