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South China Morning Post

Hong Kong's South Lantau ecotourism plan may harm environment: green groups

Hong Kong's ecotourism plans for South Lantau could be reduced to a property project that threatens the environment if authorities fail to set clear guidelines, green groups and academics have warned, as a deadline for developers to express their interest approaches on Wednesday. Greenpeace, along with the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society and eight other groups and academics, also said on Wednesday that the government's approach, which includes allowing developers to propose ecotourism projects with residential developments, might violate principles set by the United Nations. They said the UN principles included minimising negative impacts on nature and culture, but the government had suggested building residential units in Pak Nai, Tsim Bei Tsui and nearby areas, which could cause ecological harm. 'The current plans lack a comprehensive vision without enough public consultation, with some residents living in South Lantau reporting that they have no knowledge of the detailed plans,' Greenpeace campaigner Ha Shun-kuen said. 'We worry that it would turn [the plan] into a developer-oriented project.' He added that the green group does not oppose the government's development of ecotourism, but the three-month expression of interests mainly invited developers to express their interests and the government did not reveal details of the public consultation held earlier.