It was with some astonishment that we discovered the Ramsar wetlands of Mai Po Marsh. A historic rice growing region, the river delta is (was) a thriving wildlife area. The super-industrial region of Shenzhen is right next door making a depressingly inevitability for the natural region’s demise.

Unlike the rest of Hong Kong, we had to make an effort to book and get there. Which made what we saw the more worthwhile.

Historically aquaculture worked in this region also, but like a lot of toiling work, the new generations are largely not interested. Additionally areas in dispute or subject to development have mysterious fires, or are ‘accidentally’ made worthless to wildlife but since everything’s dead let’s put some buildings up…

Much the way developers work the world over.

We needed our passports at the ready as the actual Ramsar site was over the technical border of Hong Kong to mainland China. Call me paranoid, but I still have a mistrust of the mainland communist…

A fabulously beautiful area was revealed to us. As the tide was out, we were witness to much birdlife, the fidler crabs of the mangroves and strange walking fish on the mudflats. More power to Hong Kong WWF’s arm.