白芒至大蠔 Pak Mong to Tai Ho
生境 Habitats
地點介紹 Site Description
白芒和大蠔互相毗鄰，範圍不大，卻有非常豐富的生境和生物。在白芒，較為著名的有白芒村、白芒石澗。在大蠔則有於1999年劃為具特殊科學價值地點的大蠔河及大蠔灣。
白芒村歷史悠久，相傳原居民是唐朝名將郭子儀的後代。村內保存不少文化古蹟，例如更樓，為二級歷史建築物。至於白芒石澗，溪水清澈，有數個小瀑布、水潭，上游有林木遮擋，也是景點之一。而大蠔灣及大蠔河，更有生態價值。大蠔灣上有紅樹林、海草床及泥灘，支持著不同海洋及潮澗帶生物，例如鱟。大蠔河則被譽為香港淡水河流之冠，因為它河道天然，並且有多達47種淡水魚，佔全港29％，當中包括稀有的香魚。
然而大蠔面對嚴峻威脅。自2001年起，已有地產商計劃於白芒村及大蠔灣興建住宅，並建議把大蠔灣及大蠔河周圍發展成生態古蹟公園，但此舉只怕只會破壞生境。2004年，政府又計劃在大蠔灣對出建立物流園，促進兩地貿易。2014年，更有村民因不滿政府限制建丁屋而毀掉大片紅樹林。
Lying next to each other, the area between Pak Mong and Tai Ho is not very large, and yet both habitat and wildlife are rich. Famous spots in Pak Mong include Pak Mong Village and Pak Mong Stream, while in Tai Ho there are Tai Ho Stream and Tai Ho Wan, which were designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1999.
Pak Mong Village has a long history. It is said that its first residents were descendants of Guo Ziyi, a famous general in Tang Dynasty. There are many antiquities and monuments in the village, such as the watchtower, which is a Grade II Historic Building. Pak Mong Stream near the village has clear water and several small waterfalls and pools. Up in the upper course it is under the shade of trees. All these make it another attraction. On the other hand, ecological value is even higher in Tai Ho Wan and Tai Ho Stream. On Tai Ho Wan there are mangroves, seaweed beds and mudflats, which support different marine and intertidal animals such as horseshoe crabs. As for Tai Ho Stream, it is considered the best of Hong Kong freshwater streams, as its natural water courses are home to a total of 47, or 29% of all, freshwater fish species in Hong Kong, including the rare Ayu.
However, Tai Ho is facing severe threats. Since 2001, land developers have been planning to build residential buildings in Pak Mong and Tai Ho Wan, as well as a ecology and monument park. This act would only damage the pristine habitats. In 2004, the government proposed a logistics park outside Tai Ho Wan to boost trading between Mainland China and Hong Kong. In 2014, some villagers destroyed large stretches of mangroves in response to the government's planning control over the building of New Territories Small Houses.