https://www.scmp.com/rss/51072/feed The Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis) inhabits the waters of Southeast Asia and is a humpback dolphin species. Its body length is 2 - 3.5m (6ft 7in - 11ft 6in) for adults and 1m (3ft 3in) for infants. At birth, the dolphins are black but they change to grey, then pinkish with spots when young. By the time they reach adulthood they are white. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Chinese white dolphin was first recorded in Hong Kong waters as early as the 1600s and its habitat... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Joshua Kwok Joshua Kwok Hong Kong authorities have released 83,500 juvenile fish into waters near the airport and other locations as part of a string of events intended to enrich marine resources. The initiatives by the Airport Authority and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on Friday marked the annual National Fish Releasing Day on June 6. The authority, which oversees the city’s airport, released 60,000 “larger-than-fist-sized” fish into a vessel-prohibited area west of the airport’s central... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3313544/why-hong-kong-releasing-83500-young-fish-its-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3313544/why-hong-kong-releasing-83500-young-fish-its-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jun 2025 01:00:17 +0000 A dead Chinese white dolphin has been found on the Western shores of Hong Kong’s Lantau Island, the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation has said, with one expert suspecting pollution and stress to be the causes of death. The carcass washed ashore near Yi O on Lantau Island on Tuesday evening. No signs of decay were found on the adult female, which was 2½ metres long (8.2 feet). “The foundation has brought the body back to Ocean Park for detailed necropsy and analysis,” its spokesman... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3290253/chinese-white-dolphin-washes-dead-hong-kong-waters-necropsy-under-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3290253/chinese-white-dolphin-washes-dead-hong-kong-waters-necropsy-under-way?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2024 03:20:56 +0000 Hong Kong has established its eighth and largest marine park in the waters off northern Lantau, nearly a decade after the idea was first proposed to protect Chinese white dolphins from the expansion of the city’s airport. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said on Friday the 2,400 hectare North Lantau Marine Park was located next to a dolphin reserve zone established in Guangdong province waters, which would allow for “better protection” of the mammal’s core habitats. But a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3284748/hong-kong-establishes-its-largest-marine-park-northern-lantau-waters-amid-airport-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3284748/hong-kong-establishes-its-largest-marine-park-northern-lantau-waters-amid-airport-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Nov 2024 04:46:44 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Two Chinese white dolphins, one of which was a newborn, have washed up dead on a beach on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island, bringing up the tally of such cases this year to 31. The Ocean Park Conservation Foundation said on Thursday it had received a report the day before over the remains found near Pui O’s Tin Hau Temple. The group retrieved the carcasses to conduct autopsies and further analysis. A foundation spokesman said the pair were discovered in proximity to each other. The adult dolphin,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3269114/2-chinese-white-dolphins-wash-dead-hong-kongs-lantau-island-31-such-cases-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3269114/2-chinese-white-dolphins-wash-dead-hong-kongs-lantau-island-31-such-cases-year?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2024 03:35:07 +0000 Hong Kong environmental authorities have said they plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to better detect wildfires and record the number of country park visitors in an effort to conserve manpower. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on Tuesday said that using new technologies could ensure more effective management of protected areas, as past efforts involving physical surveillance used too many staff members. “Country and marine parks … cover an extensive area of protected... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3261819/hong-kong-authorities-install-ai-tech-country-parks-spot-wildfires-tally-visitors-can-it-see-wood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3261819/hong-kong-authorities-install-ai-tech-country-parks-spot-wildfires-tally-visitors-can-it-see-wood?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 May 2024 03:25:36 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification I write in response to the letter, “Hong Kong must not sacrifice pink dolphins to infrastructure” (March 30). Your correspondent is correct to observe that the Lantau Tomorrow monstrosity will have... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3257663/hong-kong-should-drop-artificial-islands-plan-revitalise-south-lantau-instead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3257663/hong-kong-should-drop-artificial-islands-plan-revitalise-south-lantau-instead?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2024 06:30:26 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification I am bothered by the possibility that we may never again see pink dolphins frolicking in Hong Kong’s waters because of the Lantau reclamation work. We badly need concerted efforts to save these... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3257170/hong-kong-must-not-sacrifice-pink-dolphins-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3257170/hong-kong-must-not-sacrifice-pink-dolphins-infrastructure?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Mar 2024 06:30:09 +0000 Conservation efforts to protect Hong Kong’s pink dolphins need to be overhauled and strengthened before major reclamation work begins off Lantau Island, marine experts have warned. As dolphin numbers dropped to a record low, researchers at the Cetacea Research Institute (CRI) found that construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge from 2010 to 2016 was likely to have “considerably compromised” the dolphins’ survival rate below levels needed to sustain the population. While the bridge had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3255649/hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-construction-likely-primary-stressor-dolphin-habitat-marine-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3255649/hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-bridge-construction-likely-primary-stressor-dolphin-habitat-marine-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Mar 2024 11:00:18 +0000 When veterinary scientist Brian Kot Chin-wing went to Hong Kong’s western waters with a team of researchers last Tuesday, they spotted 20 white dolphins in six hours, including a calf believed to be less than two weeks old. “Sometimes, we could only spot one,” said Kot, an assistant professor of diagnostic radiography at City University and principal investigator at its aquatic animal virtopsy lab. The team of roughly a dozen has identified about 350 white dolphins in the city’s waters since... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3232363/hong-kongs-white-dolphins-finless-porpoises-face-same-threats-daily-basis-whale-found-dead-sai-kung?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3232363/hong-kongs-white-dolphins-finless-porpoises-face-same-threats-daily-basis-whale-found-dead-sai-kung?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Aug 2023 01:00:25 +0000 Three endangered freshwater dolphins have died within 10 days of one another, alarming conservationists in Cambodia. The death of a third healthy dolphin in such a brief period indicates “an increasingly alarming situation and the need for an intensive law enforcement be urgently conducted in the dolphin habitats”, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in an announcement on Monday. The latest Irrawaddy dolphin death – believed to have stemmed from entanglement in an illegal fishing line –... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3204616/deaths-3-endangered-cambodian-dolphins-increasingly-alarming-situation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3204616/deaths-3-endangered-cambodian-dolphins-increasingly-alarming-situation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Dec 2022 12:37:30 +0000 Chinese white dolphins were found to be significantly more active in southern Hong Kong waters after the frequency of cross-border ferry services was reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a green group’s study. The findings have prompted WWF-Hong Kong to call on the government to divert cross-border ferry operations in the Southern Lantau Fairway. The group said on Thursday that the acoustic and visual data they collected in the area between February 2020 to January 2021 showed a 50... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3186130/fewer-ferries-lead-more-chinese-white-dolphin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3186130/fewer-ferries-lead-more-chinese-white-dolphin?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jul 2022 13:22:24 +0000 As Hong Kong has just celebrated the 25th anniversary of its return to China, it is worth reviewing some key environmental performance indicators to see if there has been improvement since 1997. The results would help Hong Kong’s new chief executive, John Lee Ka-chiu, set key performance indicators, which he has vowed to do and which are critical for Hong Kong’s sustainable development. I recall a famous term from the pre-1997 era: “positive non-interventionism”. This was a guiding principle for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3184035/air-pollution-waste-has-hong-kongs-environmental-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3184035/air-pollution-waste-has-hong-kongs-environmental-report?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jul 2022 01:15:20 +0000 The sea is part of Hong Kong’s soul. It is ever-present – in our sight, hearing and imagination – and it shapes the city’s climate, geography, society and financial fortunes. In spite of this, we almost always take it for granted. June 8 marks United Nations World Oceans Day, with a theme of “Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean”. The sea belongs to us all, and everyone has a responsibility to protect it. Around the world, a series of future-focused negotiations and agreements centred... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180678/ocean-zoning-can-help-hong-kong-repair-and-rejuvenate-its-precious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180678/ocean-zoning-can-help-hong-kong-repair-and-rejuvenate-its-precious?