Marine Protected Areas in Hong Kong

What are Marine Protected Areas

Marine Protected Areas are specific regions of the ocean designated to protect and conserve marine life and habitats. They are managed with the aim of achieving long-term conservation goals, which can include preserving biodiversity, restoring fish populations, and protecting endangered species and ecosystems. MPAs in Hong Kong are a critical component of the region’s efforts to protect marine environments and biodiversity. Expanding these areas is essential for meeting international conservation commitments and ensuring the health and resilience of marine ecosystems.

The legal framework for their designation, control and management in Hong Kong is provided by the Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap. 476), enacted in 1995.

Photo by: Marco Chan

Types of MPAs in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, MPAs are classified into two main types:

Marine Parks: These areas allow for certain regulated activities, such as tourism and recreation, while prioritising the conservation of marine biodiversity and ecosystems.

Marine Reserves: These are more strictly protected areas where activities are highly restricted, focusing on the preservation of marine habitats and species without human interference.

Current MPAs in Hong Kong

Currently, only around 5% of Hong Kong’s waters are designated as MPAs, including eight marine parks and one marine reserve. As a comparison, around 40% of the city’s land area are protected as Country Parks.

Increasing the coverage of MPAs in Hong Kong can more effectively protect the area’s rich marine biodiversity, across habitats including coral communities, mangroves and estuaries and more!

Timeline of existing MPAs in Hong Kong

This is a timeline showing our existing MPAs in Hong Kong. Most MPAs in recent years were set up to compensate for development, while earlier and original MPAs focused on areas with intrinsic ecological importance. With more data collected on Hong Kong’s marine biodiversity from research in the recent decades, we can look forward to more MPAs targeted at environmental and ecological conservation!

1996

Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve

One of the first MPAs set up to better protect areas identified as ecologically important.

Established: July 1996

Sea Area (ha): 20

Sha Chau & Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park

Set up as a ‘dolphin sanctuary’ in response to the construction of the new airport and it’s impacts on the living environment of Chinese White Dolphins.

Established: November 1996

Sea Area (ha): 1200

Yan Chau Tong Marine Park

One of the first MPAs set up, to better protect areas identified as ecologically important.

Established: July 1996

Sea Area (ha): 680

Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park

One of the first MPAs set up, to better protect areas identified as ecologically important.

Established: July 1996

Sea Area (ha): 260

2001

Tung Ping Chau Marine Park

A study appointed by AFCD confirmed the ecological value of the area, including for coral, seaweed, and reef fish. Geological features of the site’s coastline was also considered to have high scientific and educational value.

Established: November 2001

Sea Area (ha): 270

2016

The Brothers Marine Park

Proposed in Environmental Impact Assessment report of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge HongKong Boundary Crossing Facilities projects as a mitigation measure, compensating for the loss of habitats of Chinese White Dolphins.

Established: December 2016

Sea Area (ha): 970

2020

Southwest Lantau Marine Park

Designated to enhance protection of the Chinese White Dolphins and the site’s marine environment.

Established: April 2020

Sea Area (ha): 650

2022

South Lantau Marine Park

Combines two proposed marine parks at the time, stepping up protections for Chinese White Dolphins and Finless Porpoises.

Established: June 2022

Sea Area (ha): 2067

2024

North Lantau Marine Park

Mitigating impacts from the Three-Runway System project of the Hong Kong International Airport for conservation of the Chinese White Dolphins and marine environment in North Lantau waters.

Established: November 2024

Sea Area (ha): 2400

Importance of MPAs

The ocean is vital to human survival and wellbeing, but its conservation is too often overlooked. Covering more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, it provides foods, minerals, medicines, and energy, while responsible for half of the Earth’s oxygen production and absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions. Without protective measures however, many parts of the ocean are now in peril, facing anthropogenic pressures including habitat destruction, pollution, overfishing, illegal fishing, etc. These have led to both species and habitat loss, and already we are able to feel the consequences, including declining fish stocks (leading to fewer and more expensive seafood), and loss of natural barriers against severe climate events. MPAs are one of the few existing tools with international, legal frameworks for the systematic protection of our ocean.

Biodiversity Conservation

MPAs play a vital role in conserving marine biodiversity, protecting habitats, and ensuring the survival of endangered species.

Ecosystem Services

They provide essential ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration, shoreline protection, and supporting fisheries.

Research & Education

MPAs serve as living laboratories for scientific research and education, helping to increase understanding of marine ecosystems and the impacts of human activities.

What makes a good MPA?

A study of 87 MPAs in the world identified five key features that when accumulated increased an MPA’s success in conservation benefits. These were: no take, well enforced, old, large and isolated. MPAs that were effective by this standard had more large fish, including sharks!

Why do people need MPAs?

Photo by: Miko Lui

Increasing fisheries production

Contrary to what many people seem to believe, there is much evidence to show that MPAs — especially where there are no-take zones —can improve fisheries through what is known as the ‘spill over effect’. The spill over effect is where, by providing no-take areas where fish have a refuge from fishing pressures, they are able to have higher productivity resulting in greater abundance. This abundance is quite literally ‘spilled over’ to areas surrounding the MPA and outside of no-take zones where fishing is permitted, thereby benefiting fisheries with improved catches.

Photo by: Gomen See

Countering overfishing

“Overfishing” can be simply understood as fishing faster than species can reproduce. Often, fish are taken from the ocean before even reaching sexual maturity. The result is diminishing marine life populations that eventually collapse and disappear. MPAs that include no-take zones – especially ones that cover important reproduction or nursery grounds for marine life – can help to counter overfishing by creating a sanctuary for the marine life away from fishing pressures, increasing their chances of survival and successful reproduction to replenish the ocean and ensure they can be enjoyed for many generations to come.

