Mai Po Marshes

Mai Po Marshes (Chinese: 米埔濕地) is a nature reserve located near Yuen Long in Hong Kong. It is part of Deep Bay, an internationally significant wetland that is actually a shallow estuary, at the mouths of Sham Chun River, Shan Pui River (Yuen Long Creek) and Tin Shui Wai Nullah. Inner Deep Bay is listed as a Ramsar site under Ramsar Convention in 1995, and supports globally important numbers of wetland birds, which chiefly arrive in winter and during spring and autumn migrations. The education center and natural conservation area is 380 acres (1.5 km2) wide and its surrounding wetland has an area of 1500 acres (6 km²). It provides a conservation area for mammals, reptiles, insects, and over 350 species of birds.

The reserve is managed by the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong since 1983; the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has responsibilities for the Ramsar site as a whole. Deep Bay faces threats, including pollution, and rising mudflat levels that perhaps arise from intense urbanization, especially (in recent years) on the north, Shenzhen side of the bay.

In recent years, it housed over 55,000 migrating birds, including Saunders' Gull and a quarter of the world's Black-faced Spoonbill population. It also has inter-tidal mangroves along with 24 traditionally operated shrimp ponds (called Gei Wai locally) to provide food for the birds. Mai Po Marshes receive 40,000 visitors annually.

Mai Po Nature Reserve is a restricted area under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Chapter 170) in order to minimize disturbance to wildlife. You will need a 'Mai Po Marshes Entry Permit' to enter the Reserve which you can apply for by writing to the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department of Hong Kong Government. These permits are free and normally take about four weeks to be processed.