Government Once Again Sacrifices Our Country Parks 

March 30, 2009—— The Country and Marine Parks Board approved a 5-hectare cut of land in Clear Water Bay Country Park for expanding the Southeast New Territories Landfill. Grieved over the decision, the Conservancy Association (CA)  requests a promise from the government that this is the last time of intruding country parks and conservation areas.  It also expresses their regret towards the government's refusal on securing "no net loss in area or ecological value" of country parks.

While the government was building the landfill in 1993, 18 hectares of land in Clear Water Bay Country Park had already been "borrowed". The debt is not yet cleared till now and it ruins the country parks of Hong Kong people again, with no promises on zero net loss for compensation. This would be a very dangerous precedent that makes our country parks vanish.

The government only plan to grow trees on 5 hectares of land, but not 10 hectares as CA suggested. The Association points out that 5 hectares of tree planting area will not be able to make up the loss in country park lands. Considering the trees will not have a 100% survival rate, and there are no effective fire breaks in the parks, at least 10 hectares are needed for the compensation.

In addition, CA urges the government to implement the Policy Framework for the Management of Municipal Solid Waste on schedule in order to settle the odour disturbance to residents in Tseung Kwan O.