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jun 2022 23:15:14 +0000 Hong Kong researchers have some rare good news about Chinese white dolphins and their close relative the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, both listed as vulnerable species. In 2021 the number of dolphins, porpoises and whales, collectively called cetaceans, found washed up dead on shorelines in Hong Kong in incidents called strandings fell to 32 from 52 the previous year and 55 in 2019, according to the annual Aquatic Animal Virtopsy Lab report released by researchers at City University of Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3170489/chinese-white-dolphin-deaths-fall-amid-covid-19-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3170489/chinese-white-dolphin-deaths-fall-amid-covid-19-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Mar 2022 10:15:17 +0000 I refer to the editorial “More can be done to protect biodiversity” (October 17), which commented that Hong Kong is not meeting all the 20 Aichi goals under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Aichi biodiversity targets serve as a flexible framework for parties to the convention to set different goals, taking into account domestic priorities and capacities – they are not intended to be universally applicable, particularly at the city level. To respond to the convention’s calls of action,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3157227/hong-kong-fully-supports-global-biodiversity-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3157227/hong-kong-fully-supports-global-biodiversity-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Nov 2021 22:30:21 +0000 Nearly half of all Chinese white dolphin calves in Hong Kong’s waters failed to survive beyond two years, according to newly released data from an annual government report, with the record-low statistic sparking fresh concerns about the future of the species. “The low survival rate of newborns, coupled with the worrisome declining trend in abundance over the past decade, is of great concern for the continued survival of dolphins in Hong Kong waters,” the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3147075/high-mortality-rate-calves-sparks-fresh-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3147075/high-mortality-rate-calves-sparks-fresh-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:29:45 +0000 Noise pollution is a common complaint among city dwellers in highly urbanised Hong Kong. But the problem runs deeper, affecting species in the ocean, including the vulnerable Chinese white dolphin. To show just how damaging ocean noise pollution is, Hong Kong photographer and documentary maker Daphne Wong last month released the film Sea Of Noise in collaboration with conservation organisation WWF-Hong Kong. “It’s easy to see the impact construction has on land but what’s less obvious is the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3139299/how-ocean-noise-pollution-threatening-chinese-white-dolphins-affecting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3139299/how-ocean-noise-pollution-threatening-chinese-white-dolphins-affecting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jul 2021 05:15:13 +0000 A Chinese white dolphin has been spotted for the first time ever in the Xi River in southern China, 300km (186 miles) from its usual habitat, prompting local authorities to halt all shipping and underwater construction work in the area until the animal can be guided back to safety. The government of Wuzhou was quoted as saying in a report by Nanguo Morning Post on Saturday that the animal, also known as the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, had been spotted in the river, which flows through the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3125395/experts-race-save-chinese-white-dolphin-spotted-south-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3125395/experts-race-save-chinese-white-dolphin-spotted-south-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 13:00:11 +0000 Rare pink dolphins are staying longer in Hong Kong waters, and possibly in greater numbers than before, thanks to reduced sea traffic and a more hospitable marine environment during the coronavirus pandemic, experts say. Native to the Pearl River Estuary and listed as a vulnerable species, their population in the area has been decreasing from about 2,500 in 2013 to about 2,000 last year, according to the conservation organisation WWF-Hong Kong. Recent data collected by the organisation has shown... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3110624/pink-dolphins-staying-longer-hong-kong-waters-sign-falling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3110624/pink-dolphins-staying-longer-hong-kong-waters-sign-falling?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2020 00:00:27 +0000 Border restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic have apparently paved the way for a comeback of a rare creature in Hong Kong waters, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, also known as Chinese white dolphin or pink dolphin. Seas off southern Lantau Island have been quieter than usual with fewer high-speed ferries crossing the marine mammals’ natural habitat. Researchers say that sightings of the dolphins are up by as much as 30% and the animals they see appear to be less “stressed” https://www.scmp.com/society/rare-pink-dolphin-makes-comeback-covid-19-quiets-hong-kong-waters/article/3102019?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/rare-pink-dolphin-makes-comeback-covid-19-quiets-hong-kong-waters/article/3102019?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:35:51 +0000 Hong Kong’s environmental watchdog has urged two government agencies to cooperate on monitoring the population of endangered Chinese white dolphins after years of separate surveys from both agencies threw up wildly different estimates. Members of the Advisory Council on the Environment made the suggestion following a meeting with representatives from the Airport Authority on the implementation of measures to mitigate the environmental impact of Hong Kong’s third runway project. For Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3100574/watchdog-urges-hong-kong-airport-authority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3100574/watchdog-urges-hong-kong-airport-authority?