Hong Kong environmental advisers say government’s biodiversity plan for city is short of ideas
Experts welcome some aspects but say consultation paper lacks ambition
A dedicated fund, hard targets and child-friendly mascots were among an array of recommendations floated by government advisers on Monday, many whom felt a consultation paper on the city’s first biodiversity plan lacked new ideas and ambition.
The government is in the process of drawing up a Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP), a road map to “stepping up conservation efforts and supporting sustainable development”.
The plan will enable it to comply with the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, an international treaty it observes but is not a party to.
“I’m disappointed,” Advisory Council on the Environment member Dr Hung Wing-tat, said of the 60-page document, the bulk of which summarises existing conservation policies and measures. “You’ve put in black and white that there will be no major change. My interpretation of this is that it will be life as usual.”
Hung said the only way the final plan could be effective was to ensure conservation was prioritised in future planning and development projects such as by adding mandatory conservation plans on top of environmental impact assessments.
He also suggested the formation of a dedicated “fund” to execute the BSAP, which is currently focused on four main action areas – strengthening conservation, mainstreaming the concept of biodiversity, addressing knowledge gaps and increasing community involvement.