香港觀鳥會對2011-12年度施政報告及2012-13年度財政預算案的意見
香港觀鳥會促請政府制訂及實施相關政策和行動，以改善香港的生物多樣性及生境保育，務求令本港的自然保育工作達到世界水平。
1. 落實「生物多樣性公約」的要求及檢討自然保育政策
1.1. 「生物多樣性公約」（下稱「公約」）於2011年5月正式伸延至香港 。本會歡迎「公約」得以在香港實施，但同時促請政府應在2012年5月之前正式發表及落實「生物多樣性策略及行動綱領」，以符合「公約」的要求；
1.2. 本會促請政府加強公眾在制訂「公約」以及各有關自然保育政策的參與 ；
1.3. 本會促請政府建立一份本地受威脅的物種清單 ，並加強國際或本地受威脅物種的保護措施。
2. 檢討環境評估制度
2.1. 本會強調政府在制訂高層次的政策時，應引入一套正規及全面的策略性環境影響評估 ；
2.2. 本會呼籲政府應改革現時的環境影響評估機制，讓專業及科學的判斷在審批環境評估報告時受到應有重視，同時亦要避免利益衝突 ；
2.3. 政府應參考海外及本地的相關經驗（如城市規劃的過程），採納新的策略以加強公眾的參與；
2.4. 政府應改善現時環境諮詢委員會的運作，邀請更多不同範疇的專家加入委員會，以及容許公眾在會內提出問題及發表意見，務求讓專業知識及公眾知識都得到適當運用。
3. 加強郊野地區保育
3.1. 本會歡迎政府在去年為郊野公園內「不包括的土地」引入規劃管制，希望政府盡快將其餘的地區制訂發展審批地區圖 。政府亦應為其他具高生態價值但被忽略的地區引入規劃管制，如東涌河谷 及離岸島嶼。
3.2. 政府應分配更多資源給有關部門，包括漁農自然護理署、環境保護署、規劃署及地政署，以加強執法的效率。政府應在2011年底前成立一跨部門的專責小組，統籌有關的執法工作。
3.3. 政府應盡快堵塞法律漏洞，以遏止私人土地上的非法堆填及大規模斬樹等破壞環境的活動。
3.4. 政府應在郊野公園引入積極生物多樣性管理 。
4. 土地資源
4.1. 政府在考慮發展郊野公園之前，應善用舊工業區及新市鎮的土地，避免在一些具保育價值的地區進行發展。
4.2. 未來的土地規劃應考慮各個具保育價值地區之間的生態聯繫，以符合「公約」的要求 ；
4.3. 政府應積極以「公眾利益」的角度考慮收回生態敏感的土地以作保育。
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society’s comments for
2011-2012 Policy Address and 2012-2013 budget
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) urge for policies and actions to better protect our biodiversity and their habitats, in order to catch global standard of Biodiversity Conservation in Hong Kong:
1. Implementation of Convention on Biological Diversity and review of nature conservation policy
1.1. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has been formally extended to Hong Kong in May 2011 . HKBWS welcomes the extension but we urge for a formal publication and implementation of Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP) before May 2012, in order to meet the requirements of the CBD;
1.2. HKBWS urge for enhanced Public Involvement in plan-making either in the CBD implementation or other policies ;
1.3. HKBWS urge for publication of a list of locally endangered organisms and offer better protection to locally and globally threatened species;
2. Review of EIA system
2.1. HKBWS emphasize the need of introducing a formal and comprehensive Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment to higher policy-making processes.
2.2. HKBWS call on a reform on the current authority in Environmental Impact Assessment process to ensure professional scientific judgments and avoid conflict of interest .
2.3. The government should enhance public engagement by adopting new strategies, with regard to oversea experiences and other local examples (e.g. Town Planning processes);
2.4. Improvements should be made to the current Advisory Council on the Environment to widen the scope of expertise of members, as well as allowing public to present & raise issues, in order to make best use of both professional and public knowledge.
3. Enhanced Protection on countryside areas
3.1. HKBWS appreciates the introduction of planning control on country park enclaves. However, we urge for the extension of planning control on remaining Country Park enclaves as soon as possible . Planning control should also be applied to other ecologically sensitive areas not in the “Enclaves” list, e.g. Tung Chung River Valley and outlying islands.
3.2. The government should allocate more resources for enforcement actions by various departments including AFCD, EPD, PlanD and LandsD for more effective control on environmental destruction. A cross-departmental Task Force should be set up to co-ordinate these actions by the end of 2011.
3.3. The loopholes in legislation should be filled, in order to tackle activities such as fly-tipping and mass tree removal activities on private land.
3.4. Active Biodiversity Management should be introduced in country parks
4. Land Resources
4.1. The Government should identify and utilize areas such as old industrial areas, planned New Towns, before considering Country Parks. Developments around recognized sites of conservation interest should be avoided.
4.2. Future land use planning should be made with consideration of ecological linkage between areas of conservation interest, in order to fulfill the targets of the CBD .
4.3. The government should actively consider resumption of ecologically sensitive areas for nature conservation as a “public purpose”.
