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The WWF-Hong Kong team was actively involved in on-site visitor management efforts over the May “golden week” holiday, and experienced first-hand that conservation is most effective when it is backed by strong cross-bureau coordination, a well-resourced management team and a whole-of-society approach.

In this spirit, we urge the government to lose no time in designating Sharp Island a marine park. We look forward to seeing a proposal detailing a clear timeline and park boundaries.

Such a move would expand Hong Kong’s marine protected areas. It would also be a positive step towards achieving the global aspiration to have 30 per cent of our ocean protected by 2030.

During the holiday, WWF-Hong Kong deployed a big on-site team to support the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department in its efforts to minimise visitor impact on the fragile coral ecosystem off Sharp Island. Our 20-strong team invested considerable effort into installing marker buoys that indicate no-entry zones mapped out jointly with the department. These are intended to guide snorkellers and kayakers away from ecologically sensitive areas, to minimise disturbance to marine life.

As an interim measure, this labour-intensive work was well received, and marine activity businesses expressed their desire for formal guidelines to help them showcase best practices. Designating Sharp Island a marine park will provide a statutory framework to regulate inappropriate behaviour. We urge the government to advance clear and comprehensive ecotourism guidelines.