Opinion | Wetlands are key to securing a climate-resilient Northern Metropolis
- Hong Kong’s wetlands play a vital role in flood protection but this function has been largely ignored
- Respecting and tapping into the existing ecosystem can help protect the Northern Metropolis and other coastal areas in the region that are vulnerable to climate change
The planned Northern Metropolis encompasses a large area of floodplain wetland, mangrove and fish ponds in the northwestern New Territories, where flood risk is already a concern. Hong Kong’s wetland ecosystem is of international importance to the migratory water birds along the East Asia-Australasia Flyway.
These wetlands function as natural buffers that absorb rainwater and are adapted to being flooded. During the black rainstorm, they stored tremendous amounts of rainwater and protected adjacent buildings and roads from flooding. They then quickly returned to normal once the rains subsided and excess water drained away.
The recently published Northern Metropolis Action Agenda disappointingly focuses far more on development and urbanisation than conservation of Hong Kong’s natural assets. Plans to develop wetlands in the northwestern New Territories raise questions about whether the government values the ecosystem services such as flood protection provided by wetlands and their role in sustaining livelihoods.
