Long Valley Nature Park opens after five-year development

People are now able to enter the Long Valley Nature Park in Sheung Shui after it opened earlier this November after a five-year development.

According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the 37-hectare nature park combines "wetland conservation, farming operation and nature education in one place."

Long Valley Nature Park is divided into Agriculture, Biodiversity and Visitor Zones.

The 11-hectare Agriculture Zone comprises farmland, which is leased out to the original farmers of Long Valley. The 21-hectare Biodiversity Zone features a variety of wetland habitats, including paddy fields and reed beds, becoming a trove for wildlife. The Visitor Zone spans 5 hectares, consisting of facilities like a birding hut and an education centre.

The nature park is part of the Long Valley freshwater wetlands, the largest freshwater wetland remaining in the city.

The freshwater wetland of Long Valley supports rich biodiversity with over 300 bird species observed at the site, according to the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS).

“Long Valley hosts about 14 threatened bird species. One of the more concerned species is the critically-endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting,” said HKBWS research officer Jay Kong Pak-yung.

Before the 2000s, the bunting species was abundant in agricultural southern China. However, because of overhunting and loss of habitat, the small migratory bird has been categorised as 'critically endangered' on the IUCN Red List since 2004.

“Paddy fields provide food sources for these buntings and similar species like munias. Effective habitat management can help these birds to thrive and find Long Valley as a suitable place to feed and rest during the migratory season, ” Kong said.

Endangered and rare species, such as the Black-faced Spoonbill and Tundra Bean Goose, have also been observed at the site.

Birdwatcher Leo Sit said that the Long Valley was not well-maintained before the government stepped in.

“There were lots of overgrown plants and some of the plots seemed abandoned,” he said.

“With the new development, it’s great to see Long Valley attracting more people, hopefully coming here to learn and enjoy nature.”

The farmland at Long Valley was privately owned prior to the park’s development, complicating conservation efforts. Some areas were neglected, which led to the introduction of non-native crops, like bananas, disrupting the ecological balance.

The government aimed to enhance the ecological value of Long Valley through the park’s development by resuming private lands and restoring abandoned farmland.

The nature park also serves to mitigate the environmental impacts of the Kwu Tong North and Fanling North New Development Areas part of the Northern Metropolis megaproject.

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan described the park’s establishment as a “breakthrough” during the facility’s opening ceremony on 9 Nov.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, who attended the ceremony, remarked that “there are urban development as well as important culture and ecological environments in the Northern Metropolis.”

Long Valley gained recognition in the early 2000s when the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC), now MTR Corporation, planned to build a spur line across the Long Valley wetlands. The plan received heavy opposition from green groups, and the railway line was eventually built underground.