Unlocking the Potential of Hong Kong’s Coastline and Sea Area

Response by the Hong Kong Marine Protection Alliance

The Hong Kong Marine Protection Alliance (HKMPA) welcomes the HKSAR Government’s consultation on Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. The Plan is an important opportunity to position Hong Kong’s marine environment as a core asset for high-quality development, consistent with the Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan, the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2035 (BSAP 2035).

Hong Kong’s waters, long coastline, islands and marine biodiversity are central to the city’s identity and future competitiveness. Nearly 6,000 marine species have been recorded locally, representing about 26% of all marine species recorded nationally, despite Hong Kong waters accounting for less than 0.05% of China’s sea area. This exceptional natural capital should not be treated only as an environmental sub-topic but as part of the city’s economic, social, tourism, and quality-of-life offering.

The Government has made significant progress through the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme, the trawling ban, the creation of marine parks and a marine reserve, the phasing out of commercial fishing in the four oldest marine parks, and the proposed Sharp Island (Kiu Tsui) Marine Park. Mirs Bay’s national recognition in 2026 as an outstanding example of a Beautiful Bay further demonstrates Hong Kong’s potential 1 to contribute meaningfully to national and Greater Bay Area marine conservation priorities.

However, the current network of marine protected areas covers only around 6% of Hong Kong’s sea area, compared with more than 40% of land area protected by country parks. Around 70% of marine biodiversity hotspots remain unprotected, while pressures from overfishing, coastal use and climate change continue. The HKMPA therefore recommends that the Five-Year Plan adopt an ecological civilisation approach and mainstream marine biodiversity across conservation, tourism, fisheries, planning, education and public engagement.

Recommendations

HKMPA recommends five priority actions for inclusion in the Five-Year Plan:

1. Adopt ecological civilisation as an organising principle for the Five-Year Plan.

   The Plan should recognise ecological civilisation (生態文明) as a development framework that aligns economic growth, infrastructure, finance, technology, tourism and social well-being with ecological limits. This would align Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan with national policy directions and the Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan.

   
   

2. Elevate the BSAP 2035 within the Five-Year Plan.

   The BSAP 2035 provides a ready-made roadmap for executing ecological civilisation with regards to nature and biodiversity though a whole-of-society approach. Its first five years will be critical, and the Five-Year Plan should explicitly support its delivery across relevant bureaus and departments.

   
   

3. Create a comprehensive, connected and effectively managed marine protected area network.

   Hong Kong should continue to protect underrepresented marine biodiversity hotspots, with the long-term aim of building a representative network covering all habitat types and around 30% of HKSAR waters. Strong management, restoration of degraded habitats and protection of depleted populations would support biodiversity, fisheries recovery, climate resilience and high-quality nature-based tourism.

   
   

4. Coordinate ecotourism across bureaus.

   Establish a high-level cross-bureau coordination mechanism, with a clearly designated lead body, to align conservation, tourism, cultural heritage, rural development, planning, transport and infrastructure under a common ecotourism framework, and definition.

   
   

5. Pilot best-practice ecotourism

   Apply a ‘conservation first’ principle and launch coordinated demonstrations at Sharp Island, the planned Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park and the 2 proposed Coastal Protection Park, supported by ecological and cultural baselines, appropriate zoning, dynamic carrying-capacity management and visitor controls.

   
   

6. Mainstream nature-based education and formulate Hong Kong’s first Blueprint for Marine Education.

   The Plan should integrate ocean literacy and nature-based education into formal education to support student well-being, cultivate local ecotourism talent, and foster ecological stewardship aligned with international standards.

Rationale

The Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan already commits to green development, ecological conservation, marine ecosystem restoration, Beautiful Bay initiatives, coastal ecological belts and high-quality ocean-island-coast tourism. Hong Kong is well placed to give practical effect to these commitments. Its marine parks are well-enforced, its biodiversity is nationally significant, and its coastline offers distinctive opportunities for education, recreation, heritage interpretation and sustainable tourism.

A pilot study conducted by WWF in 2025 estimated that coastal ecosystems provide RMB 4.9 trillion in ecosystem services annually across the Greater Bay Area, equivalent to more than one-third of the region's GDP, highlighting the significant yet often overlooked economic value of nature.

An expanded and better-connected MPA network would contribute to national biodiversity protection, strengthen Hong Kong’s role in the Beautiful Bays initiative, and provide lessons for MPA management across the country. Spatial protection is essential for in-situ conservation of threatened species, while stronger management plans can identify priority species and habitats for conservation and restoration. The phase-out of commercial fishing in four marine parks also provides an important opportunity to demonstrate how MPAs can support fisheries recovery and surrounding fish stocks.

Ecotourism should be developed with equal care. If unmanaged, mass visitation to biodiversity hotspots can damage the resources that attract visitors in the first place. If properly planned, protected areas can become the foundation for distinctive, high quality experiences that change how residents and visitors understand Hong Kong: not only as a dense urban centre, but as a global coastal city with remarkable marine life, islands, fisheries heritage and blue-green landscapes.

Mainstreaming nature-based education directly connects ecological civilisation to human capital, student well-being, and green economic development. Experiential learning in natural environments has been shown to support mental health while 3 empowering young people with ocean literacy, aligning with the UN Education for Sustainable Development. Formulating a dedicated Blueprint for Marine Education will ensure that conservation efforts under BSAP 2035 are reinforced by an informed, engaged public and a skilled future workforce.

The Five-Year Plan should therefore treat marine biodiversity and coastline management as enablers of high-quality development. Doing so would support the BSAP 2035, strengthen climate resilience, enhance public well-being, enable sustainable tourism, contribute to fisheries management and demonstrate Hong Kong’s value within national and Greater Bay Area policy frameworks.

About the HKMPA

The Hong Kong Marine Protection Alliance was established in late 2019 as a collaborative platform dedicated to conserving Hong Kong’s rich and biodiverse marine ecosystems. It currently comprises 53 members from academia, NGOs, think tanks, corporate partners and independent experts, and is led by an Executive Committee.

www.hkmpa.org