Extensive damage found in Hong Kong wetlands earmarked for conservation amid technology hub plans under Northern Metropolis scheme, environmental groups warn

Hong Kong environmental groups have reported extensive damage to wetlands earmarked for conservation since the announcement of plans for a technology hub near the border last year and appealed to the government to introduce measures to stop further destruction.

Greenpeace and the Conservancy Association released the results of their two-year study on Thursday which found 78.7 hectares (195 acres) of wetlands designated for conservation in the government’s Northern Metropolis Development Strategy in 2021 had suffered damage by the end of last year.

“We think the government’s ‘development first, conservation later’ approach is not a matter of priority, but a revolving door for destruction,” Greenpeace campaigner Chan Hall-sion said.

The Northern Metropolis plan, which involves the conversion of wetlands and farmland near the border into development areas, has sparked controversy over the balance between conservation and development.

The scheme, first mentioned in 2021 by then chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, is a blueprint for the development of the northern New Territories into a major hub for business, innovation and technology (I&T), eco-tourism, professional services and logistics.

The government that year said it aimed to establish a wetlands system spanning 2,000 hectares, including a proposal to build four wetland parks, but authorities in last year’s policy address only outlined plans for the Sam Po Shue Wetland Conservation Park.

No details were provided for wetlands in Hoo Hok Wai, Nam Sang Wai and a proposed extension of the Hong Kong Wetland Park.