It is not possible to compensate meaningfully for the impact of the new airport and related projects, says Fabian Pedrazzini of the Green Lantau Association. But, he says, 'The designation of the park extension would go some lengths to show the government's commitment to conservation, at least where that can be done.'

Money is, as usual, touted as the obstacle. The government is willing to spend money on large infrastructure projects, like Disneyland and the 5.7km cable car system between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping.

The project calls for five supporting towers located in the country park. The impact will be clearly noticeable, imposing a man-made structure on what are now untouched and soaring mountain views.

The cable car project was awarded to the MTR Corp in July 2002, and the system will be in service by next year. While a theme village is planned, real villages that are currently crumbling away will be disregarded. One charming garden of contemplation - literally called an 'awakening garden' - on the South Lantau Road, just outside Tai-O, is falling into disrepair. The Ng family owners have offered the site to the government because they cannot afford its maintenance, to no avail.

Lantau is dotted with small gems of minor architectural delight that are similarly ignored, such as the watchtowers of Mui Wo - one on Butterfly Hill, one in the valley belonging to the Yuen family and another out in Lok Tei Tong.

Then there is a complex of ponds, watering holes for wading birds and other wildlife, that is gradually being filled in. China Light and Power tried to build a storage depot on valuable wetland, and if not for the efforts of Green Lantau and supporting local protesters, it might well have taken a hefty slice of it. Can government not be more helpful and creative in its regulatory role?

At Pui O there is a colony of water buffalo which, instead of being highly prized and safeguarded, is under threat. What a marvellous sight they are, when one is ensconced with a twilight beverage in Ham Tin. How sad it would be if they were made into beefburgers. The same goes for Lantau's free-ranging and widely roaming cows. How the children love their doleful eyes. What is the point of doing nature studies at school if we do not protect what we have?

Mr Pedrazzini, in his struggles for the greening of Lantau, has learned the government is often caught by its own stringent safety regulations. 'There are [abandoned] school buildings scattered throughout Lantau, and these could be brought into use as low-budget hostels for hikers to [stay] overnight. They could be run by villagers. But given the amount of money needed to make them meet tight safety and fire regulations and the like, the amount [of money] possibly available could never cover it.'

Small-scale agriculture and market gardening is being ignored or actively discouraged - there is a law against raising pigs on Lantau and against having more them 12 hens.

The longer that continues, the more uncertainty is created for people and the more government has to pay to have 'waste' removed. Why are branches and leaves routinely carried by ship from Mui Wo to the Tsing Yi Island dump, when they could be chipped and composted.

The government's policy of raising taxes from land sales seems to force land zoning away from agriculture to developing commercial sites. That policy artificially raises land prices and restricts local agriculture.

Hong Kong probably cannot feed itself, but it could provide a certain percentage of its own food. Such a redirection in government policy would produce green areas and greatly aid in softening up the highly masculine concrete landscape and road-building. A functioning countryside is a great benefit to our society that cannot be measured in dollars.

Forces within government, though, continue to come up with ideas like golf courses and the resort plan for Cheung Sha. The ugly buildings insisted on by the Regional Council - clamped onto the beautiful beach at Upper Cheung Sha - typically lack taste or sensitivity. They house lifeguards and public showers.

To consider building 'recreational facilities' on Chi Ma Wan is gilding the lily. The peninsula is graced with excellent paths, allowing long walks in pristine island woodlands, and that is all it needs.

For Mr Pedrazzini, the most important immediate remedy would be the extension of the North Lantau Country Park. That would provide the best safeguard for Lantau against overenthusiastic 'recreational development', especially by the government.

Tony Henderson is chairman of the Humanist Association of Hong Kong