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2020 12:54:53 +0000 I have been waiting for weeks to get out on the water, but black rainstorms and typhoon warnings – signposts of Hong Kong’s capricious summer – kept my feet firmly, frus­tratingly on dry land. When I do eventually step aboard the boat chartered by the Hong Kong Cetacean Research Project (HKCRP) and the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society at Tung Chung one early June morning, the sky is a brilliant blue and the rising sun glares off the construction cranes reclaiming the sea for the airport’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3092348/hong-kongs-chinese-white-dolphins-extinction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3092348/hong-kongs-chinese-white-dolphins-extinction?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jul 2020 01:15:14 +0000 An environmental group has urged authorities across the Pearl River Delta, including Hong Kong, to expand protected marine habitats to save the Chinese white dolphins, as numbers of the pink sea mammals continue to dwindle. Among the areas WWF-Hong Kong has proposed to safeguard are around south and west Lantau Island, where most of the city’s dolphins feed and breed. According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the number of dolphins has fallen by 80 per cent over the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3087236/green-group-urges-authorities-across-pearl-river?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3087236/green-group-urges-authorities-across-pearl-river?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2020 14:15:40 +0000 When Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg was named Time magazine’s 2019 Person of the Year, a huge wave of disappointment swept across social media platforms in Hong Kong, as she had edged out another nominee – “Hong Kong protesters”. Some congratulated the young climate activist but many more asked: what has she achieved, and does she deserve the honour? The answer is a resounding “yes”. Thunberg inspired millions of youth to stand against climate change and her activism is an innovative... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3044063/greta-thunberg-force-nature-who-can-change-face-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3044063/greta-thunberg-force-nature-who-can-change-face-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:16 +0000 Sundays in summer are usually the busiest time of year for Hong Kong Dolphin Watch, which has been taking visitors on ecological tours since 1995. These days, however, no more than 10 or 20 tourists sign up on a Sunday, fewer than during the winter low season. “A month ago, we thought we were on the edge of closing,” said Janet Walker, the company’s senior tour coordinator. Eco-tourism, like the rest of Hong Kong’s tourism sector, has taken a beating as visitor arrivals have plummeted because of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3032658/sharp-drop-foreign-visitors-keen-spot-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3032658/sharp-drop-foreign-visitors-keen-spot-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Oct 2019 06:00:11 +0000 Sometimes it’s good to take a step back, remember what there is to be thankful for, and take part in activities that positively affect the world. Doing green activities with children is a great idea, as it sets them up for a life of living consciously. Here are just a few of the options for sustainable volunteering in Hong Kong. 1. Eco Marine A sustainably focused NGO with protecting the oceans at its heart, Eco Marine offers regular opportunities to get involved in clearing rubbish from Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3020904/sustainable-living-green-activities-and-volunteering-opportunities-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3020904/sustainable-living-green-activities-and-volunteering-opportunities-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2019 08:30:10 +0000 While many of their peers kick back and relax during their summer break, a group of students from Canadian International School of Hong Kong are organising a two-day event to raise awareness of ocean conservation. Samantha Sharp and Delfina Wentzel Bermudez, both 16, and Micaela Forcione, 17, have put together the Asia Youth Oceans Conservation Summit, designed to engage young Hongkongers in marine conservation. The summit this weekend is aimed at school pupils, though its organisers say anyone... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3016207/international-school-pupils-organise-marine-conservation-summit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3016207/international-school-pupils-organise-marine-conservation-summit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jun 2019 11:45:08 +0000 China’s baiji dolphin is almost extinct, but there’s a way to catch a glimpse of it up close in Hong Kong. The Science Museum and Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society on Friday launched a digital installation with the help of its Japanese creators that showcases five types of whale and dolphin in a “virtual aquarium”. By projecting life-sized, 3D imagery of the animals onto a wall, the installation allows visitors to interact and learn about the marine mammals without heading into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3006938/chinas-baiji-dolphin-virtually-extinct-hi-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3006938/chinas-baiji-dolphin-virtually-extinct-hi-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2019 10:57:51 +0000 You’re in a marine life park, watching a dolphin show. They twist and turn and jump into the air gracefully. But are they as amused and excited as you? Are they forced to perform these movements just for your entertainment? What happens behind the scenes of dolphin shows? Are there large areas for the dolphins to live in? Do they get to interact socially with the other dolphins? No, in the case of most aquariums. Dolphins should not be used for education or entertainment. They are wild creatures... