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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1993

PO OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE IS THAT MAI

MARSHES SUPPORT THE LARGEST POPULATION OF BIRDS, ESPECIALLY WATERFOWLS IN HONG KONG,

SOME 260 SPECIES HAVE BEEN RECORDED. ABOUT 20 PER CENT OF THEM ARE RESIDENT AND THE REST ARE MIGRANTS,

-

'EACH YEAR THOUSANDS OF MIGRATORY BIRDS USE MAI PO MARSHES AS

ANNUAL BIRD COUNTS A STOP-OVER AND REFUELING STATION.

TN DEEP BAY AREA IN THE PAST DECADE INDICATE AN INCREASING TREND WITH THE RECENT FIGURE OF OVER 50,000 BIRDS.

"

TURNING TO ANOTHER PROJECT IN LANTAU, DR LEE SAID AN OFF-SITE

MANGROVE MITIGATION MEASURE FOR THE CREATION OF A NEW

STAND ON THE DISUSED SALT PANS AT TAI O ON WESTERN LANTAU WAS UNDERWAY.

THIS IS TO MINIMISE THE IMPACT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW AN AIRPORT AT CHEK LAP KOK IN NORTH LANTAU WHICH WILL INEVITABLY HAVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING THE LOSS OF PATCHES OF MANGROVES ON THE ISLAND AND ALONG NORTH LANTAU SHORES, HE ADDED.

FUTHERMORE, THE GOVERNMENT WAS GOING 10 COMMISSION AN

MANGROVES ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF

1N HONG KONG WITH A VIEW ΤΟ DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PLANT, HE SAID.

THE STUDY WILL EXISTING MANGROVES IN DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DEVELOPKD.

THE

FOR THOSE WITH

INCLUDE A COMPREHENSIVE ECOLOGICAL SURVEY OF

EVALUATION HONG KONG AND AN

ΤΟ SCHEME

ASSION CONSERVATION VALUES TO BACH STAND WILL BE

HIGH CONSERVATION VALUES, CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PLANS WILL BE DRAWN UP HAVING REGARD ΤΟ OPERATIONAL FEASIBILITY AND RESOUCES IMPLICATIONS.

DR LEE WAS PLEASED THAT IN A SMALL TERRITORY SUCH AS HONG KONG

ABLE WITH CLOSE TO SIX MILLION POPULATION, THE GOVERNMENT WAS STILL MAINTAIN A DIVERSITY OF IMPORTANT ECOLOGICAL HABITATS INCLUDING MANGROVES AND WETLANDS.

TO

SECRETARY FOR WORKS ATTENDS SINGAPORE CONFERENCE

* * *

THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS, MR JAMES BLAKE, WILL ATTEND A CONFERENCE IN SINGAPORE ON CITY PLANNING, TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT ON SEPTEMBER 2 AND 3.

THE CITY TRANS ASIA '93 CONFERENCE WILL FEATURE TALKS BY SPECIALISTS IN INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT, PRESENTATIONS BY DELEGATES AND VISITS TO PROJECT SITES IN SINGAPORE.

MR BLAKE WILL PRESENT A PAPER ON HONG KONG'S DEVELOPMENT AT A PLENARY SESSION TOMORROW (THURSDAY)

•

INFRASTRUCTURAL

AIRPORT

TRANSPORTATION

11E WILL TALK ABOUT THE LATEST PROGRESS IN PORT AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE STRATEGY TO DEVELOP AN EFFICIENT SYSTEM IN HONG KONG.

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