Hoh Hok Wai plans to be included in the Wetland Conservation Park, 22 hectares of land covered with waste, an area larger than Victoria Park

The last government proposed the development of the "Northern Metropolitan Area". It plans to recover about 700 hectares of private wetlands and fish ponds and set up a multi-functional wetland conservation park. The preliminary plan is to select the sites in Nam Sang Wai, Ho Hok Wai and Sam Po Tree. The study report is expected It will be released by the end of next year to determine the details of the land resumption area and wetland boundaries of the three wetland parks.

In December last year and in August this year, Changchun Society inspected the area of ​​Hokke Wai twice, and found that at least 10 pieces of land had been destroyed, covering a total area of ​​22 hectares, an area larger than Victoria Park, of which 86% were wetland conservation The remaining 14% is the wetland buffer zone.

In other words, the damaged sites belong to sensitive areas with high ecological value.

The Planning Department and the Lands Department enforced law enforcement in 7 of the cases, but only 4 of them were requested by the Planning Department to restore the damaged sites, and the scope was much smaller than that of the damaged sites. In the most serious case, only 14% of the damaged sites were damaged. must be restored.

The Changchun Society inspected the site after the authorities "received the goods" and found that the damage in most places was still serious.

The ecological value of Haojiawei, which is separated by a river from Shenzhen Futian Free Trade Zone, has long been recognized. According to the "Land Planning Study of Frontier Restricted Areas" published by the Planning Department in 2010, since 1998, the number of waterbirds in the area of ​​Haojiawei has accounted for the entire Deep Bay. About 15.8% are also frequent habitats and feeding places for birds.

The government's document in the "Northern Metropolitan Area" also describes the site as "an important node from the East-West Bird Corridor south to the Longyuan Natural Ecological Park."

Among the 10 sites involved in the destruction, the land adjacent to the Lo Wu control point and north of Liu Po ​​Village has the largest area, with an area of ​​8.83 hectares, or nearly half of the Victoria Park. Construction waste can be seen everywhere at this site, and the entire land is covered with steel bars. , crushed stone, cement, the pond has also been widened to a maximum of 8 meters, twice as wide as the general pond.

The scope of the damaged land stipulates that no new development can be made

It is worth noting that the wetlands and fish ponds in the Liubo area also have the species "Taipei frog", which is a species of animals and plants of "local concern" and "conservation value", and the land involved is located in the wetland conservation area. , that is, there is a chance to be classified as a wetland conservation park. According to the planning guidelines of the government, no new development should be carried out on the land involved, and there should not be a net reduction of wetlands, but the current situation clearly violates the guidelines.

Changchun Society found that at least 10 pieces of land in Hokke Wai were damaged, covering a total of 22 hectares, of which 86% were wetland conservation areas.

(Provided by Changchun Society)

In September and November last year, the Planning Department issued a "Compulsory Execution Notice" and a "Restitution Notice" regarding the landfilling and pond filling at the relevant sites, requesting the parties concerned to stop the relevant violations and remove the marked land area. Residues, gravel and fill material on the site.

The government only requires the restoration of 14% of the land involved

Changchun Society found that the scope of the "Notice of Restoration to Intact" was only 14% of that of the "Notice of Enforcement", that is, the land owner, occupier or person in charge did not need to restore all the damaged land; and In July this year, the authorities issued two "Notices of Completion of Requirements" regarding the land use situation, that is, "receipt of goods" for the improvement of the land damage.

Further reading:

Hok Hok Wai was listed on the EPD's blacklist for dumping waste Planning Department: Rehabilitated Ring Group: No improvement

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However, Zhou Aiquan, the public affairs director of the Changchun Society, said that they went to the site to inspect a month after the Planning Department "received the goods", but found that the pond was only narrowed to 5.8 meters. Still "all in one place".

The Planning Department requested that a large amount of construction waste still be seen on the site after restoration

As for the type of waste, it is very similar to the inspection conducted at the end of last year. It is believed that there is little chance that such a large amount of construction waste will be re-accumulated in just one month. Instead, it is considered that it is "uncleared" at all, pointing out that the situation of damage is still "exaggerated". He also criticized the planning department's guidelines for being too loose: "This construction waste is really not something that we have to dig out for, it is really easy to see it nearby, that is, if the planning department itself has gone (inspected) If so, it is possible that you will not see this steel bar appearing near the pond.”

If all of these are approved (Notice of Completion of Required Matters), we will all feel that you are actually sending out a wrong message, and then the people who destroy it will listen to it. It turns out that the Planning Department will receive the goods. After the environment, I can do this so-called restoration to the original state, and I don’t need to do it to the end, or even do not need to return to a good state and go back to the Planning Department to check.

Zhou Aiquan, Director of Public Affairs of Changchun Society

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The non-compliance case is not the tip of the iceberg. There are also signs of damage to the site to the west of the above site, adjacent to Tai Sha Lok, Lok Ma Chau, with an area of ​​5.59 hectares, the second largest among the 10 damaged sites.

In addition to the removal of the skin grafts, the pond was also widened. The Changchun Society checked the aerial photos and found that there was a large fish pond. The pond was also darker than before. Both Tong and Tong Po are in a state of "chaos", but as of last month, no government department has enforced the law.

Campsite domineering land vegetation shoveled out full of benches

In addition to the destruction of private lands, even official lands have also suffered "poisonous hands".

The well-known "Nanwuzai" campsite on Macaolong Road was discovered by the Changchun Society at the end of last year. The site covers an area of ​​0.72 hectares and involves illegal operation of catering and camping services. There are customers camping inside. "Nanwuzai" It is even suspected that the damage was extended to the opposite road, where skin grafts were shoveled, and benches suspected of being "Nanwuzai" were also placed there.

Changchun Society's investigation found that at least 10 ecologically sensitive sites in the Hoke Wai area were destroyed.

(Photo by Lin Yingxian)

However, the Planning Department only issued a "Notice of Enforcement" on the land in question in January this year, requesting the person in charge of the land to stop the violations, but did not issue a "Notice of Restoration", requiring the other party to restore the land in question.

The Changchun Society returned to the site in August this year, and found that the "Nanwuzai" was closed and no more customers were visiting. The campsite was also marked with notices such as "soil repair, suspension", and the opposite land was partially covered. The lot was fenced off with barbed wire, and a "Government Land" sign was erected. It is estimated that some of the land involved government land. The bench has not yet been cleared, but has been moved to a later position.

In response to the enquiry, the Lands Department pointed out that most of the above-mentioned sites belong to the old batch of private agricultural land, and there are no restrictions on their use, but unapproved structures cannot be erected. However, it is confirmed that some places involve government land. After the inspection, land control actions are being taken and will continue to be followed up.

Other land damage in Hokkaido

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Ho Hok Wai was listed on the EPD's blacklist for dumping waste Planning Department: Rehabilitated: No improvement of wetland buffer zone or "surgery". Nearly 9 Victoria Park environmental groups are concerned about the existence of major conservation sites in name only Nearly 30 environmental groups, academics and business groups think tank Marine Conservation Alliance advocates that 30% of the waters be protected by more than 50% of the interviewed street cleaners who have symptoms of fever and disease. Outdoor work safety