We need to move the debate. The issue is not development OR conservation. Let’s figure out how to have development AND conservation (要認真思考如何發展並同時保育).
Crucial is to recognize the strengths of Hong Kong. Our city combines hyper-density combined with absolute wilderness. This model has led Hong Kong to outperform other world cities including Beijing, Shanghai, New York and London in many aspects. Low carbon footprint for our transport as 90% of trips are made using rail and bus. Business people can have more meetings in a day as distances are short. The range of experiences a person can have – from hiking a mountain and swim in the ocean, to conducting business, to meeting friends over a meal – all in one day.
We have an astounding biodiversity (生物多樣化). We live longer. New developments should build on these strengths. Instead of faraway islands, the focus should be on efficient options such as redeveloping the container port, near shore development at the Tseung Kwan O industrial estate, and the 10,000ha of inefficient land uses in the New Territories. With our limited land resources, most new developments will be close to land reserved for their ecological and landscape values. From Tung Chung to Lin Ma Hang we can see how new roads and development incentivize land filling, dumping, and brownfield uses. From Lantau to Sai Kung, enforcement is frustrated by legal and resource constraints.
To promote a ‘development AND conservation’ model, Government should pass a conservation bill ‘to protect land reserved for conservation uses against incompatible uses’ and enact corresponding changes in lands, planning, and environment ordinances. And provide their departments with the resources needed to enforce the law. (政府應訂立保育條例並給予執法部門足夠資源。)