mai po wetland

Bird lovers and people who enjoy walking the great outdoors should head for the hong kong Mai Po marshes in the north-western New Territories, the resting and feeding place for more than 300 species of migrating birds to hong kong Mai Po marshes.The education center and natural conservation area is 380 acres (1.5 km2) wide and hong kong Mai Po marshes surrounding wetland has an area of 1500 acres (6 km²).
eep Bay is listed as a Ramsar site under Ramsar Convention in 1995, and supports globally important numbers of wetland birds, which mainly arrive in winter and during spring and autumn migrations.

In recent years, hong kong Mai Po marshes housed over 55,000 migrating birds, including Saunders' Gull and a quarter of world's Black-faced Spoonbill population. It also has inter-tidal mangroves along with 24 traditionally operated shrimp ponds (called Gei Wai locally) to provide food for the birds. Mai Po Marshes receive 40,000 visitors annually.

The best time for bird watching is in the spring and the autumn when more than 300 species of birds have been recorded in the area, many of them rarely seen anywhere outside the region. The migrant birds forage in the vicinity of Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Wetlands, feeding on fish, shrimps and crabs among the mangroves.

During the winter months, the wetland is home to some 20,000 to 30,000 migratory water birds, including the rare and endangered Black-faced Spoonbill. The area also houses such wildlife as otters, butterflies, leopard cats and other mammals.

In 1984, WWF Hong Kong tourist guide began to take active management of the Reserve for environmental education and conservation. In 1995, 1,500 ha of wetlands around Mai Po Marshes and Inner Deep Bay were formally designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.You will need a 'Mai Po Marshes Entry Permit' to enter the Reserve which you can apply for by writing to the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department of Hong Kong Government house.

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