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3003677/condemning-dolphins-captivity-human-entertainment-cruel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3003677/condemning-dolphins-captivity-human-entertainment-cruel?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Mar 2019 10:00:06 +0000 The population of Chinese white dolphins in the Pearl River estuary is “basically stable” despite nearly a decade of disruptive marine construction works on the world’s longest sea crossing and a near 20 per cent drop since 2005, according to the bridge’s management authority. Research commissioned by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Authority – a project-managing body jointly established by the three governments – indicated that dolphin numbers in the Lingding Channel have remained roughly the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2174021/officials-hong-kong-and-mainland-china-disagree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2174021/officials-hong-kong-and-mainland-china-disagree?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Nov 2018 01:31:38 +0000 I am writing in response to the article, “Public housing prioritised for reclaimed land, Hong Kong’s leader to announce”, October 3. I can see why Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s Lantau Tomorrow Vision is regarded as the “silver bullet” solution for Hong Kong’s housing crisis. Still, I would take a strong stand against the mega reclamation plan. First, the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project can threaten the nearby ecosystem. The plan, whether it involves 2,200 hectares or 1,700, will... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2170990/why-hong-kongs-lantau-reclamation-plans-dont-pass-jobs-and-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2170990/why-hong-kongs-lantau-reclamation-plans-dont-pass-jobs-and-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Oct 2018 11:12:42 +0000 Lau Wai-ping strolls along the beach in front of his village, occasionally kicking up sand, as he often did in his childhood. The grains are as black, fine and pillowy as in the 66-year-old’s memories of his youth, but everything else is different. Where pink dolphins used to roam nearby, it is now a polluted, greyish-yellow swirl of murky sea. Where big turtles used to come ashore and nest, it is littered with garbage. And where the horizon used to stretch out as far as the eye could see, it is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2161376/villagers-lung-kwu-tan-hong-kongs-dumping-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2161376/villagers-lung-kwu-tan-hong-kongs-dumping-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Aug 2018 00:31:56 +0000 Turning over your newspaper last week, I came upon a photo of the carcass of a Chinese white dolphin, washed up on a beach near Shenzhen (“The cost of concrete”, July 18). I felt deeply sorry for it: a magnificent creature, dead because of land reclamation around Hong Kong and the delta region of southern China. Should economic development always take priority over environmental protection in Hong Kong? Large-scale infrastructure and land reclamation activities boost our economy and increase... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2156953/chinese-dolphins-will-not-be-last-victims-hong-kongs-reckless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2156953/chinese-dolphins-will-not-be-last-victims-hong-kongs-reckless?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jul 2018 03:01:31 +0000 Struggling to meet targets to deal with a chronic housing crisis, the Hong Kong government has been touting five new reclamation projects as essential for solving the problem. After publication of an official report last week revealing the number of Chinese white dolphins in local waters remains critically low, however, marine scientists are insisting that enough is enough. “We already have the boundary [crossing] facility, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. There are already around 30 projects... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2155660/scientists-fear-harm-reclamation-will-do-ecology-south-china-waters-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2155660/scientists-fear-harm-reclamation-will-do-ecology-south-china-waters-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:15:15 +0000 The number of Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong waters remains “critically low”, according to a new government report, with experts worrying that future reclamation and construction could lower it further. Just 47 of the pink sea mammals were spotted from April 2017 to March 2018, according to the latest report by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. That is the same number as the local population sank to in 2016-17, the lowest since records began in 2003. There were 188 in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2154884/hong-kong-only-has-47-chinese-white-dolphins-left?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2154884/hong-kong-only-has-47-chinese-white-dolphins-left?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jul 2018 23:33:57 +0000 Building an offshore gas facility in Hong Kong waters would be environmentally acceptable even if 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) of porpoise habitat were affected, according to a report by one of two power companies in the city. The Hong Kong public has 30 days to vet an environmental impact assessment which has been submitted to authorities by project proponent CLP Power. The company said the installation was needed to increase the percentage of relatively cleaner natural gas in its energy mix by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2151074/offshore-hong-kong-gas-facility-may-encroach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2151074/offshore-hong-kong-gas-facility-may-encroach?