Photo by: Kamy Yeung

Climate change resilience

In a world facing rapidly changing climates, the ocean and natural coastal environments provide another critical role of increasing our climate resilience. A healthy ocean with diverse, healthy marine habitats has a greater capacity to hold excess carbon, and coastal habitats (such as coral and oyster reefs) provide natural buffers from severe storms, flooding, and sea-level rise. By keeping our oceans biodiverse, we ensure not only the ocean’s ecological resilience to changing climates, but also our own resistance.

What are Hong Kong’s MPAs doing for our ocean?

Case Study

Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park

The data 114°E Survey collected from Hoi Ha Wan marine park and adjacent areas shows that inside the marine park, not only was reef fish species diversity higher, but the diversity of commercially-important species (e.g. groupers, snappers etc.) were higher too! Reef fishes diversity also remains relatively high in sites close to the marine park area, indicating the positive impacts of the marine park.

Sea Area (ha): 260

Established: July 1996

Cumulative Number of Reef Fish Species (2014 – 2022) Total: 162

Other Reef Fish Species: 108

Commercially Valuable Reef Fish Species: 54

More on the effectiveness of Hong Kong’s MPAs coming soon!

Play your part in maintaining MPAs

The extent of activities allowed in each MPA may vary slightly depending on the MPA’s conservation objective, but there are regulations that apply across all MPAs, such as those listed below! Zoning is also applied in many MPAs to more effectively manage human activities and protect the marine habitat and wildlife, such as mooring zones or vessel prohibition zones. Marine Park Wardens patrol all MPAs in Hong Kong every day to ensure that ongoing activities are in compliance with rules and regulations.

Click on the MPA type buttons to view the list of rules and regulations you need to be aware of:

Marine Parks

Marine Reserves

When planning a visit, members of the public should review rules and regulations specific to each marine park to help uphold its protective powers!

Special note on fishing

Fishing (commercial or recreational) is not allowed within any MPA without specified permits. Commercial fishing is now furthermore banned in four of Hong Kong’s eight marine parks, including the Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Yan Chau Tong Marine Park, Tung Ping Chau Marine Park, and the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park. Any form of fishing (including recreational) is strictly prohibited within the Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve.

Protecting 30% of global marine areas by 2030

Look For More: The Future of Hong Kong’s MPAs

In 2022, global leaders and experts came together at the 15th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), setting targets to have 30% of the world’s land and inland waters, and marine and coastal areas protected and implemented by the year 2030. This goal is commonly referred to as “30x30”. There are 196 governments, or “Parties”, to CBD, meaning participation in CBD decisions is global.

Where in Hong Kong should we set up new MPAs?

Many considerations may go into the selection of areas for MPAs. One important consideration from an ecological perspective is to identify areas of particular ecological importance.

What qualifies as ecologically important? The United Nations Environment programme’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) produced a set of globally recognized criteria which named seven elements, to identify Ecologically or Biologically significant Marine Areas (EBSAs).

Photo by: Siu Kin Wong

Uniqueness or Rarity

If the site contains species, habitats, ecosystems or features that are rare or even endemic, and are to some extent irreplaceable.

Special importance for life history stages of species

If the site is important for species to thrive, such as nurseries.

Importance for threatened, endangered or declining species and/or habitats

These sites are deemed crucial for the recovery and restoration of species and habitats already deteriorating.

Vulnerability, Fragility, Sensitivity, or Slow recovery

These sites are particularly susceptible to human impacts.

Biological Productivity

These are sites that have species or populations that have high capacity for reproduction or high growth rates.

Biological Diversity

If the site is high in species, habitat, ecosystem or genetic diversity, they are particularly important for maintaining resilience.

Naturalness

These sites are relatively untouched by human disturbances, and should be maintained so as reference sites, and to enhance ecosystem resilience.

Elevating existing MPAs

Apart from thinking about areas to set up as new MPAs, improving the management of MPAs – whether existing or future ones – can also help ensuring that the protective measures are functioning effectively.

Stepping up Enforcement

Ultimately, a good MPA is one that is properly enforced. Because the effectiveness of MPAs rests on the successful reduction of human impacts on the area, regular patrols to ensure compliance, and the self-awareness of the general public are equally important to an MPA’s success. Lack of resources, insufficient enforcement, and continued illegal fishing activities can be the main barriers. It has furthermore been suggested for Hong Kong that the establishment and enforcement of MPAs should be coupled with additional controls, such as fisheries management, traffic control and careful management of additional development projects. More resources budgeted for the relevant departments is encouraged.

Stepping up Enforcement

Creating No-take zones

Increasingly, it is being suggested that MPAs that offer only partial-protection (such as multiuse MPAs, where detrimental activities like commercial fishing is still allowed) are insufficient for delivering benefits to marine conservation. Defining no-take zones, wherein the removal or destruction of any natural elements is prohibited, can therefore offer a higher level of protection for the area, ensuring that both the marine life and the habitats are fully protected from extraction.

Creating No-take zones

“One and all” – connecting existing MPAs

Most of our current MPAs are relatively scattered, and some, such as the Southewest Lantau Marine Park and Yan Chau Tong Marine Park, are even split across two bodies of water. By expanding current MPA areas to join up with neighbouring protected areas, they can be “upgraded” to become larger and potentially achieve a greater conservation impact.