Whilst construction of the airport projects forges ahead, fully financed, measures designed to minimise or compensate for the cumulative environmental damage caused by those projects are forgotten. The extension of the North Lantau Country Park is the single largest outstanding mitigation measure for the cumulative impacts of the new airport projects.
When the Environmental Impact Assessment for the North Lantau Development was written in 1990 it was recommended that: 'The North Lantau Country Park should be extended to confer additional protection [upon the valuable upland valley woodlands].' However, since 1990 funding applications by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department for the extension have been turned down each year by the Finance Branch. The costs of $20 million are equivalent to one day's construction costs for the new airport.
In the Third Review of the White Paper Heading Towards Sustainability, the Government's conservation policy is stated as being to: 'conserve and enhance the natural environment . . . compensating where possible where areas which merit conservation are lost to essential development projects'.
If the Government would really like to prove its oft-stated commitment to conservation, it should take the simple step of designating the long-overdue extension of the Lantau North Country Park.
Green groups demand a response from the Administration as to why funding is still lacking for this important conservation measure and a date for when the funding will be made available.
The green groups would like to see some action, not just words.