Can these three steps save the Chinese white dolphin in Hong Kong?

It also wants a high-speed ferry route to be diverted.

The alert came as an Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department report last month reported a sharp drop in dolphin numbers in north, northeast, northwest and southwest Lantau last year to a historical low of 47 – just half the total recorded in 2010.

Much of it had to do with large-scale infrastructure works around Lantau, such as the Hong Kong- Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the airport’s third runway, as well as more high-speed ferry activity.

Dolphin Conservation Society chairman Taison Chang Ka-tai also expressed doubts over the Sustainable Lantau Blueprint, which cites four separate marine parks as effective protection measures for the mammals.

“None of it is new. They are just using flowery language to make development easier and easier to pass,” he said.