I refer to the reports on the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong's (WWF) Hoi Ha Wan Marine Life Centre (South China Morning Post, February 4).
WWF has been working to preserve Hong Kong's natural environment for more than 20 years. The Mai Po Wetland Reserve, which under our management has acquired an international reputation for excellence, is visited by more than 40,000 schoolchildren and members of the public every year.
Our experience with the Mai Po reserve has taught us there is no better way to educate people on conservation than to give them an intimate experience of the wonders of nature. Mai Po has now become synonymous with wetland conservation. We hope that Hoi Ha Wan, through the experience of the marine life centre, will become synonymous with marine conservation.
Hong Kong's marine environment is in dire need of conservation. Educating the public about the riches that lie beneath the waves is a challenge when these riches are out of sight. WWF came up with the concept of a marine life centre as a window into this hidden world. Hoi Ha Wan itself, a spectacular marine park with 59 species of coral, is the star attraction.
The centre takes the public into it, in every sense. The centre is in the bay. Its aquaria will showcase the bay's fauna and the glass-bottomed boat will offer the most intimate experience of coral and fish viewing that most members of the Hong Kong public will ever get.
We are confident that for the people of Hong Kong, whose closest contact with the marine environment is an occasional visit to a crowded public beach, the whole experience will be an eye-opener. Public attitudes to marine conservation will not change unless we can get people to see the marine environment for themselves and they will not come unless the experience is interesting and enjoyable. The centre is unique in the region. It will be of tremendous benefit to the community and to the cause of conservation.
