Table 7.2c Ecological Value of Inactive Agriculture (Dry & Wet) and Shrubland Habitats in the Assessment Area

Criteria	Inactive Agriculture (Dry & Wet)	Shrubland
Naturalness	Habitats are man-made, though have been abandoned for a number of years.	Habitat largely natural, although secondary in nature.
Size	Inactive wet agricultural land covers a large area of Mui Wo Valley.	Small.
Diversity	Low-Moderate.	Moderate-high.
Rarity	Several avifaunal species of conservation interest recorded within and adjacent to inactive wet agricultural land at Luk Tei Tong Marsh, comprising: Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus), White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) and Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola). Chinese Bullfrog (Rana rugulosa) recorded from small pond within the Luk Tei Tong Marsh area. Previous records of avifauna, herpetofauna dragonfly species of conservation interest from Luk Tei Tong Marsh. Freshwater marshes are relatively rare habitats in Hong Kong.	One plant species of conservation interest, Diospyros vacciniodes, recorded from this habitat type.
Re-creatability	Habitat readily created on suitable areas of low-lying land.	Moderate, although the habitat would take several years to mature.
Fragmentation	Large area of inactive wet agricultural land at Luk Tei Tong Marsh is unfragmented, although marsh habitat within this area is relatively patchy	Habitat limited to small isolated patches, although these areas are mostly contiguous with adjacent woodland habitats.
Ecological linkage	The habitats are structurally and functionally linked to areas woodland and streams/rivers of conservation interest.	Shrubland habitat at Butterfly Hill falls within a Conservation Area, and is structurally and functionally linked to adjacent areas of woodland.
Potential value	Low-moderate.	Moderate.
Nursery ground	The habitat forms a potential breeding ground for some avifaunal, herpetofaunal and dragonfly species of conservation interest.	No significant records.
Age	N/a.	Habitat is probably over 10 years in age.
Abundance/Richness of Wildlife	Luk Tei Tong Marsh: Moderate. Other Inactive Agriculture: Low-moderate.	Low-moderate.
Ecological value	Luk Tei Tong Marsh: Moderate-High Other Inactive Agriculture: Low-moderate.	Low-moderate.