Latest news with #SouthLantau
South China Morning Post
02-07-2025
- Politics
- 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.
South China Morning Post
02-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Groups warn poorly planned Hong Kong tourism projects will damage eco sites
More than 22 hectares of ecologically valuable land have been damaged in Hong Kong's South Lantau and northwestern New Territories, local groups have found, warning that poorly planned tourism development in these areas will worsen the harm. Advertisement Greenpeace and Liber Research Community, an NGO focusing on development issues, released findings of a survey on Monday that identified 37 cases of land filling, fly-tipping and removal of vegetation, among other man-made causes, that threatened the environment in South Lantau, and Pak Nai and Tsim Bei Tsui in the New Territories. They warned that future tourism development in these areas could worsen the situation, as the government in April invited submissions from the private sector for projects, including two places envisioned to become eco-recreational and ecotourism destinations. 'Although the government has laid out development blueprints, we worry that the ecological damage will become more severe without effective government supervision and ecotourism policies, especially when Hong Kong's ecology is set to become tourism spots,' Greenpeace campaigner Ha Shun-kuen said. 'We worry that ecotourism development will turn into ecological disasters.' Advertisement With the latest focus on island and coastal tourism, the government envisions eco-recreational development in South Lantau, such as a water sports centre and adventure activities.
