8 Ecology

8.1 Introduction

8.1.1 This Chapter presents the findings of the ecological impact assessment undertaken for the proposed site formation and infrastructure works for housing development at San Hing Road and Hong Po Road, Tuen Mun.  

8.1.2 The location of the proposed development is illustrated in Figures 1.1a and 1.1b, while the project description is given in Chapter 3 of the report. There are two boundaries indicating the proposed development, viz. Proposed Development Area Boundary and Project Site Boundary (Figure 8.1). The Proposed Development Area (PDA) Boundary indicates the extent of the core public housing development area, which includes five main components: Hong Po Road (HPR) Site, San Hing Road (SHR) Site, San Hing Road Site Extension, the proposed Road L7 and the realigned Hong Po Road; while the Project Site Boundary covers not only the PDA but also the proposed works area for the associated supporting infrastructure which includes the traffic improvement works and laying of fresh and salt water mains and sewerage pipes etc. The whole area within the Project Site Boundary is termed as “Project Site” in this Chapter.

8.2 Legislation, Standards and Guidelines

8.2.1 The ordinances, regulations and guidelines relevant to ecological impact assessment, and protection of species and habitats of ecological interest include the following:

· Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance ("the EIAO", Cap. 499) and the associated Technical Memorandum (EIAO-TM)

· EIAO Guidance Note No. 7/2010

· EIAO Guidance Note No. 10/2010

· Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96) and its subsidiary legislation (sub. leg.), the Forestry Regulations

· Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170)

· Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586)

· Country Parks Ordinance (Cap. 208) and its subsidiary legislation

· Town Planning Ordinance (Cap. 131)

· Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong (http://www.herbarium.gov.hk/PublicationsPreface.aspx?BookNameId=1)

· China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals

· China Plant Red Data Book

· IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (https://www.iucnredlist.org/)

8.3 Assessment Area and Methodology

8.3.1 In accordance with Clause 3.4.9.2 of the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-299/2017, the assessment area for the terrestrial ecological impact assessment included areas within 500m distance from the boundary of the Project Site and all other areas likely to be impacted by the Project and associated works. The ecological assessment area is indicated in Figure 8.1.

8.3.2 Apart from literature review, ecological surveys were conducted to fill information gaps, verify the information collated, and to fulfil the requirements of the EIA Study stipulated in Appendix H of the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-299/2017. Ecological survey methodology is presented in Appendix 8.1 of this report.

8.4 Ecological Baseline – Literature Review

8.4.1 A literature review was conducted to characterise the existing ecological conditions within the ecological assessment area (hereafter assessment area) and to identify sites and species of conservation interest in the area. Major literatures included the EIA Report and its associated Review Reports for the master study of Planning and Development Study of Potential Housing Site in Area 54, Tuen Mun, and the Preliminary Environmental Review (PER) reports for Development at Hong Po Road (CE60/2013) and Development at San Hing Road (CE56/2013) as they were conducted for the similar development objective and study area to this EIA study, with almost the same coverage of ecological impact assessment. Other relevant literatures covered Government published literature, academic studies and land use zoning plans. Reviewed information included, but not limited to, the following:

· EIA for Planning and Development Study of Potential Housing Site in Area 54, Tuen Mun (Agreement No. CE21/97) (EIAO Register No.: AEIAR-015/1999) (TM54 EIA);

· EIA Review Report for Formation, Roads and Drains in Area 54, Tuen Mun – Phase 1 and 2 Environmental Traffic and Drainage Impact Assessment Review - Investigation (Agreement No. CE21/2005) (TM54 EIAR-2005);

· EIA Review Report for Formation, Roads and Drains in Area 54, Tuen Mun – Phase 1 and 2 Review of Traffic Environmental Drainage and Sewerage Impact Assessment - Investigation (Agreement No. CE38/2011) (TM54 EIAR-2012);

· PER for Engineering Study Review for Site Formation and Infrastructure Works at San Hing Road, Tuen Mun – Investigation (Agreement No. CE56/2013) (SHR PER);

· PER for Engineering Study for Site Formation and Infrastructure Works at Hong Po Road – Feasibility Study (Agreement No. CE60/2013) (HPR PER);

· EIA for Widening of Tuen Mun Road at Tsing Tin Interchange (EIAO Register No.: AEIAR-116/2008);

· EIA for Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area (EIAO Register No.: AEIAR-203/2016);

· Hong Kong Biodiversity – Newsletter of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD);

· Annual reports and other publications of The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society;

· Memoirs of Hong Kong Natural History Society;

· Porcupine! Newsletter of Ecology & Biodiversity, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong;

· Lam Tei and Yick Yuen Outline Zoning Plan No. S/TM-LTYY/10;

· Tuen Mun Outline Zoning Plan No. S/TM/35.

