“The dolphin is clever, cute, kind, active and inoffensive. Exactly the character of Hong Kong.” So said a local member of a committee appointed by China to oversee the end of British rule over Hong Kong in 1997. The body had decided that the {0}pink dolphin{1}, a rare type sometimes seen {2}cavorting in the territory’s harbour,{3} would be a mascot of the handover festivities. Since then, however, the animal’s fate has not been an encouraging portent of the territory’s post-colonial progress. Hong Kong’s dolphins are in perilous decline.

粉红海豚，学名为中华白海豚，刚出生时通体呈白色，长至成年则变为粉红色，是海豚中的珍稀品种。这种海豚常栖息于珠三角地区入海口咸水与淡水的交汇水域，因此，不时可在香港港口见到它们的身影。1996年，“香港各界庆祝回归委员会”将粉红海豚选为97年香港回归庆祝活动的吉祥物。庆委会副主席邬维庸在谈到海豚会徽时说道：“小海豚聪明可爱，友善活泼，温和可人，代表的正是香港特色”。不过，香港回归后，该地区的粉红海豚却数量锐减，其命运十分令人担忧。

They belong to a type of dolphin that lives off China’s shores called {0}sousa chinensis{1}, or the Chinese White (though they are grey when born and pinkish as adults). They prefer the brackish water of estuaries, where they are threatened by fishing and water-polluting factories. In Hong Kong there is a different danger: the relentless building of megastructures, including one of the world’s longest bridges. Before the British left they built an airport on 938 hectares (2,300 acres) of reclaimed land: a new runway is planned that will require 650 more.

由于过度捕鱼，以及工厂排污造成的水质污染，中华白海豚的生存环境遭到了严重的威胁。在香港，中华白海豚还面临着另外一个威胁：接踵而来的大型工程项目的建设施工。这其中包括世界上最长的跨海大桥，即港珠澳大桥的建设施工，也包括香港国际机场第三条跑道的扩建——香港回归前，英国殖民者填海造路938公顷，在人工岛上建起了香港国际机场，而扩建一条新跑道还需要再填海造陆650公顷。

Such work appears to be driving the dolphins farther away. In a survey conducted in 2003, scientists spotted 188 dolphins around Lantau island, the animal’s main habitat in Hong Kong and the site of the airport. In 2015 they saw just 65. Experts are not convinced that the animals are safer when they move elsewhere along China’s coast. In 2010 there were thought to be 2,500 dolphins in the Pearl river delta (which includes Hong Kong)—the largest known group. But their numbers there are falling by around 2.5% annually, say scientists at the University of Hong Kong.

这些大型工程项目很可能将导致香港地区的中华白海豚被迫离开家园。2003年的一项调查显示，科学家在香港大屿山附近海域发现188只中华白海豚，截至2015年，海豚数量已骤减至65条。大屿山附近海域是中华白海豚的主要栖息地，同时也是机场所在地。有关专家认为，即使中华白海豚沿着中国海岸迁徙至其他地方，也不一定安全。2010年，珠江三角洲（包括香港）海域的海豚，据估计大约有2500只，为已知的最大种群。然而，香港大学有关科学家表示，这一种群的规模正以每年2.5%左右的速度减少。

The government of Hong Kong appears half-hearted about protecting them. An official website promoting Lantau’s attractions uses pictures of the wrong species. Janet Walker of Hong Kong Dolphinwatch, which runs dolphin-spotting tours, complains that other boats sometimes ignore a code of conduct requiring them to keep away from the animals. The government, she says, are not keen on stricter enforcement.

尽管如此，香港政府似乎并未对保护中华白海豚给予足够的重视。在大屿山官方的旅游宣传网站上，显示为中华白海豚的图片实际上是另一种海豚。一家组织白海豚观赏团的旅游机构，香港海豚观察（Hong Kong DolphinWatch）的资深导游珍妮特•沃尔克（Janet Walker）抱怨称，时有船只违反与海豚保持距离的规定，而政府也无意加强执法。

Officials have pledged to open more “marine parks” where dolphin-threatening activities will be banned. But one that is planned around the airport will not open until 2023, when the new runway is due to open. Samuel Hung, who runs a government-funded study of the dolphins, says there is “no way” the animals will tolerate the disruption caused by the runway’s construction.

香港政府官员曾经承诺要开放更多“海洋公园”，并在园内禁止一切对海豚有害的商业表演。不过，机场附近规划的海洋公园要到2023年才会正式对外开放，届时新机场跑道也将投入运营。目前正在从事一项政府资助的海豚研究的洪家耀（Samuel Hung）博士表示，白海豚“根本没有办法”承受机场建设带来的生态破坏。

On July 1st Hong Kong will mark 20 years of Chinese rule. On the harbour- front, a sign promoting a celebratory event features a bright pink, winking dolphin. If the government wants to make use of delphinoid imagery in another 20 years, it will be embarrassing if none is left.

今年7月1日是香港回归祖国20周年纪念日。为宣传庆祝活动，香港港口竖起了一只眨眼的粉红海豚的标志。如果未来20年这个标志一直在，而中华白海豚却彻底绝迹，香港政府恐怕会颜面扫地。

编译： 朱桀

审核： 吴越

编辑：翻吧君

来源：经济学人