HKBWS Chuan

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22/04/2015 12:02

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22/04/2015 12:02

一人一信支持蒲台郊野公園，4月27日截止!!
Every Submission Counts! Support the Po Toi Country Park on or before the deadline 27 April 2015!!!

• 填寫網上請願信〔系統有每日發送上限〕：http://goo.gl/forms/U5kxNUVULO。
  Fill in our online petition form (only limited quotas can be sent each day): http://goo.gl/forms/ciUspdnqyz
  
  或OR
  
  
• 請將你的意見電郵至tpbpd@pland.gov.hk，內容可以參考一下的申述。
  Please submit your comments via email to tpbpd@pland.gov.hk. Feel free to refer to the letter below for the content of your submission.
  
  或OR
  
  
• 透過城規會網頁提交意見(http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/tc/plan_making/draft_plan.html#IR)。在「蒲台群島 S/I-PTI/1」一欄內，按下「提交申述」的超連結。
  Submit your comments through the system in the Town Planning Board website (http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/en/plan_making/draft_plan.html#IR). Click “Make Representation” in the row for “Po Toi Islands OZP (S/I-PTI/1)”.

***更多資料，請按以下連結：
For more information, please see the link below:
http://www.info.gov.hk/tpb/en/papers/TPB/1079_tpb_9845.pdf
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Secretary,Town Planning Board
15/F, North Point Government Offices
333 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong
(E-mail: tpbpd@pland.gov.hk)

• (1) Po Toi Islands are the southern-most outlying islands in Hong Kong. Owing to its special geographical location, the lack of disturbance and quality of habitats on the island, Po Toi is a crucial refuelling stop for migratory birds that is of international importance and of special scientific value for the study of bird migration in Hong Kong and the East Asian Flyway.

• (2) 328 species of birds have been recorded on Po Toi and its nearby waters, which is over 60% of the total number of Hong Kong and includes many rare and globally threatened species. This number of species is comparable to that in Mai Po and well in excess of that in Long Valley or Tai Po Kau.

• (3) Tai Wan, Wan Tsai (near the pier) and Ngong Chong of Po Toi are of high ecological value as they provide essential foraging and roosting habitats (e.g., large mature trees) for migratory birds and many of them are of conservation importance.

• (4) Po Toi supports a natural population of the endemic and endangered Romer’s Tree Frog, Burmese Python, Tree Gecko and a variety of butterfly species.

• (5) The waters around Po Toi are of conservation importance. Finless Porpoises frequent waters in the area. Waglan Island has a breeding colony of terns. The unspoilt natural setting contributes to the landscape and ecological value of the area.

• (6) Po Toi Island is an excellent outdoor classroom for studying and appreciating granite geomorphology as well as an interesting attraction for sightseers.  The vast Po Toi Granite was formed from the last large magma intrusion in Hong Kong dated back to 140 million years ago, weathering and erosion combined to produce an amazing,  unique and spectacular landforms which are of high aesthetic and educational value.There are no other areas in Hong Kong which has such high concentration of high aesthetic valued granite tors such as the famous Buddha’s Palm, Monk Rock,Sacred Tortoise etc. on just one small island.

• (7) Po Toi is a popular location for holiday visitors.Recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, bird-watching and wildlife photography are attracting large and growing numbers of visitors to the island.There are also special cultural activities on Po Toi, which include Chinese Opera and dragon-boat racing during Festival (太平清醮)and sea-weed collecting.

Given the facts above, I OBJECT to the Draft Po Toi Islands OZP (Plan No. S/I-PTI/1), and would like to urge the Town Planning Board (TPB) to carefully consider the recommendations below.

• (1) TPB should recognize the significant ecological, geological and cultural value of Po Toi Islands.

• (2) TPB should support the current “Conservation Area” (CA)zoning, which is primarily for conservation and generally against development.The CA zoning should also expand into the “Residential (Group D)” (R(D)) zoning in order to provide better protection to the important habitats within the R(D)zone.

