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South China Morning Post

Fake beach risk to rare fish: critics
Dennis Chong
Dec 26, 2007       
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Opponents of plans to turn 200 metres of the Tai Po coastline into an artificial beach claimed yesterday that the sea nearby is host to rare species, and disputed the government's environmental assessment.
About 50 members of the Hong Kong Wildlife Forum gathered on a muddy stretch of coastline near Lung Mei Village in Tai Po in a protest urging the government to reconsider the planned project.



They said a field trip this month found that rare marine creatures, such as the northern dragonet, a type of fish, would be destroyed if the plan went ahead.

According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, such species are rare in local waters and can only be found in Port Shelter and Long Ke.

Wildlife Forum says other creatures, such as sea stars, urchins and crabs are also common at low tides. Group spokesman Wong Chi-chun said that the government had underestimated the ecological value of the area. "If the government wants to turn this site into a recreational area, it does not have to be an artificial beach. It can be an ecology education centre," Mr Wong said.

The group's advocates held up protest placards and mocked the action of pouring money into the water to illustrate that the money was being used for the wrong purpose.

Mr Wong added that the water quality was unsuitable for swimming and the sand used to create the beach could affect the Ting Kok mangrove area less than 500 metres away.

He said that an environmental impact assessment which found that water quality could be improved through drainage works and that marine life in the area was of only low ecological value was not accurate.

The government was not willing to comment last night.

Public consultation on the project finished this month.

The Advisory Council on the Environment is expected to meet early next year to discuss the assessment's findings.

Roy Tam Hoi-pong, president of Green Sense, another environmental group, agreed that marine life could be affected if an artificial beach was built. But he said the beach would answer the persistent calls of Tai Po residents for swimming facilities.

Plans for the HK$130 million beach involve dredging about 10,500 square metres of seabed, building a breakwater at each end, pouring in sand and building bathing facilities and a car park.