The Government today gazetted the designation of the North Lantau Marine Park, which will be the eighth and largest marine park in Hong Kong, covering about 2,400 hectares of water.

The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department said designation of the North Lantau Marine Park will greatly increase Hong Kong's protected marine habitat from about 6,117 ha to about 8,517 ha.

The department noted that the designation of the marine park is crucial for conservation of the Chinese White Dolphins (CWD) and the marine environment in North Lantau waters, and is one of the measures committed in the approved Environmental Impact Assessment Report of Hong Kong International Airport's Three-Runway System project for mitigating the impact arising from the project on marine ecology.

The marine park will provide critical linkages with the nearby Sha Chau & Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park and the Brothers Marine Park to form a matrix of connected marine protected areas totalling about 4,570 ha in North Lantau waters for better protection of the important habitats of the CWD.

Furthermore, the marine park will be contiguous with the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve established in Guangdong Province, thereby linking the marine protected areas in Hong Kong and the Mainland, providing important connections among these core CWD habitats, and facilitating the movement of CWD between such habitats.

The proposed marine park also connects with the Hong Kong International Airport Approach Areas to form an interlinked water body and provide a synergistic effect for the conservation of marine ecology and fisheries resources.

The marine park's draft map was made available for public inspection from March 3 to May 1 last year. The Country & Marine Parks Authority did not receive any objection during the period.

After the designation of the marine park, activities in the waters will be regulated by the Marine Parks Ordinance and the Marine Parks & Marine Reserves Regulation. In the long run, it can provide a better habitat for marine life and be conducive to protecting marine mammals and maintaining marine biodiversity.

The Marine Parks (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2024 will be tabled at the Legislative Council on June 19 for negative vetting and come into effect on November 1 this year.