Concern groups have called for a more concrete timeline and clearer details in an updated action plan for Hong Kong’s biodiversity strategy, which for the first time lists assessing the capacity of ecotourism hotspots as a priority.
The government on Wednesday unveiled its updated Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which covers four strategic areas – nature conservation, deepening mainstreaming, capacity building and collaborative partnering. It lists 30 priority actions and 81 priority projects.
The plan, setting out strategies for the next 10 years until 2035, updates an initial version released in 2016.
“We must act on the concept that ‘lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets and focus on building a beautiful China’,” a spokesman for the Environment and Ecology Bureau said, referring to a notion first raised by President Xi Jinping.
Among the actions is promoting sustainable ecotourism, with assessments of the carrying capacity of ecotourism hotspots made a priority project.
The plan said ecotourism provided local communities with alternative income streams while encouraging them to engage in conservation efforts.
“If revenues from ecotourism are partly reinvested into ecosystem protection and community projects, it creates a sustainable cycle where economic benefits support the health of the environment,” it noted.
Steven Chan Wing-kit, assistant environmental affairs manager at local NGO The Green Earth, welcomed the government’s move to include capacity assessment in its plan.
Chan said he believed problems that had surfaced in the development of ecotourism in recent years had prompted the move.
“The government did not carry out any assessments on the expected visitor numbers, so there may be a misalignment in the allocation of manpower and resources,” Chan said.
Tourists damaged about four square metres (43 sq ft) of coral reefs at Sharp Island in Sai Kung during mainland China’s National Day “golden week” holiday in early October.
High Island Reservoir’s East Dam in Sai Kung was also a popular tourist destination during the long holiday.
Brian Wong Shiu-hung, a researcher at Liber Research Community, an NGO focused on land and development policies, said it was a good sign to see carrying capacity included in the action plan, but he urged the government to elaborate on the proposed move.
“There are lots of dimensions to carrying capacity ... in the past, the government focused more on transport capacity, which should not be used as the only definition [for carrying capacity],” Wong said, adding that other factors such as the impact on the environment and the community should also be considered.
Concerns have grown in Hong Kong about striking a balance between environmental protection and tourism, after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in October that his administration was assessing the capacity of some popular tourist hotspots and stepping up efforts to educate visitors.
Both Chan and Wong called for more concrete timelines on implementing the ecotourism capacity assessment and other priority actions listed in the plan.
“There are 10 years to carry out those actions. With all those priority items, which should come first and which should come later?” Chan said. “Or when would we expect to see some outcome?”
He said the plan also failed to list criteria that defined the expected results of the actions.
Environmental group Greenpeace also welcomed the update to the plan but said it lacked a detailed timetable and accountability.
“If some key performance indicators cannot be met in the next 10 years, which departments are to be held accountable?” said Chu Kong, the group’s campaign manager.
He said biodiversity matters involved not only departments related to environmental protection, but also the Development Bureau and the Civil Engineering and Development Department.
Chu added that the plan also failed to address biodiversity protection needs for areas of value but not in the city’s country parks. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
