Conservationists are being sponsored by a developer lined up against them in the battle for the Mai Po marshes.
World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong holds its 12th Big Bird Race on April 11 and 12 in a bid to raise $2.5 million.
Companies donate $50,000 to sponsor a team in the bird-spotting race, and among them is Li Ka-shing's company Cheung Kong (Holdings) - which is planning a residential development in buffer zones bordering Mai Po.
The marshes have been designated a 'Ramsar' site - a wetland of international importance - which attracts thousands of migratory birds every year.
But environmentalists say the wetland is under increasing pressure from developers after a landmark ruling by the Privy Council in London last December.
That gave the go-ahead for Henderson Land's controversial Nam Sang Wai development and now other developers are appealing against rejections by the Town Planning Board.
Chief among challengers are Cheung Kong and New World Development who will contest decisions against their schemes at Fung Lok Wai and Lin Bearn Tsuen in the Town Planning Appeal Board this year.
