Building work near haven has not affected butterflies, minister says

The government has taken issue with a green group's findings and says a construction site next to a butterfly reserve in Tai Po has not reduced butterfly numbers.

It has also declined requests by the green group to enlarge a buffer zone between the site, owned by Cheung Kong (Holdings), and the Fung Yuen butterfly reserve to 100 metres, saying 45 to 50 metres was appropriate.

In a written reply to a question by Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Cheng Kar-foo, Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said there had been no significant fluctuation in butterfly numbers in Fung Yuen.

According to a city-wide monitoring of butterflies by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, butterfly numbers vary from year to year due to factors like temperature and rainfall, Lam said.

The 43-hectare Fung Yuen valley has been designated a 'site of special scientific interest' since 1980 to recognise its importance as a major butterfly breeding site.

Cheung Kong's residential project, lying south of Fung Yuen, was approved by the Town Planning Board in 2004 and is now underway. It involves 12 blocks of 28 storeys high, just 50 metres from the reserve.