Greenpeace has called the Hong Kong government’s planned measures at Sai Kung’s Sharp Island “a toothless tiger,” as authorities predict a daily influx of 1,000 visitors to the ecological hotspot during China’s Golden Week holiday in May.

The environmental NGO issued a statement on Tuesday in response to the measures announced by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) ahead of the five-day Labour Day holiday in China, which begins on Friday.

To prevent environmental degradation due to excessive tourism, the AFCD will deploy 11 staff members to patrol Sharp Island – part of Hong Kong’s UNESCO Global Geopark – and conduct hourly drone inspections, local media reported on Tuesday.

Buoys will also be positioned at sea to mark coral reefs and prevent tourists from trampling the fragile ecosystems.

The AFCD expects 1,000 tourists to descend on Sharp Island every day during the Golden Week holiday – far higher than the average 600 to 800 visitors during regular weekends and public holidays.

Many tourists lack environmental awareness but generally cooperate when told about “sea-friendly” behaviour, said Jim Chu, assistant director of fisheries and marine conservation at the AFCD.

He said authorities would distribute maps marking reef locations, while World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) representatives will be on-site to promote conservation.

Greenpeace said the AFCD’s measures were advisory in nature and lacked deterrence, describing them as “a toothless tiger.”

The verbal advice by AFCD officers carries no legal weight and will be inadequate to tackle excessive snorkelling and other problematic activities, such as clam digging, the NGO said.

‘Short-term painkiller’

Greenpeace urged authorities to integrate Sharp Island into the city’s legally protected areas and roll out environmental protection policies for tourism hotspots.

Without data to assess Sharp Island’s tourism capacity, “the temporary measure of stepping up patrols is merely a ‘short-term painkiller’ that could not address the coming water sports season,” the green group said.

Chu acknowledged that the government has limited power in Sharp Island as it “is not a country park, marine park or marine reserve” – which means lacking the status of a legally protected area.

“The government is actively looking at whether to integrate Sharp Island into marine parks,” he added.

Greenpeace also urged the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to cooperate with the AFCD to promote eco-friendly habits among tourists and formulate a conservation-oriented ecotourism framework alongside the Environment and Ecology Bureau.

During the National Day Golden Week in October, Greenpeace found tourists trampling corals and littering on Sharp Island, which drew more than 4,000 visitors on October 1, according to the NGO.

Authorities stepped up patrols on the island and said corals in shallow water sustained “minor damage” following the surge of tourists.

Chief Executive John Lee has pledged to step up management of the city’s eco-tourism sites after the influx to Sharp Island.