HK Updates and events: Proposals for amendment of Appendices I and II at the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16) and the briefing section (28 Dec 2012)

 

Proposals for amendment of Appendices I and II at the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16)

A total of 71 proposals have been submitted to the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for amendment of the Appendices of CITES. These proposals will be discussed at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to CITES which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2013.
Below is a summary table of the proposals based on the information posted at the website of CITES Secretariat. You may wish to browse the CITES website at meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to CITES which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2013.

http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/16/prop/index.php for details of the proposals. Please note that in case of discrepancy, the information on the CITES website shall prevail.

For enquiries regarding the proposals, please give us an E-mail at hk_cites@afcd.gov.hk or contact our officers:
 For enquiries about plants – Mr. Henry Ho (Tel. 2150 6968)
For enquiries about animals – Mr. Horace Iu (Tel. 2150 6969)

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

For the summary table of the proposals based on the information posted at the website of CITES Secretariat:
http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_end/files/ES_0312e_Summary_of_Proposals.pdf

 Proposals for amendment of the Appendices of CITES

I would like to draw your attention that proposals have been submitted to the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to amend the Appendices of CITES ，including proposals concerning some shark species ，some turtles used as food and pet，and some plant species used for timber amongst other plant and animal species. These proposals will be discussed at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COPI6) to CITES which will be held in Bangkok ，Thailand in March 2013. Should the proposals be adopted ，amendments of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance ，Cap. 586 will be initiated ，in order to give effect to the changes in regulation of the trade in endangered species. Please refer to our website at www.cites.hk (under What's New) for the list of the proposals and the plant and animal species involved.

We are going to hold briefing sessions to brief relevant traders on the proposals and their implications. In order to make necessary arrangement ，if you are interested in attending the briefing sessions ，please register by returning the attached reply slip to this department on or before 28 December 2012.

If you have any enquiries regarding the CITES proposals and the briefing sessions ，please give us an E-mail at hk_cites@afcd.gov.hk or contact our officers:

For enquiries about plants - Mr. Henry Ho (Tel. 2150 6968)
For enquiries about animals - Mr. Horace Iu (Tel. 2150 6969)

Yours faithfully,
(Patrick LAI)
For Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation

For the original document and reply letter: http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_end/files/ES_0312e.pdf

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HK Updates: Reef check shows local corals healthy

Reef check shows local corals healthy

December 01, 2012

Hong Kong Reef Check 2012 found that local corals are generally in a healthy and stable condition with high fauna diversity, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department says.

The department held a prize presentation ceremony today to commend the work of Reef Check teams and their contributions to the success of Hong Kong Reef Check 2012. The ceremony also marked the 15th anniversary of the annual survey.

The four-month exercise starting from June covered 33 sites of ecological importance, including three Marine Parks - Hoi Ha Wan, Yan Chau Tong and Tung Ping Chau. More than 570 volunteers from different sectors of the community, including education institutes and green groups joined the exercise.

The survey continues to yield encouraging results. A variation in coral coverage, ranging from 20% to 76.8%, was recorded. Nineteen sites, including dive sites within the Marine Parks recorded high coral coverage of over 50%. Coral Beach in Hoi Ha Wan recorded the highest coral coverage of 76.8%.

Most of the survey sites boast high species diversity. All of the 20 assigned indicator species including wrasses, groupers and butterfly fish were recorded.

Corals at seven sites were assessed using the Coral Watch tool in Reef Check 2012. The average health index is 4.13, which is similar to 4.14 last year. The average health index is well above the general average value of three. Coral Watch is to determine the health condition of corals by measuring the colour intensity of the coral using a specially designed Coral Health Monitoring Chart.

Coral bleaching and some coral damage was observed at some sites but the impact was minor and localised.

The department will continue to organise Reef Check activities to collect important information necessary for devising conservation and management measures to protect the precious corals.

For the report: 

Chinese version:
http://www.afcd.gov.hk/tc_chi/conservation/con_mar/con_mar_cor/con_mar_cor_hkrc/files/summary_chi_2012.pdf 

English version:
http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_mar/con_mar_cor/con_mar_cor_hkrc/files/summary_eng_2012.pdf

Reef review:  More than 570 volunteers from different sectors of community, including education institutes and green groups, participate in Hong Kong Reef Check 2012.

Source: http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/environment/html/2012/12/20121201_143523.shtml

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HK Updates: Emission reduction targets met (23 Nov, 2012)

Emission reduction targets met

November 23, 2012

Hong Kong has met 2010 emission-reduction targets jointly set with the Guangdong government, although volatile organic compound targets for the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone were not fully met. This was mainly because the zone's socio-economic development has far outpaced the originally anticipated growth rate.

This was revealed at the 12th Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development & Environmental Protection meeting in Guangzhou today.

The major pollutants in Hong Kong in 2010 were nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. The Government wants to reduce their emission by 10% and 25% in 2015.

To achieve these targets, the Government will implement some key measures. They include phasing out highly polluting commercial diesel vehicles; retrofitting Euro II and III franchised buses with selective catalytic-reduction devices; and, requiring ocean-going vessels to switch to using low sulphur fuel while at berth.

The major pollutants in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone in 2010 were volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. About 900,000 tonnes of each were emitted. The Government wants to reduce the emission of these two pollutants by 10% and 18%.
Guangdong will also implement emission-reduction measures, including monitoring major enterprises' use of organic solvents; requiring thermal power plants to install low-nitrogen oxide and denitrification systems; and, promoting the conversion of oil-fired generating units into gas.

The two sides will conduct a review in 2015 to assess the state of socio-economic development at the time and emission-reduction progress, and will then finalise emission-reduction targets for 2020.

Secretary for the Environment KS Wong said the two sides have laid down these targets, and now Hong Kong needs the commitment of everybody - the Government, industries and trades, the transport sector, and the public – to meet them.

“In future, we will proactively liaise with the public, stakeholders, and relevant trades, to foster a consensus in the community for implementing control measures as soon as possible to improve air quality and protect public health.”

For the video: http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/environment/html/2012/11/20121123_142207.shtml

On target:  Secretary for the Environment KS Wong (right) briefs the media on Hong Kong's emission-reduction targets.

Source: http://www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/environment/html/2012/11/20121123_142207.shtml

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