The 61-hectare Hong Kong Wetland Park presents an opportunity to provide an education and recreation venue with a theme on the functions and values of wetlands for use by local residents and overseas visitors.

The site of the Hong Kong Wetland Park, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, New Territories, Hong Kong, was originally intended to be an ecological mitigation area (EMA) to compensate for the wetlands lost due to Tin Shui Wai New Town development. In 1998, the Agriculture and Fisheries Department (now renamed as Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, AFCD) and the Hong Kong Tourists Association (now renamed as Hong Kong Tourism Board, HKTB) commissioned an "International Wetland Park and Visitor Centre Feasibility Study" on expanding the EMA to a world-class wetland ecotourism attraction. The study concluded that it was feasible to develop a Wetland Park at the EMA without compromising its intended ecological mitigation functions. The development of the Wetland Park will also enhance the ecological function of the EMA to a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility. The Wetland Park project has then been designated by the Administration as one of the Millennium projects.