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Timeliness, opportunities and harmony: 3 key factors for South Lantau
Conservation or development? What is the right level of conservation? Should development aim to increase revenue or simply provide an additional attraction for residents and tourists?
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s two-month public consultation on the South Lantau Eco-recreation Corridor, launched at the end of May, explores how to make good use of the natural, historical and cultural resources of the four districts of Cheung Sha, Shek Pik, Shui Hau and Pui O to develop them into a tourism destination.
According to the Development Bureau’s webpage, this is a sustainable recreation, leisure and education program based on natural ecology. Sustainable leisure and recreation in Cheung Sha and Shek Pik, and ecologically and naturally education-based facilities in Shui Hau and Pui O are proposed, supported by high-quality accommodation and land transport amenities for outdoor experiences. While enjoying a diverse range of leisure and recreational experiences, visitors can also enhance their understanding of the natural resources and historical culture of South Lantau, and at the same time boost the regional economy.
However, environmentalists are concerned about the impact of construction on woodlands and wetlands, vegetation and species, including the water buffalo population, and the possible contamination of natural rivers by sewage discharge. On the other hand, the focus of the public may be more on the financial return of the investment and how much tourism revenue can be generated.
According to the Monitoring of Marine Mammals in Hong Kong Waters (2022-23) released by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) last year, the population of Chinese white dolphins in the four survey areas of Lantau in the southwest, west, northwest and northeast of the island had dropped from 47 in 2017 to only 34 in 2022
There are three basic ways to view the conservation project:
1. Geographical edge – how to make the best use of the uniqueness of the region to attract tourists?
The government’s proposals, including the introduction of facilities such as chairlifts, rope-lifts, rope adventures, and water sports like water skiing and windsurfing, are well conceived but lack creativity and uniqueness.
What is unique about Lantau Island? In addition to the verdant mountains and cultural history, the first thing that comes to mind is the Chinese white dolphin.
Its distinctive pink appearance and friendly nature are endearing, but its survival is threatened by overfishing, water pollution, heavy marine traffic and development along the coast.
According to the Monitoring of Marine Mammals in Hong Kong Waters (2022-23) released by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) last year, the population of Chinese white dolphins in the four survey areas of Lantau in the southwest, west, northwest and northeast of the island had dropped from 47 in 2017 to only 34 in 2022. As a matter of fact, the government had designated the waters off South Lantau as a marine park as early as June 2022 to facilitate the conservation of the Chinese white dolphins and finless porpoises, their habitats, and the fishery resources in the waters. However, in early July, two Chinese white dolphin carcasses were found on the beach at Pui O, bringing the total number of such cases to 31 this year. The authorities should mount an investigation to prevent this from happening again.
The unique ecological landscape of pink Chinese white dolphins swimming and playing along the shores of Lantau can be compared with Phillip Island Nature Parks in Australia.
A 90-minute drive from Melbourne, this 101-square-kilometer tourism hot spot attracts millions of visitors each year to view the penguin colonies. At dusk, the cute creatures ascend from the sea and return to their nests. So even though the entrance fee to the nature park is expensive and no photography or video recordings are allowed to avoid scaring the penguins, people still brave the wind and the bitter cold, and yet are satisfied with the experience.
In South Lantau, in addition to the Chinese white dolphins, what other unique tourism resources can we use? Last year, I was thrilled to learn that the University of Hong Kong and the AFCD have jointly developed a systematic ecological database, the Biodiversity Geographic Information System , which stores baseline information on Hong Kong’s biodiversity and will be open to the public upon completion. This database, organized with a geographic information system (GIS), will help us understand the ecological treasures of South Lantau. Hopefully, we can find more inspiration for the business opportunities of conservation tourism.
Further, the use of GIS helps not only explore tourism resources but also management of the park, such as mosquito and rodent infestation control, preventing weeds from spreading, and more, which is the experience of Phillip Island. All key monitoring programs in the area will convert the information into spatial data using GIS to strengthen management of the park.
2. Timing: How to balance investment and income?
At a time when Hong Kong is facing a fiscal deficit and a number of large-scale infrastructure projects are being implemented, there is even greater concern about whether public funds are being used properly.