Sites of Conservation Interest

8.4.2 Part of a Conservation Area (CA) zoning designated on Lam Tei and Yick Yuen Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) No. S/TM-LTYY/10 is located at the northeast of the assessment area at Chung Shan (Figure 8.2). According to the notes of the OZP, the zoning is intended to protect and retain the existing natural landscape, ecological or topographical features of the area for conservation, educational and research purposes and to separate sensitive natural environment from the adverse effects of development. According to the latest project layout, the proposed project site will have no direct encroachment in this CA zone (Figure 8.1).

8.4.3 Apart from the CA zone at Chung Shan, no Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Ecologically Important Streams (EIS), Country Parks (CP), Special Area nor nature conservation related Restricted Area were found within the assessment area.

8.4.4 According to the ecological evaluation conducted in the approved TM54 EIA, a woodland W2[1] was rated as habitat of “high” overall ecological value for the presence of floral species of conservation interest[2]. Same rating (i.e. high) was given in the following TM54 EIAR-2005. However, the rating had then been lowered to “moderate to high” since the second EIA Review Report TM54 EIAR-2012, while the two recently completed PERs (SHR PER and HPR PER) maintained this lowered rating. The justification for the downgrading of the habitat value from “high” to “moderate to high” was the reporting of absence of all the previous recorded floral species of conservation interest in this woodland during their field verifications, though TM54 EIAR-2005 also cannot find all these species in W2 but still maintained the “high” rating in its review. (Literature review of floral species of conservation interest is to be given in next section – Species of Conservation Interest).

Species of Conservation Interest

8.4.5 In terms of floral species, a total of 5 species of conservation interest were identified from literatures and summarised in the following table:

Table 8.1 - Summary of Floral Species of Conservation Interest identified from Previous Ecological Studies

Species \ Year of Survey	TM54 EIA	AFCD Field Survey*	TM54 EIAR-2005	TM54 EIAR-2012	SHR PER	HPR PER
	1997-1998	1999 & 2012	2005-2006	2012-2013	2014-2016	2014-2016
Aquilaria sinensis	ü		ü	ü	ü	ü
Camellia crapnelliana	ü	ü
Camellia sinensis	ü
Pyrenaria spectabilis	ü	ü			ü	ü
Rhodoleia championii	ü	ü

Notes:     

* supporting survey information from AFCD reported in TM54 EIA and TM54 EIAR-2012.

^ Michelia macclurei was mentioned in TM54 EIA as a species of conservation interest for its protection status under Cap 96 sub. leg. However, it is an exotic plant introduced for ornamental purpose and the conservation status is considered similar to Michelia x alba and Michelia figo, in the same family Magnoliaceae, and therefore not regarded as a species of conservation interest in this EIA. For the same reason, the planted individuals of Pinus morrisonicola and Fokienia hodginsii mentioned in TM54 EIA are also not regarded as species of conservation interest in this EIA.

8.4.6 Majority of these five species reported by TM54 EIA and AFCD survey were found in woodland W2, with few individuals of Pyrenaria spectabilis at woodland W3 near a stream. In contrast, all the following up related studies undertaken more recently (i.e TM54 EIAR-2005, TM54 EIAR-2012, SHR PER and HPR PER) cannot find most of these plants in their surveys, especially no species of conservation interest were observed in W2. Aquilaria sinensis were found in all these studies, but with very different recorded locations among their findings. In TM54 EIA and two of its review reports, this species was found only in woodland W2. In the two PERs, this species was found in woodland W1 and W3 but no records in woodland W2.

8.4.7 None of these previous records of the species of conservation interest however, were identified within the Project Site (i.e. no onsite records) of this EIA.

8.4.8 For faunal species communities, a total 9 species (including 7 bird species, 1 damselfly species and 1 crab species) were identified from literature review. A summary is given below:

Table 8.2 - Summary of Faunal Species of Conservation Interest identified from Previous Ecological Studies

	TM54 EIA	TM54 EIAR-2005	TM54 EIAR-2012	SHR PER	HPR PER	AFCD Record *
Species /Year of Survey	1997-1998	2005-2006	2012-2013	2014-2016	2014-2016	2020
Birds
Chinese Pond Heron	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
Little Egret	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
Crested Goshawk			ü
Greater Coucal	ü	ü	ü
Chinese Hwamei			ü
Black Kite	ü	ü
Common Buzzard	ü	ü
Odonate
Ischnura rufostigma						ü
Aquatic Fauna
Cryptopotamon anacoluthon				ü	ü

Note: * “AFCD record” refers to a damselfly record reported to AFCD by a member of the public and identified by AFCD

8.4.9 According to those previous studies, the bird species Chinese Pond Heron, Little Egret, Greater Coucal and the crab species Cryptopotamon anacoluthon had onsite record (i.e. with recorded locations within Project Site of this EIA).

8.4.10 An individual (a male adult) of Ischnura rufostigma was reported by a member of the public and identified by AFCD at a barren field near Tsing Lun Road (within the 500m assessment area of this EIA) on 20 March 2020. The location of the record is next to a grassy and muddy nullah, which is not a typical habitat for this species. In Hong Kong, this species was once observed in Fanling, Ho Chung and Kam Tin in the 1960s, however, since then there had been no further records.

Ecological Findings of Other Literatures

8.4.11 Two EIA studies (EIA for Widening of Tuen Mun Road at Tsing Tin Interchange and EIA for Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area) were conducted in area north-east of the assessment area of this EIA and had some overlapping area in their ecological impact assessment. Apart from the CA zoning identified from the OZP No. S/TM-LTYY/10 at Chung Shan mentioned above, no other sites, habitats nor species of conservation interest were identified in the overlapping area with this EIA.

8.5 Ecological Baseline – Field Survey

8.5.1 As per the requirements of the EIA Study Brief (ESB-299/2017), the ecological field surveys with a duration of at least four months covering the wet season are required.

8.5.2 Ecological field surveys were conducted in June-November 2018 and March-April 2020 covering both wet and dry seasons, which aimed to verify the findings from literature review and update the ecological baseline. The methodology of ecological field surveys is given in Appendix 8.1. The assessment area is illustrated in Figure 8.1.

8.5.3 The ecological survey schedule is summarised below:

		2018						2020 *
		Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Mar	Apr
Habitat and Vegetation		ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
Day Survey	Mammal	ü	ü		ü		ü
	Bird	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
	Herpetofauna	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
	Butterfly	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
	Dragonfly	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
	Aquatic fauna	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
Night Survey	Mammal	ü	ü		ü		ü
	Birds	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
	Herpetofauna	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü
	Aquatic fauna	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü

Note: * surveys in 2020 for odonates were conducted which aimed to provide additional survey effort for this specific faunal group in view of the new findings about the rediscovery of Ischnura rufostigma mentioned in Section 8.4.10.

Habitats and Vegetation

8.5.4 A total of eleven types of habitat were identified within the assessment area, viz. woodland, shrub-grassland, landscape plantation, agricultural land, natural stream, semi-natural stream, drainage channel, pond, village/orchard, village area and urban area. Ecological habitats (constituted by woodland, shrub-grassland and stream) were found mainly located in the north-western portion of the assessment area while the central, eastern, and southern portions were dominated by artificial or highly modified habitats such as village area, drainage channel and urban area. This general pattern of habitat distribution is basically consistent with the previous TM54 EIA in the same coverage of area to the northwest of the assessment area.