• (3) TPB should object to the “Residential (Group D)” (R(D)) zoning,which is primarily for upgrading of existing temporary structures and for low-rise, low-density residential developments. The R(D) zone is located at the mature woodland next to the pier.  Any development in the area would cause adverse impact on the woodland which is an important foraging and roosting location for migratory birds. The area should be zoned as “Conservation Area” (CA), which “redevelopment of houses” can be applied through the TPB and considered on a case-by-case basis.

• (4) TPB should ensure the mature trees at the north of the Village Type Development zone are properly protected. Any future Small House development should avoid areas of mature trees and each application should only be considered by the TPB on a case-by-case basis.

• (5) TPB should recognize the limitations of the statutory control of zonings under the Town Planning Ordinance, in which the development of recreational facilities (with overnight accommodation) may lead to irreversible ecological impacts on Po Toi Islands. Therefore, TPB should not support such recreational developments unless the islands are under active management by the Authorities (i.e., zoned as Country Park and managed by the Agriculture,Fisheries and Conservation Department).

• (6) TPB should zone Po Toi as "Site of Special Scientific Interest" (SSSI) to step-up the protection of the area; and ultimately should support the designation of the Po Toi Islands as Country Park for comprehensive management and protection under the Country Park Ordinance. The designation of Country Park would prevent any haphazard developments which may cause adverse and irreparable impact to the Po Toi Islands, and would benefit local residents as well as visitors by provision of basic infrastructure and some recreational utilities.

Yours faithfully,

(Please fill-in your name)
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敬啟者：

(1) 蒲台群島是位於香港最南方的島嶼。由於其特殊的地理位置及島上生境的狀況，所以蒲台是香港及東亞-澳大拉西亞飛行航道內候鳥重要的補給站。

(2) 至今在蒲台已記錄了328種雀鳥物種，佔全港記錄的六成，當中包括很多稀有及全球受威脅的物種。島上所記錄的物種數量，能媲美米埔的記錄，甚至超越在塱原或大埔滘所記錄的。

(3) 蒲台的大灣、灣仔〔近碼頭〕及昂裝是具有高生態價值的。該處有成熟的大樹，為候鳥〔包括具重要保育價值的物種〕提供重要的覓食及棲息地。

(4) 蒲台是國際瀕危的盧氏小樹蛙的原生棲地，也是緬甸蟒蛇、半葉趾虎及不少蝴蝶品種的棲息地。

(5) 蒲台人煙稀少，因此島上的生態及地貌價值得以保留，而島嶼的周邊水域也是具保育價值。江豚常在附近水域出沒，而橫欄島亦是燕鷗的繁殖地。

(6) 蒲台島是學習和欣賞花崗岩地貌的絕佳戶外教室和饒富趣味的觀光景點。這裡大片的蒲台組花崗岩，形成於1億4千萬年前香港最後一次的大規模岩漿入侵，經風化侵蝕，塑造成奇特壯觀的地貌，極具美學和教育價值。這小小的蒲台島，高度集中了美感十足的花崗岩突石如佛手岩、僧人石和靈龜上山等，在香港實無出其右。

(7) 蒲台是市民的週末好去處。行山，釣魚，觀鳥及野外攝影等康樂活動吸引了不少遊客登島。蒲台島亦有特色的文化活動，包括戲曲表演、太平清醮的龍舟比賽及海草收集。

基於上述資料，本人反對蒲台群島分區計劃大綱草圖〔編號S/I-PTI/1〕，並要求城規會謹慎考慮以下建議。

(1) 城規會應承認蒲台群島是擁有很高的生態、地質及文化價值。

(2) 城規會應確保「鄉村式發展」地帶以北的成熟樹林能得到妥善的保護。日後任何小型屋宇發展應避免影響這些成熟樹林，而每個申請亦須經城規會逐一考慮。

(3) 城規會應支持現時的「自然保育區」地帶〔其規劃意向為作保育用途，一般不宜進行發展〕。此地帶應擴展到「住宅〔丁類〕」地帶，以保護該區的重要自然生境。

(4) 城規會應反對「住宅〔丁類〕」地帶〔其規劃意向為改善現有的臨時建構物及作低層、低密度的住宅發展〕。此地帶位於碼頭旁邊的成熟樹林，是候鳥重要的覓食及棲息地。任何發展會為林區及候鳥帶來負面的生態影響，所以該區應規劃為「自然保育區」。這樣既能保護區內生境，亦能為有需要人士提供屋宇重建的機會，而每個重建申請須經城規會逐一考慮。

