22/09/2026
Hong Kong’s Ho Sheung Heung (河上鄉) nature conservation programme, run by the Conservancy Association and Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, is set to end next month, prompting environmental groups to urge the government to continue funding to protect its biodiversity.
The project has expanded from about 7 to 10 hectares of farmland since 2020, with bird species recorded rising from 224 to 231, including a near-doubling of critically endangered Yellow-breasted Buntings (“禾花雀”) from 7 in 2020 to 13 last year.
Conservationists attribute this success to ecological farming practices such as rice cultivation, watercress, and lotus, which create habitats for birds and amphibians. While the larger Long Yuen (塱原) area has become a designated nature park, Ho Sheung Heung—located just 500 metres north across the Ng Tung River—remains privately owned agricultural land without long-term protection.
Groups recommend options including government land acquisition, continued NGO management, or designation under China’s OECMs (Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures) framework to ensure ongoing conservation investment. Farmers note the programme has revived abandoned fields and demonstrated that agriculture and bird conservation can coexist.
【明報專訊】塱原是香港現存最大淡水濕地，核心部分劃為塱原自然生態公園。香港觀鳥會調查發現，塱原以北、同樣擁有大片農地的河上鄉最新錄得231種雀鳥，是塱原324種的逾七成，估計與當地持續推行生態管理措施，如種植...