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Jun 2018 11:55:58 +0000 I am writing in response to your video report, “Chinese cruise along Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge threatens rare white dolphins” (May 16). The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge has been a controversial project, because of its huge price tag, and quality and safety concerns. Many people doubt the claimed economic benefits of the bridge, because its huge construction budget has been exceeded repeatedly, by billions of Hong Kong dollars. Apart from these issues, there is still another that worries... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/2146731/hong-kong-mega-bridge-death-sentence-rare-chinese-white-dolphins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/2146731/hong-kong-mega-bridge-death-sentence-rare-chinese-white-dolphins?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 May 2018 02:16:40 +0000 The world’s last male northern white rhino died in Kenya on March 20, leaving behind two females of the rhinoceros subspecies. Last week giraffes were placed on the endangered species list for the first time after their numbers dropped by 40 per cent in the past 30 years. Endangered and nearly extinct species lists continue to grow as the world engages in recreational killing, poaching, civil unrest and habitat destruction. China and Asia at large have seen an uptick in the number of animals... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2141441/disappearing-lives-iconic-chinese-animals-you-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2141441/disappearing-lives-iconic-chinese-animals-you-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Apr 2018 03:02:55 +0000 Her backpack weighed down with books, Audrey Tam looks like a typical teenager as she makes her way to the end of Pier 10 on Hong Kong’s Central waterfront. But while other students are immersed in studies and extracurricular activities, 16-year-old Tam – who was born in Canada and moved with her family to Hong Kong when she was four – is on a mission to help save the city’s rare Chinese white dolphins. “When I heard how many white dolphins were left it really shocked me. It’s below 50; it’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2139871/wwf-backs-hong-kong-teens-campaign-save-rare-dolphin-threatened-speeding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2139871/wwf-backs-hong-kong-teens-campaign-save-rare-dolphin-threatened-speeding?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Apr 2018 10:45:45 +0000 Tigers, Asia’s biggest big cats, are among the world’s most endangered species, with only about 4,000 remaining in the wild. The green turtle’s survival is threatened by overharvesting of its eggs and accidental deaths in fishermen’s nets. In Hong Kong, the future doesn’t look rosy for the Chinese white dolphin, with coastal development pushing the species to the brink (yes, we’re looking at you, big white elephant Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge). The WWF’s endangered species list makes... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2124303/hong-kong-wwf-fun-run-endangered-species?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2124303/hong-kong-wwf-fun-run-endangered-species?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Dec 2017 03:49:33 +0000 Noise from marine traffic in southern Lantau waters can significantly impair the hearing of Chinese white dolphins, posing a threat to their ability to find food and communicate, a study has shown. The study, commissioned by WWF-Hong Kong, used underwater sound recorders deployed in the south of Lantau Island to collect whistles and echolocation clicks of the pink-coloured dolphins and finless porpoises, as well as the noise generated by vessels passing through the sea between October last year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2123569/noise-hong-kong-marine-traffic-poses-threat-rare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2123569/noise-hong-kong-marine-traffic-poses-threat-rare?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Dec 2017 01:04:10 +0000 Eleven green groups in Hong Kong slammed the head of the land supply task force for downplaying the environmental impact of land reclamation, saying his comments were “in serious conflict” with his leadership of the city’s environmental impact watchdog. In a statement on Thursday, the groups demanded that Stanley Wong Yuen-fai retract his comments from Tuesday, when he said there would be “no insurmountable impact on [the] environment” if the government were to create 1,400 hectares of land at... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119197/hong-kong-green-groups-slam-task-force-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2119197/hong-kong-green-groups-slam-task-force-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Nov 2017 11:08:18 +0000 A senior Chinese scientist has warned that provincial government plans to build two large water control barriers on the Yangtze River could drive China’s last remaining 1,000 river porpoises to extinction. The authorities are proposing to build huge sluice gates to control the flow of water from the river into the country’s two largest freshwater lakes – Poyang in Jiangxi province and Dongting in Hunan province. The barriers will stop Yangtze finless porpoises from travelling between the river... