Dinosaur fossils initially confirmed to be dated to the Cretaceous period were discovered for the first time on Port Island in the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark in the northeastern waters of Hong Kong, the Development Bureau (DEVB) today announced.

The bureau also today signed a framework agreement with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to conduct scientific research, specimen management and identification, training, and exchanges in the fields of palaeontology, palaeoanthropology and palaeolithic sites.

Witnessed by Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn, the Framework Agreement on Deepening Exchange & Collaboration regarding Stratigraphy, Palaeontology & Prehistoric Sites was signed by the DEVB’s Commissioner for Heritage Ivanhoe Chang and IVPP Vice Director Liu Jun, with the study of dinosaur fossils discovered on Port Island as the inaugural project under the framework agreement.

Ms Linn said the discovery is of great significance and provides new evidence for research on palaeoecology in Hong Kong. 

In March, the DEVB’s Antiquities & Monuments Office (AMO) was informed by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) that the sedimentary rock on Port Island might contain suspected vertebrate fossils.

The DEVB then commissioned experts from the IVPP to come to Hong Kong to conduct field investigations, study fossil specimens, recommend management plans and discuss follow-up actions.

Experts from the IVPP and officers from the DEVB, the AMO and the AFCD conducted site visits to Port Island to collect specimens which contain suspected vertebrate fossils.

After taking a preliminary osteohistological analysis of specimens by the IVPP experts, the specimens have been identified as large aged dinosaur bone fossils.

Thereafter, IVPP experts prepared specimens containing dinosaur bone fossils, and it was initially confirmed that the fossils dated to the Cretaceous period about 145 million to 66 million years ago. Further studies will have to be conducted to confirm the species of the dinosaur.

The AMO, the AFCD and the IVPP will jointly take forward the study of dinosaur fossils, including excavation of the fossils on Port Island and preparation of the fossils.

They will also collaborate with universities in Hong Kong and other places to conduct scientific research, and construct the story of dinosaurs in Hong Kong.

The AMO will hold talks tomorrow afternoon at the Heritage Discovery Centre, where experts from the IVPP will talk about dinosaurs in China and relevant research. Participants will have the chance to preview the dinosaur fossils afterwards.

The dinosaur fossils will be on public display at the centre from Friday. In addition, the temporary workshop and exhibition space being built at the centre is expected to open by the end of this year for the public to observe the experts' preparation work and the fossils prepared.

The Government will also devise plans for the long-term display of the fossils to enhance the public's interest and knowledge in palaeontology.

To facilitate future investigations, excavations and research on Port Island, the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation announced the closure of the entire area of Port Island within Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park from today until further notice. Patrols have been arranged together with Marine Police.

During the closure, no person shall land or enter Port Island, except for approved experts and relevant personnel. Offenders are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $2,000 and imprisonment for three months.