Last year, some property developers withheld their bids for residential sites in Cheung Sha, Lantau Island. One of the reasons was that the remote locations make it difficult to hire construction workers, which makes construction costs difficult to estimate.
Inaccessibility is the major reason not many travelers have been to South Lantau. At present, Tung Chung Road is the only vehicular passage connecting North and South Lantau. Records show a traffic accident on the road can seriously disrupt traffic on the island.
Therefore, the Civil Engineering and Development Department have proposed building “two tunnels and one viaduct” to improve the road network between North and South Lantau, including the construction of a vehicular tunnel in East Lantau to connect Mui Wo to Discovery Bay or Siu Ho Wan, and another tunnel in West Lantau to connect Shek Pik and Tai O, together with a viaduct for improving parts of Keung Shan Road, a narrow road that has lots of bends and is relatively steep, thereby improving the connection between South Lantau and Tai O.
The excessive cost of building such infrastructure calls into question the financial feasibility of investing in South Lantau. Hong Kong’s economy today is not as strong as it used to be. Earlier, some voices in the community called on the authorities to suspend the reclamation project of the Kau Yi Chau artificial island, but the government could still count on the reclamation creating and supporting more land in the long term. On the other hand, if the number of daily visitors to South Lantau increases from the current 2,700 to the maximum of 6,000, how much economic benefit can be expected? This will inevitably increase doubts among the public about the cost-effectiveness of the project.
Let’s use Phillip Island once again as an example. According to 2022 data from the Australian Tourism Research Agency, the region was able to attract 2.1 million tourists in 2022, although that was 24 percent lower than the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Meanwhile, tourism expenditure increased 36 percent from the previous period to A$750 million ($504.3 million). At the same time, the entire tourism area combines boutique accommodation, dining and leisure outlets, helicopter sightseeing and other elements, employing 5,900 local people, proving that it is a successful model combining conservation and sustainable tourism.
In the current economic environment, it is believed that it would be more acceptable to the public if the government could prioritize the development projects to be developed in phases and give priority to the most unique, cost-effective and popular projects.
How? The authorities can use GIS to present the plan in a three-dimensional map, showing key information such as landscape, facilities, transportation and cost-effectiveness through visualization. Meanwhile, the proposed landscape changes before and after the development can be depicted, and different plans can be compared in a storytelling manner. The recently launched website South Lantau Cultural Maps: From Yi O to Chi Ma Wan, which uses an interactive StoryMap to showcase the local natural resources, history and culture in a relaxed and lifelike way can increase public understanding and conservation awareness, while also helping people to visualize the future for constructive suggestions.
3. Human relations: How to get the support of the public?
Although the Lantau development plan has been discussed many times over the past 20 years, the public understanding of the development content is still limited.
In addition, some environmentalists have indicated that they can accept the promotion of ecotourism, but the prerequisite is to do a good job in protecting the environment, such as in Pui O and Shui Hau, which have high ecological value. So the authorities should study the scale and location of the proposed works carefully before building ancillary facilities.
Meanwhile, in order to attract the attention and maintain the interest of the public, an interactive map-based KPI dashboard should be set up, which can be displayed in graphical form at a glance, so as to facilitate the community to monitor the standards that have been met and those that need work
I believe what the authorities lack is not high-quality planning, but good communication that fails to get broad support from green groups and the public.
The current term government has repeatedly emphasized key performance indicators (KPIs), I believe that the South Lantau development plan should also set KPIs, including a timetable of the phased implementation and the ecological impact by the construction on wildlife species, noise, air quality, sewage, waste disposal, and more.
Meanwhile, in order to attract the attention and maintain the interest of the public, an interactive map-based KPI dashboard should be set up, which can be displayed in graphical form at a glance, so as to facilitate the community to monitor the standards that have been met and those that need work. Furthermore, a dedicated person responsible for following up and updating the data regularly is needed.
Through advanced technologies such as GIS, the government can help the public to understand the key points of the planning and also to be encouraged to participate, thereby enhancing the sense of belonging in the project.
At the same time, the Northern Metropolis is much larger than the South Lantau development, and the government should make good use of GIS, a tool for communication; be open and honest with the people so as to win the support of the public and to avoid misunderstandings and disputes. With these, smoother and faster development can be achieved.
Dr. Winnie Tang
Adjunct Professor, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering; Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences; and Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong