LED by a staff member from the Mangrove Conservation Foundation (MCF), expats and Chinese families strolled along Furong Greenway and toured the Futian Mangrove Ecological Park on March 26. Home to migratory birds like black-faced spoonbills and grebes, the Mangrove Ecological Park opened to the public in December last year. It is adjacent to the Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve and Mai Po Nature Reserve in Hong Kong. “We saw that there are visitors lining up outside the park. It’s because the limit on the number of visitors that can enter the park is 2,200 at a time,” said park employee Hu Huizhe, who has been with the MCF for a few years. The park also bans cars, electric vehicles, and bikes. “The air is fresh over here, and there is a feeling of natural things. ... ecologically speaking, it is great,” said Brim Stevy Ondon from the Congo. Ondon earned a Ph.D. from the department of environmental science and engineering at Dalian Maritime University, in Liaoning Province. Having been in Shenzhen for three years, it was the first time for him to visit the mangrove park. He said the water in the park should be tested for pollution, saying that if polluted water evaporates and is breathed in, it could have a health impact on visitors. A Chinese parent, surnamed Yan, said it was the fourth time she and her child visited the park. She said she saw the activity advertised on the Futian District Government’s website and decided to come. (Sherry Zhang) |