Subject: 世界濕地日公佈新田環評 EIA report for San Tin Technopole announced [Print This Page] Author: HKBWS Suet Mei Time: 15/02/2024 18:36 Subject: 世界濕地日公佈新田環評 EIA report for San Tin Technopole announced
World Wetlands Day turned into "Destruction of World Wetlands Day" ?
The government unexpectedly released the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the San Tin Technopole on World Wetlands Day (2/2), which is quite ironic. The report fragmented the assessments of the wetland into seven areas, contradicting the purpose of promoting wetland conservation of World Wetlands Day. The statutory public consultation process for the EIA, which lasts only 30 days, has also begun counting down.
#Assessing Ecological Values by Fragmenting Contiguous Wetlands
HKBWS and Conservancy Association have preliminarily reviewed the EIA report and found that the government has divided and assessed the ecologically valuable contiguous San Tin fish ponds into seven separate zones, which is highly unusual. This approach seems aimed at misleading people into underestimating the ecological value of the fish ponds, thereby justifying the large-scale destruction of internationally significant wetlands for the San Tin Technopole.
#High Ecological Value of San Tin Fishponds: Potential Ramsar Site
The affected San Tin fishponds are an indispensable part of the "Ramsar Site" wetland system in the Deep Bay area. They even have the potential to be included within the Ramsar Wetland designation. According to the bird records of HKBWS, the proposed pond filling area has a rich biodiversity, with a total of 205 bird species recorded and are important habitats for many endangered species that are facing extinction.
#Direct impacts on two large egretries in Hong Kong
Although the report claims to strive for the preservation of trees in two egretries within the development area of the San Tin Technopole, the report severely overlooks the direct ecological impact of filling the fishponds on the essential feeding grounds of these breeding egrets/herons. If the feeding grounds are significantly reduced, it could lead to abandonment of the two important egretries in the worst scenario.
The government currently launched a public consultation for the Environmental Impact Assessment report of San Tin Technopole under the EIA Ordinance. Please seize this opportunity to submit your comments by email to eiaocomment@epd.gov.hk or online at https://www.eiaopubliccomment.gov.hk/cindex.php?id=3002 on or before March 2, 2024.
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