(5) 城規會應承認城市規劃規例下法定管制的限制，以致一些康樂設施〔附設夜宿〕的發展很可能為蒲台帶來不可逆轉的負面生態影響。因此，除非蒲台群島是由政府當局管理〔即納入成為郊野公園，並由漁農自然護理署管理〕，否則城規會不應支持這些康樂設施的發展。

(6) 城規會應先將蒲台島劃為具特殊科學價值地點，提升對該區的保護；並應支持蒲台群島最終納入成為郊野公園，讓該區能在郊野公園條例下得到較全面的保護。這樣不但可以防止一些不合法及隨意的發展，以免造成不良及不可逆轉的生態影響，並且為島上居民及遊客提供基本的基礎建設及一些康樂設施。

此致 城市規劃委員會

(請填寫你的姓名)

HFCheung

螺州白排没有保护，是否疏忽了？请在信上提出要加入保护范围。
Please write to include Lo Chau Pak Pai into the protection area.

[ Last edited by HFCheung at 21/04/2015 15:32 ]

gary

Is there any more background about this campaign?  
In a holistic view, I can't see designation of Country Park can help bird/birding activities on the island as the core area of birdwatching is village or residential zone which is difficult to rezone as Country Park.
Also, please be aware wild camping is prohibited in Country Park - designation of Country Park would make the camping site from unofficial to illegal. Of course you can ask for a proper camping site on Po Toi, but I am afraid it would trigger more infrastructure on the island.
Country Park can help preserve the habitat intact but it would also draw more visitor and therefore more tourist and safety facilities. Conservation is not always compatible with eco-tourism, making the island high profile or an official country park may trigger side effect.

wgeoff

Thanks for your comments Gary

After the attempt to construct a columbarium on Po Toi, Planning Department were asked to produce a Development Plan for Po Toi. Their proposal can be seen in the map above.

The proposed R(D) zone (Residential Group D) around the Ferry Pier in the above map is a completely new zoning. R(D) is a zone where the intention is development rather than preservation.
We strongly oppose this zoning in such an important area. We believe the correct zoning should be CA or Conservation Area. We have made this objection in person to the Planning Department but it appears they are determined to create a development zone in this area.

If this happens, we believe that a Country Park designation for the whole Island, which would then be under the control of AFCD, is the only way to ensure that any development is conservation oriented. We are not against development on Po Toi (e.g. the proposed YMCA camp) provided it preserves the current environment, and particularly the tall trees in the area of the Ferry Pier and surrounding the Village zone. The recent record of the Ijima's Warbler in these trees is a great example of why these trees are important.

I hope this explains points (1) to (6) above in our response but comments are very welcome.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 22/04/2015 15:48 ]

HKBWS Chuan

Thanks Geoff. Very well explained.

Re: Gary
Po Toi is now designated with various zonings under the Town Planning Ordinance and it is currently the consultation period (deadline 27April) for the general public to make comments on it. The zonings proposed by the Planning Department is shown in the above images.

A residential zoning (which allows residential development)is proposed at one of the core area of bird habitats. This is considered to be inappropriate and unacceptable.  That is why we are encouraging people to make their own comments/recommendations on the Plan, and get this message across to the Town Planning Board members who will have the power to decide to approve the Plan or not. Please see our letter above for the some of our specific recommendations on the Plan.

I understand the threats that you have mentioned, they can also happen under the current zoning (e.g., in Conservation Area). However, Country Park offers regular management and active patrolling, which the current zoning system under the Town Planning Ordinance cannot provide. Any development within a Country Park will also require to apply through the Country and Marine Parks Board. That is why, we ultimately would like Po Toi to be designated as a Country Park as it can provide better protection to the islands.

