An Introduction to the Cape d’Aguilar Marine Reserve, Hong Kong

The Marine Parks Bill was passed into law by Hong Kong’s Legislative Council on 31 May 1995. This piece of conservation legislation will allow for the designation of marine parks at Hoi Ha Wan and Yau Chau Tong and a marine reserve at Cape d’Aguilar.

Recommended for designation as Hong Kong’s first marine reserve, the shores of Cape d’Aguilar are geologically interesting and biologically diverse. Such a diversity of life results from the variety of habitats within a small area such as an intertidal pool full of corals, an array of sand and rock habitats in a protected bay, and the eastern shores which are exposed to the waves of the South China Sea.

In this book the geological history of the area is described, as are the forces which have created this unique place. The fascinating marine life is explained in the context of the need to protect its biological diversity. Although this book is designed for the general reader, it should also be of value to students and researchers who wish to study further this unique part of Hong Kong’s environment.

Brian Morton is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Hong Kong and Director of the Swire Institute of Marine Science. Elizabeth Harper is Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge.