Hong Kong Bird Watching Society

Signature Campaign

(1) Q.E.S.O.S.A. Secondary School

Q.E.S.O.S.A. Secondary School has organized a signature campaign to show their objection to the proposed spurline between Lok Ma Chau and Sheung Shui. 430 signatures have gathered, together with articles form students, have submitted to the Director of Planning Department, with a hope to urged the Government to re-plan the spurline and to avoid destroying the freshwater wetland.

(2) Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

A lecturer of Mathematics Department of HKUST announced a letter to the Secretary of Transport which voice the object to the proposed construction of the Shueng Shui - Lok Ma Chau Spur Line as published in the Gazette Notice No. 5774 dated 4 October. 135 endorsement names have been collected and were sent together with the objection letter to the Transport Bureau. Details of the their objection are listed below:

The Long Valley is one of a few remaining natural habitats in the Northern New Territory. It is an ecologically important natural flood plain. The loss of Long Valley is irreplaceable for Hong Kong and we should save it for our future generations.
It is a natural habitat for wildlife and for birds in particular. The Long Valley is a place with an unusual ¨biodiversity〃. Because birds are sitting at the high end of food chain, so the number of different species of birds is usually a good indicator of the level of biodiversity of the area. It is well-known that almost half of bird species (about 210) in Hong Kong has been recorded in Long Valley, compared to a total of about 1200 different bird species in the whole of China.
Probably cheaper and viable alternatives exist as suggested by some environment groups (Please refer to the recent suggestion of alternative routes by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society)
The current planning of the Spur line not only will cut through the heart of Long Valley, but related development in the on North East New Territories such as Fanlng Bypass and West Rail Phase II will enter the Long Valley from the northeast and fragment the plain completely.
The proposed plan has been given a go ahead even though the public consultation about the Planning and Development Studies on North East New Territories and the Environmental Impact Assessment are both still going on.
In the recent policy address, the Chief Executive of HKSAR has announced a commitment to the practice of sustainable development in Hong Kong and maintain Hong Kong's biodiversity. The proposed spur line contravenes the publicly proclaimed policy of the HKSAR Government.

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