No plans to review boundary of Hoi Ha marine park despite remapping

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department says it will not review the boundary of Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park.

The conservation department made known its stance despite a recent remapping of the area by the Lands Department, which would have enlarged it by about 2,800 square metres and offered the coral-rich bay better protection from development. The land agency, which completed the remapping on October 15, produces maps and identifies high-water marks, but is not empowered to designate the boundaries of a marine park.

A spokesman for the land agency said last night that the coastline along Hoi Ha Wan was found to have changed over time because of natural erosion. 'The Lands Department has therefore updated the mark to provide the most up-to-date map information for the use of other government departments as well as the general public,' he said.

The area in question is under water, but a property developer can reclaim and build on it if it is not part of the protected marine park.

The submerged area was created by erosion and deposits over the past decade, which pushed up the high-tide mark. The new mark was used by the Lands Department to arrive at the latest map in place of the old outline, which dated to 1996.

As a general practice, the government uses high-water marks to help delineate marine park boundaries, including the national geoparks.

The remapping will add pressure on the conservation department to review the park boundary. The department says it has no intention to revise the boundary and that the area under its charge would remain the same as on the map gazetted in 1996.