tbob

9th July 2013, Victoria Park, Hong Kong

Hundreds of trees are about to be cutdown/transplanted in the park to make way for a slip road. As confirmed by the construction company no terrestrial ecology was performed prior to construction work. There are trees in the construction site that have nests, one tree even has 2 nests.

This is a peak nesting period and no mitigation for the loss of all these trees has be performed. One easy method would have been a one for one theory , remove one tree and put up one nesting box on a tree that will remain.

sdavid

Are these the trees utilized by night roosting egrets do you know? Near the sitting out area.

tbob

The trees to be felled/transplanted are not part of the night roost but fall within the area that should have been surveyed, therefore by not including the night roost the Dir. EPD has not had the ability to include on the construction permit that all work should cease before sunset and construction lighting should have deflectors to ensure that the birds at the night roost are not disturbed. This is the only night roost on the northern side of HK island.

This is a very sorry state for HK ecology.

It also has the potential for affecting other areas of the park in future EIAO's as the ordinance allows for previous approved EIA to be quoted in new EIA'S

Bob

wcaptain

<<<This is the only night roost on the northern side of HK island.>>>

I doubt. There should be one around HK Museum of coastal defence. But have not checked for a while.

tbob

Thanks Captain for the information, I hope that their are other sites.

I was quoting from an existing EIA.

Bob