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2112556/water-scheme-threatens-yangtze-river-porpoises-extinction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2112556/water-scheme-threatens-yangtze-river-porpoises-extinction?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Sep 2017 06:30:15 +0000 A black sea lion cavorts and dances in time to loud circus music pounding from the sound system. The creature lurches its head violently from side to side, in time to the music, urged on by its trainer, as the audience at Ocean Park claps along in apparent delight. It’s 50 years since the Hong Kong government agreed to grant free land near Aberdeen for a radical new oceanarium concept, which opened its doors nearly 10 years later, in January 1977. Ocean Park became a source of pride and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2109122/hong-kongs-ocean-park-dated-and-fake-or-conservation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2109122/hong-kongs-ocean-park-dated-and-fake-or-conservation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Sep 2017 03:30:30 +0000 A conservation group has called for the creation of a supersized marine park by connecting all existing ones around Lantau Island if Hong Kong is to halt the rapid decline in Chinese white dolphins. It also wants a high-speed ferry route to be diverted. The alert came as an Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department report last month reported a sharp drop in dolphin numbers in north, northeast, northwest and southwest Lantau last year to a historical low of 47 – just half the total... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2102059/can-these-three-steps-save-chinese-white-dolphin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2102059/can-these-three-steps-save-chinese-white-dolphin?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:31:41 +0000 The Chinese white dolphin – the iconic pink-coloured sea mammal selected as the symbol of Hong Kong’s handover to the mainland exactly 20 years ago – has seen its regional numbers drop to a new low since population records began in 2003. Experts warn of a “critical juncture” in the species’ existence in Hong Kong waters, as it is besieged by multiple infrastructure projects in its main habitat of northern Lantau Island. From 87 dolphins in 2010-11, numbers fell to 65 in 2015-16 and 47 in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2100062/no-optimism-survival-chinese-white-dolphin-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2100062/no-optimism-survival-chinese-white-dolphin-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2017 15:15:30 +0000 Environmental advisers have cast doubt on the Hong Kong Airport Authority’s claim that a rerouting of its high-speed ferry service had a minimum impact on the endangered Chinese white dolphin’s use of a key marine habitat. In 2014, an advisory council endorsed the authority’s environmental impact assessment for the third runway project on the grounds that improvements would be made to the operation of the SkyPier ferry, which ran from Lantau Island. In a presentation to the council of a 12-month... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2093474/advisory-council-casts-doubt-hong-kong-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2093474/advisory-council-casts-doubt-hong-kong-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 May 2017 01:01:06 +0000 A new study by the University of Hong Kong has found that at least 368 Chinese white dolphins rely on the city’s waters as part of their home range – a larger number than previously estimated. But the scientist who has been the city’s authority on monitoring of the endangered species has warned against over focusing on the research, when forming policy. The study, published in peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, was conducted between 2010 and 2014, and co-authored by Stephen Chan, a PhD student, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2083901/hong-kong-scientists-lock-horns-over-dolphin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2083901/hong-kong-scientists-lock-horns-over-dolphin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Mar 2017 14:09:39 +0000 Pink dolphins in the Pearl River estuary face a far greater extinction threat than previously thought, with crucial habitats in the area disappearing and the species population declining at an annual rate of 2.5 per cent, a study has found. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong concluded that the Chinese white dolphin – also known as pink dolphins – “face extinction” as not much of their natural environment in Hong Kong and the mainland were under legal protection. Watch: A look at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2073843/extinction-threat-faced-pink-dolphins-far-greater?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2073843/extinction-threat-faced-pink-dolphins-far-greater?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Feb 2017 14:00:15 +0000 The Airport Authority has been accused of “moving the goalposts” after allowing captains of high-speed ferries to and from its SkyPier to break the speed limit in sensitive waters used by the Chinese white dolphin for “navigational safety”. A conservationist slammed the move and called for the authority’s environmental permit to be revoked. The strict 15-knot limit was imposed specifically for the area, due to the area’s importance to the mammal, under the conditions of its permit for its third... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1913359/airport-authority-criticised-over-relaxing-speed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1913359/airport-authority-criticised-over-relaxing-speed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Feb 2016 14:15:30 +0000