The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2000: Plans for Mai Po, Hong Kong, China

Dear Ramsar Bureau.

I am pleased to inform you that WWF Hong Kong is planning to organise a programme entitled "Help rescue the critically endangered Black-faced Spoonbills by conserving wetlands" for World Wetlands Day 2000.

It is a community education programme which aims to promote local community awareness to the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site conservation by using this valuable flagship species in World Wetland Day 2000. Key targets of the programme will be multipliers of the community like journalists, teachers, social workers of community centres and environmental educationists. This World Wetland Day 2000 programme will sensitise multipliers and lead to larger-scale community programmes to be organised in winter 2000.

Black-faced Spoonbills Platalea minor is a critically endangered migratory waterbird, which has a global population of about 600 individuals. After a conservation research conducted at Mai Po Nature Reserve during the winters of 1997-1998 and 1998-1999, the global importance of the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site for wintering Black-faced Spoonbills is confirmed. The Black-faced Spoonbills is also identified by the Ramsar Management Consultancy Study Report as a "flagship" species for promoting Ramsar Conservation.

Programmes of the project will include organizing a seminar and field trips for multipliers, and the production of information leaflet and posters.

Thank you very much for your attention, and I will keep you informed about the programme progress.

With best wishes,

Idy Wong
Senior Education Officer
WWF Hong Kong

Email: iwong@wwf.org.hk   Tel: 852-26561272 Fax: 852-6510276 Address: WWF HK Island House CSC Island House Lane, Tai Po, N. T. Hong Kong

Follow-up report, 10 February 2000

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 11 November 1999, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.