How Hong Kong aims to revive coastal habitats lost to reclamation

HONG KONG — A land reclamation project in Tung Chung touted as Hong Kong’s first “eco-shoreline” will boost marine biodiversity and give people the chance to get close to nature, according to Hong Kong authorities.

With concrete “bio-blocks” designed to serve as shelter for marine animals such as crabs and molluscs, the new 3.8km coastline aims to recreate natural habitats lost to land reclamation.

The project is part of the Tung Chung New Town East extension, which will cover 130 hectares and yield 40,000 flats. The entire swathe, which includes a second section to the west, is expected to house a population of 146,000.

A 15-metre installation in Siu Ho Wan near Tung Chung in northern Lantau Island was set up this month by Hong Kong's Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) and will function as a test site for the eventual sea wall bordering the extension project.

“Besides increasing the biodiversity of the area, we also hope the project can bring Hongkongers closer to the sea,” CEDD’s Sustainable Lantau Office head Michael Fong Hok-shing said at a briefing last Thursday (Dec 19).

The bio-blocks are designed to mimic the intertidal zone – the area where the sea meets the land at high and low tides, where a range of marine animals thrive.

The 3.8km installation, part of a 5km stretch of sea wall, will cost HK$60 million (S$10.4 million). The total bill for the coastline development is HK$660 million.

Three access points from a waterfront park will allow residents to walk up to the mangrove edge, while the sea wall will boast two viewing platforms stretching out to the waters. But the park will not be opened before 2026, even with the shoreline expected to be completed by 2023, as time is needed for the new ecosystem to develop, according to CEDD engineer Poon Wai-wing.

Mr Fong added: “We hope this will function as an outdoor classroom for Hongkongers to learn about nature.”

Mr Vincent Ng Wing-shun, chairman of the government-affiliated Harbourfront Commission, said he was happy to see more areas where Hongkongers could get close to the water’s edge.

“There are very few such areas in Hong Kong, other than beaches,” Mr Ng added.

He said the commission was working on bringing similar projects to areas such as the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter and Kennedy Town.

Hong Kong has been reclaiming land since the 1850s, but the issue has become increasingly controversial in recent years, particularly due to the extensive damage it can cause to marine ecosystems.

Mr Mica Quiambao, 21, a long-time Tung Chung resident was also concerned about the amount of traffic and visitors the new waterfront would bring to the quiet residential area, which is located near tourist attractions such as an outlet mall, the Tian Tan Buddha and Disneyland.

“It is not that I don’t like waterfront parks. But it will definitely disturb residents that live nearby,” Mr Quiambao said, adding that he was also concerned about the impact of reclamation on local fishermen.

The CEDD said bio-block test sites in Ma Liu Shui and Sai Kung had already attracted some sea creatures, such as sea snails, blennies fish and small crabs.

But a marine expert with conservation body WWF Hong Kong stressed that the shoreline was only a recreation of the natural intertidal zone, and other areas lost to reclamation, such as deep-sea habitats could never be replaced.

“While we are happy to see the government attempting new measures (to mitigate the effects of land reclamation), we would have to wait for the results of the trial to determine the benefits of the new shoreline,” said Ms Angel Lam Yin-ha, WWF Hong Kong’s oceans conservation manager.

Although Ms Lam, who visited the site earlier this month, remained positive, she said: “The WWF’s official stance, of course, is that there should be no reclamation in the first place.

“While the approach is good, it is not equal to replacing lost habitats.” SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST