Last updated: May 2001
 | Hong Kong Conservation News
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| Mai Po Update |
| China Conservation News |
| Spoon-billed Sandpiper |
| Past Conservation News |
 Hong Kong Conservation News
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By Mike Kilburn
Long Valley ˇV a Victory!
October 17, the Director of the Environmental Protection Department has rejected the Environmental Impact Assessment of KCRC regarding its Sheung Shui ˇV
Lok Ma Chau spurline which threatened to destroy the habitat of rare migratory birds. KCR has started an appeal against DEPˇ¦s decision. Mike Kilburn and Ng Cho
Nam have been invited by EPD as professional withness for this case.
In the 18 December issue of TIME, the DEPˇ¦s decision to reject the spur line development was chosen as one of the five best pieces of environmental news of the world's this year.
Fellow members of Hong Kong Bird Watching Society as well as conservation groups in the "alliance" should be proud of our efforts which have led to the creation of this positive image for Hong Kong. It has been an incredible achievement.
Our Society thanks also to all those who spent time and effort in the campaign. Further information about the campaign can be referred to the latest ˇ§Save Long Valley IIˇ¨ bulletin.
Further Dumping at Kam Tin
Sadly, but unsurprisingly, KRC is once again showing its true colours at Kam Tin. They are dumping earth excavated from the West Rail construction site on the buffalo fields,
which for the last few years have provided the only reliable site for Grey-headed Lapwing in Hong Kong.
Complaints to EPD about this have revealed that the buffalo fields and nearby fishponds are private land (although like all land in Hong Kong are actually leased from the government), and that EPD has no power to prevent the dumping under the Waste Disposal Ordinance, provided the landowner has no objections.
What this shows is that KCR, who are fully aware of the dumping, simply could not care less about Hong Kongˇ¦s natural heritage, especially when it gets in the way of one of its projects. It is completely understandable that many in Hong Kong have grave concerns about permitting such an irresponsible developer to behave in the same way at Long Valley.
Tai Ho Road Rejected by EPD
Plans by the Highways Department to run a road through the Tai Ho Valley and some of the most sensitive areas of the Mui Wo Valley, (including the marsh, which is a Site of
Special Scientific Interest) has been rejected by the Environmental Protection Department. This is good news both for birds and for the fish populations of the Tai Ho Valley,
which is the most important catchment in Hong Kong for fish diversity.
The justification for the project is to improve road safety and access for South Lantau residents. Highways Department is currently exploring other options including a possible widening of the Tung Chung Road. This is seen as the most acceptable option as the development of tunnels is likely to open the door for full-scale development of South Lantau, which is opposed by all green groups.
Shuen Wan Marsh Struggling to Recover
Last Year the Bulletin reported on the illegal filling and subsequent prosecution and reversal of the filling of Shuen Wan Marsh by local villagers. The Planning Department played
aproactive role in causing the marsh to be cleared again. Unfortunately it appears that bird numbers have not yet fully recovered, possibly due to the fact that flooding of the marsh is now
far less regular than it once was, with only very heavy rain or exceptional tides inundating the affected part.
In addition Richard Lewthwaite, who covers the marsh on a regular basis, believes that numbers of fish-eating birds have been well down on previous years ˇV notably Cormorants, herons and egrets. It is not clear why this is, but it is possible that the road straightening project has had some impact.
Of concern are further development pressures on the site, including a sewage pumping station by the marshˇ¦s main outflow to the sea, and a proposal from Wheelock to develop some of the areas surrounding the marsh for low density housing. However, part of the plan is to turn the main wetland areas of the marsh into a reserve, which will receive funding for long term management. According to the developerˇ¦s intentions, it will eventually become part of the Wetland Conservation Trust (although this Trust, which also affects Nam Sang Wai, Fung Lok Wai, San Tin, and possibly Long Valley) is still not confirmed. Unlike KCR over the Spur Line, a proposal for ongoing funding and management has been included in the proposal, making the developerˇ¦s concern for the environment rather more credible.
New Development Planned for San Tin
Sun Hung Kei is currently in the preliminary planning stages for a major new housing development at San Tin on land which is currently designated as part of the Deep Bay Wetland Conservation
Area (the buffer Zone for the Mai Po/Deep Bay Ramsar site).
The developers have taken a similar approach as at Fung Lok Wai, whereby the developer has bought a large area of fishponds and plans to use around 5% of the total site area for development, while turning the remainder of the site into a nature reserve.
