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The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) held the World Wetlands Day 2010 celebration ceremony today (February 6) to mark the success of the four-month educational and promotional programme "Bird Watching Festival", and to commend the work of the volunteers.
World Wetlands Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention in Ramsar, Iran, on February 2, 1971, a joint effort to protect valuable wetlands around the world. On this day every year, activities are organised worldwide to deepen public understanding of wetland conservation.
The theme of World Wetlands Day 2010 is "Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change". Next to the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site, the Hong Kong Wetland Park is one of the important stop-over points for migratory waterbirds. Every year, many migratory birds winter in Hong Kong from mid October to the following February, making it the best time for bird watching.
To date, the park has recorded over 230 bird species, which accounts for about 50% of Hong Kong bird species recorded. Sixty per cent are migratory birds with 11 endangered species including the Black-faced Spoonbill and Baikal Teal.
Birds are regarded as a bio-indicator of the environment and bird records have been used to show the effect of climate change. To encourage people to observe and learn more about these beautiful birds, the park jointly held a series of activities on the theme "World Wetlands Day - Bird Watching Festival" with different organisations from last October to this February to raise public awareness of wetland ecology and the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of wetlands.
Speaking at the celebration ceremony, the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, Mr Alan Wong, said, "The park organised some 80 activities to echo this year's theme. They were very well received drawing over 5,000 participants. On October 17, 2009, more than 2,000 members of the public gathered at the park and set a new Guinness World Record for creating the "longest painting by numbers" in the world.
"The participation and support of many organisations, as well as the whole-hearted service of every volunteer has been vital in making the programmes a success," Mr Wong said.
Today, about 120 volunteers received the Outstanding Volunteer Award.
In addition, the park will organise the Wetland Cultural Festival from February 13 to 28 to offer visitors an enriched wetland journey with the cartoon piglet McDull, starting with a short film "McDull at Wetlands". During the festival, the park will present a line-up of fun-filled programmes including dramas, interactive workshops, "Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change" exhibitions and a Wetland Art Gallery for the enjoyment of all ages.
For details of World Wetlands Day 2010 and the Wetland Cultural Festival, please visit www.wetlandpark.com.
Ends/Saturday, February 6, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:01
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