Message

Environmental protection, a critical issue that demands attention in today's world, is the foundation for Macao's sustainable development and the improvement in living standards of Macao people.

The environmental quality is no doubt being affected by socio-economic development and our daily habits and behaviour. On the other hand, the essential elements we need for living, such as air and drinking water, are closely related to environmental conditions which affect our health and socioeconomic development.

Since environmental protection involves different aspects and various areas of work, the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region has been very concerned with the reinforcement of environmental protection work and has committed to strengthening the synergy and coordination among all related areas. It continues to provide resources for more effective implementation of environmental protection policies in response to the needs of Macao's current development, and to achieve a balanced development of the economy, society and the environment.

The Report on the State of the Environment of Macao analyses and evaluates different environmental indicators of Macao, reflects the trend of changes in environmental conditions, and provides an important and valuable reference to the SAR Government on its review and formulation of environmental protection policies. The report also informs the public about the effectiveness and weakness of environmental protection work, enabling people to understand the situation of Macao's environment and raising the concerns of local residents on environmental issues. The provision of such information aims at encouraging us to cooperate in enhancing the quality of environmental protection work.

I would like to congratulate the success of the publication of the Report on the State of the Environment of Macao 2006, and to express my sincere gratitude to those involved in the compilation of the report as well as to the government departments and institutions for their provision of information.