This being Hong Kong, the initial plans for San Tin comprise a development of 53 block of up to 20 floors! There is no doubt that the impact from a development of this scale and the arrival of several tens of thousands of people will fundamentally change the character for the area.
However the developer has also shown some creativity in proposing to restore what is currently a container yard so as to locate all the housing in a single location, thus limiting disturbance to the site, which is at the northeastern corner of the Deep Bay area.
Having begun discussions with the Society and other green groups well in advance, the developer has the possibility to amend their plans to take ecological factors into consideration well in advance.
| Mai Po Update
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By Lew Young, Manager of the Mai Po Nature Reserve
Black-faced Spoonbill Surveys
Studies on the Black-faced Spoonbill wintering in Deep Bay over the past few years has shown that birds roosting at Mai Po will travel Pak Nai and Futian Nature Reserve (Shenzhen) to feed.
There is also a small population of up to 20 Spoonbills that winters in Macau but we do not know if those birds mix with those in Deep Bay or not. As a result, AFCD and WWF HK will be
carrying out surveys every two weeks of the Black-faced Spoonbills around the coast of Deep Bay (from Mai Po to Pak Nai and including Futian), and in Macau. We will especially be looking
out for colour marked birds. If anyone sees a coloured marked bird, please check the colour combinations on the legs and then inform Dr. S.T. Tsim (AFCD, sttsim@netvigator.com ),
Yu Yat-tung (ytyu@hkstar.com ) or Lew Young (lyoung@wwf.org.hk ). Many thanks!
Earthmoving Works this Winter
During the course of this winter 2000/2001, there will be a number of earthmoving projects going on within Mai Po. One of these will be in Pond 16B, which is the small pond at the back of the
scrape. This pond is generally quite shallow and as a result, it has become overgrown with grasses, particularly Buffalo grass (Paspalum conjugatum), which is of little use for wildlife. The
earthmoving work will involve deepening the pond by some 10cm and then reflooding it with rainwater.
Earthmoving will also be carried out at the sluice gate half of Pond 23 to remove the Buffalo grass and to deepen the pond. This pond will also be reflooded using rainwater to try and convert the pond into a freshwater pond.
Mini-tower Hide
Anyone who has been to Pond #20 last year may have seen a mini-tower hide at the back of the pond made from scaffolding and green tarpaulin. This aim of this hide is to give a view of the
ducks at the back of Pond #20. This hide is open to the public and be reached from the concrete footpath between gei wai # 18 and 19. As the hide is quite small, we would suggest not having
more than 2 people in there at any one time.
| China Conservation News
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By Cheung Ho Fai
Chinese Crested Tern
The very rare Chinese Crested Tern has been recorded in the Island of Majou in the Taiwan Strait in the month May to August. Several pairs were seen sharing the breeding colony
with Great Crested Tern on a small remote island. Breeding was apparently successful. Chinese Crested Tern has not been confidently recorded for over twenty years. This latest discovery
represents one of the major breakthroughs in the conservation of endangered bird species in the Oriental region.
Kunming Ornithological Congress, Yunnan
Cheung Ho Fai, Yu Yat Tung, Ying Hak King and Paul Lau joined the Kunming Ornithological Congress this August. The China Ornithological Society also held its general meeting
in Kunming this August. CY Lam was elected committee member. We congratulate him on that.
Breeding Site of Red-footed Bobby
There was report of a breeding site of Red-footed Booby in an island at Paracel Islands in the Hainan Province area. Estimates of up to 10000 pairs were found.
New Breeding Site of Black-faced Spoonbill
This summer, Black-faced Spoonbill was found breeding on the small island outside Liaolin province for the second year. Several pairs were present, together with numerous breeding
Chinese Egrets. This year also saw a seemingly continuous increase in the number of Black-faced Spoonbill in the wintering ground. The latest count was close to 800.
| Spoon-billed Sandpiper
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By Christoph Zockler
This summer, we managed to catch and ring 8 ad. and 6 young Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmaeus) in the breeding area in Chukotka (Russia) with a light green flag.
Now, specially Hongkong birders or those of you looking in Korea or other places most likely to encounter Spoon-billed sandpipers, please look out for light green flags.
The actual situation is according to our (E.E. Syroechkovski, P. Tomkovich and others) surveys very serious and much worse than expected. many areas, earlier known as breeding sites were completely deserted.
More detailed information will be published soon.
Christoph Zockler
World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
219 Huntingdon Road
Cambridge, U.K. CB3 0DL
Tel +44 1223 -277 314
Fax +44 1223 -277 136
email: chrisz@unep-wcmc.org
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/arctic/data/birds/
| Past Conservation News |
