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 NENT The NENT review is supposed to be a strategic look at development in the NE New Territories. As such, we believe that as part of the process, there should be a strategic review of the ecological impacts of any development in the area. By this, we mean that the importance of areas such as Long Valley should be placed within a Hong Kong context, and that the conclusions from other government studies be reviewed as part of that process. As part of this development, there will a considerable loss of wet agricultural land in the Fanling/Sheung Shui areas. This will require mitigation; it is our consideration that this mitigation should be undertaken at Long Valley, through enhancement management of selected areas. Any development in this area, for example the proposed Fanling Bypass, totally compromises this option. Wetland Compensation Government is currently undertaking a hugely expensive project (Wetland Compensation) that will identify all wetlands in Hong Kong, and identify those of ecological importance. Given that we are confident that Long Valley will rank very highly in terms of birds, we consider any decision about development there should either be delayed until the results and recommendations of that project are known, or incorporate the preliminary findings. Uniqueness Long Valley supports a bird community that is almost unique in Hong Kong. Should it be developed or suffer a significant reduction in its ecological value, a whole suite of freshwater dependent bird species will be lost from Hong Kong, permanently.
Copyright 1999, Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. |