（新聞稿）
「先發展無保育」 大嶼山勢變醜小鴨
環團促先有保育方案及交通限制
多個環保團體強烈反對在大嶼山進行任何大型發展，如東大嶼都會和策略性道路系統，並要求政府發展大嶼山時，要以保育作為最優先的原則，促請政府實施環團建議的一系列保育措施(包括交通管制)，以捍衞大嶼山豐富的生物多樣性和人與自然的緊密關係。
2016年1月，大嶼山發展諮詢委員會的第一期工作報告已呈交給政府部門。這份報告提出大量天馬行空和未經評估的發展項目，如東大嶼都會、超大規模的策略性道路系統和大量旅遊設施，包括在大東山上建立觀星和觀景的設施。以上提議的發展項目將會對生態和當地社區帶來災難性的影響，並會破壞大嶼山寧靜的環境和壯麗的景觀。
大嶼山因着其獨特位置，有着豐富及多元的自然生境，包括低窪濕地、山地草原、淡水河流和海洋軟珊瑚等，當中孕育着許多稀有和瀕危的物種，如中華白海豚、馬蹄蟹、喜鹽草、盧文氏樹蛙、素雅灰蝶、香魚、褐魚鴞。最難能可貴的是人和大自然能夠緊密共存，其中大嶼山的牛科動物便因其和居民的和諧關係，被聯合國教科文組織接納為「人文價值景觀遺產」，可見大嶼山絕對是大家的自然寶庫。
可是，這份報告表面上支持可持續發展，卻沒有提出積極的保育措施。大嶼山發展諮詢委員會甚至提議放寬限制道路的交通管制，建立一個策略性的道路系統，以連接港島西、南大嶼、北大嶼和新界西北。這些措施將為地主帶來錯誤的期望，增加當地的發展壓力，阻礙在大嶼山推行任何保育計劃和行動，尤其是那些沒有發展審批地區圖覆蓋，而政府又不能執法的鄉郊地帶，如南大嶼和部分北大嶼地區。結果，在這些沒有納入發展審批地區圖，而沒法檢控入罪的私人土地，生態破壞已不斷蔓延，甚至連貝澳這個具重要生態價值的濕地亦無法倖免。
自然資源並不只是屬於我們，也屬於我們的下一代。胡亂開發、缺乏管制及有效的保育措施，將會迅速破壞大嶼山這個自然寶庫，並令政府所承諾的可持續發展成為空談。
因此，多個環保團體敦請政府部門推行一系列的保育措施：
1. 在任何擬議發展前，制定全面的運輸和交通策略，透過交通管制減低違例發展的經濟誘因，避免擬議的發展超出環境承載量；
2. 修改《城市規劃條例》，讓發展審批地區圖能夠覆蓋南大嶼和黃龍坑，賦予規劃署能執法能力，並繼續加快將北大嶼餘下沒有法定管制的地區，如䃟頭、沙螺灣和深屈等納入發展審批地區圖，以提供法定保護；
3. 所有在大嶼山的發展計劃均應納入現時進行中的「香港2030+：跨越2030年的規劃遠景與策略」，並為所有擬議和計劃中的發展項目進行全面的策略性環境評估；
4. 在生態敏感地區設立不可發展地區，並實施有效的保育管理計劃。
針對東大嶼都會和其相關的交通和運輸策略，環團想特別指出：
1. 任何新的道路建設需要有充分理據，並須就其環境影響、成本效益和公眾利益的作出評估，以及進行公眾諮詢；
2. 環團反對現時建議的東大嶼都會和連接港島西、南大嶼、北大嶼和新界西北的策略性道路系統。因為東大嶼都會需要進行大規模填海工程，對海洋生態和水質造成極大影響，而策略性道路系統則會入侵郊野公園和許多生態敏感地區，為南大嶼，尤其是梅窩，帶來龐大的發展壓力，並會增加在附近水域航運的船隻流量，危害漁業資源和鯨科動物；
3. 東大嶼都會和策略性道路系統的建設沒有得到充分的理據支持，需要動用龐大資金，很可能成為新一個大白象工程。
多個環團亦發起網上聯署平台，鼓勵公眾就大嶼山發展向政府部門發表意見：
(英文網址: https://www.designinghongkong.com/forms/view.php?id=64298)
(中文網址：https://www.designinghongkong.com/forms/view.php?id=64884)
環團所列在大嶼山不同地區具重要保育價值的物種／生境（以英文版為準）
英文網址：Lantau green groups joint letter – appendix
中文網址：Lantau joint letter – appendix_final_ chinese
聯署團體(依筆劃序)：
大嶼山愛護水牛協會
世界自然基金會香港分會
長春社
香港觀鳥會
香港海豚保育學會
島嶼活動行動
創建香港
綠色力量
(Press Release)
Develop first, No conservation
Lantau will be an Ugly Duckling
Green groups urge for implementation of conservation plan and traffic restriction first
Green groups strongly object to any large-scale development such as East Lantau Metropolis and the strategic road systems and request the government to make conservation the top priority for Lantau development, to safeguard the rich biodiversity and the close relationship between humans and nature on Lantau. The groups have presented a list of conservation measures (including traffic restriction) it urges the government to implement.