Thanks a lot for your concerns and comments, and please also submit your views to the Town Planning Board regarding the proposed zonings and the conservation of Po Toi. I think it is important to voice out our concerns/recommendations.

Sze

Any updated information about "The locations of Hong Kong first records, rare species and threatened species" which like the Figure 2.7. on Page 26 in the Po Toi report ( http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/viewthread.php?tid=17119)?

wgeoff

Thanks Sze.

We have updated this report as part of our submission to Planning Department and I think Chuan will shortly be posting the latest version to the website.

Geoff

HKBWS Chuan

Dear Sze,
To my understanding, there is no change in Figure 2.7 of the report. There will be some updates on number of species found on Po Toi, but I still need some more time to finish the write-up of our submission and update the report. I will post the updated report when it is ready.

Many thanks,
Chuan

John Holmes

I've submitted my comments to the Town Planning Board and I urge others to do so.... let's not let Po Toi get trashed !

wgeoff

Thanks John.

I hope everyone follows your example and sends the message to Town Planning Department.

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/BBS/viewthread.php?tid=23166

Geoff

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 25/04/2015 08:10 ]

Sze

Thanks Geoff and Chuen.
One more question: Do we have any information about the number of bird species are recorded on Po Toi only but not in other place in HK?

Thanks again.

[ Last edited by Sze at 27/04/2015 00:57 ]

wgeoff

Yes, good question Sze.

By definition, these must be HK First Records. Looking through the HK First Record list since Avifauna (1998), the Po Toi First Records not seen elsewhere are

Orange-breasted Green Pigeon
Brown Noddy
Ruddy Kingfisher
Common Cuckoo
Hodgson's Redstart
Masked Booby
Red-throated Thrush
Brown-backed Needletail
Whistling Green Pigeon
Rosy Minivet
Crow-billed Drongo

and surely to come Ijima's Leaf Warbler.

All these have occurred since 2006 and all the land birds were in the central area of Po Toi.
All have been listed in our submission to TPD.

This count of 12 equals that of MPNR since 1998 so Po Toi is a location surely worth preserving.

Geoff

PS I understand that at least seven species of flycatcher were seen on Po Toi yesterday on the HKBWS boat trip. They were Grey-headed, Narcissus, Ferruginous, Asia Brown, Grey-streaked, Red-throated and Red-breasted. Not an unusual number at this time of the year on Po Toi (I have had nine in one day) and again all in the central area.
Where else in Hong Kong can you get such a number in such a small area? - maybe Tai Po Kau only.

So please don't forget to send in your support to protect Po Toi to TPD - see the first posting above in this thread.
Today is the last day for submission.

[ Last edited by wgeoff at 27/04/2015 07:21 ]

Sze

Geoff! Thanks for your information again!
May I ask  that "the central area of Po Toi" you said, is it mean the areas will be designed to R(D) and V zone?

Thanks again!

Sze

P.S.
News from Apple Daily 傳媒報導：蒲台島擬起樓　勢趕絕瀕危鳥
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20150426/19125996

RTHK TV Program 山水傳奇(2009年)　香港南極 - 蒲台
網上重溫：http://podcast.rthk.hk/podcast/i ... =zh-CN&id=47887

[ Last edited by Sze at 27/04/2015 12:28 ]

wgeoff

Yes Sze, the combined R(D) and V zone.

Thanks for the reference to the RTHK program, we were looking for it.

Geoff

HKBWS Chuan

感謝各位熱心人士的支持，我們的網上請願信一共有超過7,000人參與！再次感謝大家對蒲台的關注！希望大家的聲音能幫助推動蒲台的保護，並最終能將蒲台納入郊野公園！
Thank you very much for all your generous support! Over 7,000 people participated in our online petition! Thank you again for showing your concerns about Po Toi! Hope our voices can help protect Po Toi, and ultimately can push for Po Toi Country Park!