Seven million trees and plants to turn theme park green
More than seven million trees and shrubs will be planted to greet Disneyland visitors.
There will be 250,000 palms and other trees, with the rest made up of shrubs, ground cover, bamboo and water plants. The planting comes out of a $200 million landscaping budget.
The greenery includes about 100 10-metre-tall palms called Phoenix canarenasis. The trees cost $100,000 each, are 70 to 80 years old and were shipped from Australia. They will decorate the entry road. 'We wanted a special look and we thought they would allow people to feel particularly welcome to the park,' said Kathy Ng Tze-kwun, senior landscape architect at the Civil Engineering Department.
Also giving shade to visitors will be the South African Samanea samar, which closes its leaves when it rains. A man-made lake will be built and verges with dense vegetation will buffer the park. 'We want to create an environment where people can relax, where they can be secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city,' said Ms Ng.
Cheng Luk-ki, of the environmental group Green Power, expressed fears about the impact of so many trees on the SAR's ecosystem and said monitoring would be essential.