The First-term Work Report made by Lantau Development Advisory Committee (LanDAC) has been submitted to the Administration on January 2016.
This report proposed massive, “creative” and unassessed developments such as East Lantau Metropolis, super large-scale strategic road systems and numerous tourism facilities including viewing and stargazing facilities for the Sunset Peak. The proposed developments will have disastrous impacts on the ecosystem and the local community, and destroy the tranquil environment and magnificent landscape of Lantau.
Because of its unique location, Lantau has rich and diversified natural habitats such as low-lying wetlands, montane grasslands, freshwater streams and soft coral marine habitats. These habitats breed many rare and endangered species such as Chinese White Dolphin, Horseshoe Crab, Oval Halophila, Romer’s Tree Frog, Common Cerulean, Ayu Sweetfish and Brown Fish Owl. The most valuable thing is that human can live with nature closely. Bovine on Lantau was accepted as “heritage and landscape as human values” by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for harmonic human-bovid relationship. This can show Lantau is definitely a nature treasure for us.
However, this First-term Work Report claims to support sustainable development but no positive conservation measure is proposed. LanDAC even proposes to relax the traffic restriction on closed roads, and establish a strategic road network connecting west of Hong Kong Island, South Lantau, North Lantau and North West of New Territories.
These measures would increase the development pressure by giving false hope to land owners, hindering any conservation plans and actions on Lantau, especially in ecologically sensitive rural areas where there is no Development Permission Area (DPA) plan and no statutory protection could be done by government, such as South Lantau and part of North Lantau. As a result, eco-vandalism has long been proliferating with impunity on private land without DPA plans, even in ecologically important wetlands like Pui O.
Our natural environment does not belong to us alone, but the next generations. Reckless development without appropriate controls and active conservation measures will quickly destroy the natural treasure of Lantau and lead to a failure of promised “sustainable development.”
Hence, green groups urge the Administration to implement a list of conservation measures:
1. Before any proposed development, develop a comprehensive transport and traffic strategy and restrict traffic to reduce the economic incentive for unauthorized developments and prevent proposed development from exceeding environmental carrying capacity;
2. Amend the Town Planning Ordinance to allow itself to cover South Lantau and Wong Lung Hang WITH DEVELOPMENT PERMISSION AREA PLANS, offering enforcement powers for the Planning Department and continue to speed up the process of DPA plan covering on the remaining lands of Lantau such as San Tau, Sha Lo Wan and Sham Wat, which have no statutory control, to provide statutory protection
3. Include any development plans on Lantau in the on-going “Hong Kong 2030+ Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030” study and carry out a comprehensive Strategic Environmental Assessment for endorsement of all the proposed and planned developments on Lantau.
4. Set up NO-GO areas for ecologically sensitive areas and implement active conservation management plan
Regarding to East Lantau Metropolis and associated traffic and transport strategy, green groups highlight:
1. New roads should be well justified, assessed (in the context of environmental impacts, cost effectiveness and public interest), and the public should be consulted before.
2. Green groups object to the proposed East Lantau Metropolis which will create significant impact on marine ecosystem and water quality and strategic road system connecting west of Hong Kong Island, South Lantau, North Lantau and northern-west of New Territories, which will cut through the country parks and ecologically sensitive areas, and create significant development pressure in South Lantau especially Mui Wo and drastically increase vessel traffic in the surrounding waters and threaten fisheries resources and cetaceans
3. The construction of East Lantau Metropolis and the associated strategic road system is not well-justified and will cost a huge amount of money, having a very high potential to become new white elephant project.
Green groups have also launched an online petition platform to motivate the public to express their opinion on Lantau development to the Administration:
(Website: https://www.designinghongkong.com/forms/view.php?id=64298)
Key species/habitats of conservation concern in different areas of Lantau
Website：Lantau green groups joint letter – appendix
Co-signatories (in alphabetical order):
Designing Hong Kong
Green Power
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society
Lantau Buffalo Association
Living Islands Movememt
The Conservancy Association
WWF Hong Kong