8.5.5 The Habitat Map is illustrated in Figure 8.1. A summary of size and proportion of different habitats is given in Table:

Table 8.3 - Summary of Habitats in the Assessment Area

Habitat	Assessment Area		Project Site *
	Size (ha)	Percentage (%)	Size (ha)	Percentage (%)
Woodland	70.6	13.4	1.2	3.2
Shrub-grassland	62.3	11.8	-	0.0
Landscape Plantation	7.5	1.4	-	0.0
Agricultural Land	3.6	0.7	1.1	2.9
Natural Stream	1.1 (4,550m in length)	0.2	0.0 (104m in length)	0.0
Semi-natural Stream	0.7 (2,236m in length)	0.1	0.1 (356m in length)	0.3
Drainage Channel	3.9 (4,540m in length)	0.8	0.4 (1,160m in length)	1.1
Pond	0.2	0.0	-	0.0
Village / Orchard	28.2	5.4	8.0	21.2
Village Area	90.0	17.1	17.8	47.2
Urban Area	258.8	49.1	9.1	24.1
Total	526.9	100.0	37.7	100.0
* note: Project Site refers to all areas fall within the proposed project footprint as well as temporary works area

8.5.6 Indicative photographic records of habitats are illustrated in Appendix 8.2 (Table A).

8.5.7 As the coverage of woodland habitats at northwest of the assessment area is largely consistent with TM54 EIA and the two PERs, same numbering of woodland is adopted in this EIA for consistency and ease of reference, but some minor amendments to their boundary were made according to updated baseline survey findings. The grouping of the woodland is illustrated in Figure 8.2.

8.5.8 The numbering and grouping of watercourses are indicated in Figure 8.2.

8.5.9 According to the vegetation survey results, a total of 512 floral species were identified (Appendix 8.3), of which 8 are species of conservation interest, including Aquilaria sinensis, Camellia crapnelliana, Diospyros vaccinioides, Geodorum densiflorum, Gleditsia australis, Nepenthes mirabilis, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Rhodoleia championii. The summary of the floral species of conservation interest is given in the following table:

Table 8.4 - Floral Species of Conservation Interest

Species	Quantity (Offsite Record)	Quantity (Onsite Record)	Total Quantity	Remarks (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Aquilaria sinensis	56 (48 in woodland, 4 in shrub-grassland and 4 in village/orchard) -	3 (in woodland)	59	- Common in Hong Kong; - Listed in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Near Threatened (NT) status in mainland China; - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586); - Recorded in China Plant Red Data Book and Illustration of Rare & Endangered Plant in Guangdong Province; - Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) under IUCN Red List
Camellia crapnelliana	14 (in woodland)	0	14	- Very rare in Hong Kong; - Listed in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Vulnerable (VU) status in mainland China; - Recorded in China Plant Red Data Book; - Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) under IUCN Red List
Diospyros vaccinioides	6 (2 in woodland and 4 in shrub-grassland)	0	6	- Very common in Hong Kong; - Listed as Critically Endangered (CR) in IUCN Red List
Geodorum densiflorum	5 (in woodland)	0	5	- Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586); - Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) in The Wild Orchards of Hong Kong
Gleditsia australis	1 (in woodland)	0	1	- Rare native species in Hong Kong
Nepenthes mirabilis	28 (along stream)	0	28	- Common in Hong Kong; - Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586); - Listed in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Vulnerable (VU) status in mainland China
Pyrenaria spectabilis	26 (24 in woodland; 2 in urban area)	0	26	- Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.)
Rhodoleia championii	1 (in woodland)	0	1	- Very rare in Hong Kong; - Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Listed in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Vulnerable (VU) status in mainland China
Reference source:      (1) Hong Kong Plant Database of AFCD Herbarium (Online version at http://www.herbarium.gov.hk/Search_Form.aspx) (accessed in April 2019) (2) Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong (Online version at http://www.herbarium.gov.hk/PublicationsPreface.aspx?BookNameId=1&ContentId=48&SectionId=3) (accessed in April 2019) (3) IUCN Red List (Online version at http://www.iucnredlist.org/) (accessed in April 2019) (4) Hong Kong Vascular Plants: Distribution and Status (Corlett et al, 2000) (5) The Wild Orchards of Hong Kong (Barretto et al, 2011)

8.5.10 Locations of the floral species of conservation interest are indicated in Figure 8.1 with close-up plans in Figure 8.1a-b. Representative photographic records of each recorded species of conservation interest are illustrated in Appendix 8.2 (Table B).

8.5.11 Except Camellia sinensis, all the other four floral species of conservation interest identified in TM54 EIA (Table 8.1) were rediscovered in the same woodland at W2. Three individuals of Pyrenaria spectabilis were also found in woodland W3 near a stream, which matched the description of AFCD findings reported in TM54 EIA.

8.5.12 Majority of the floral species of conservation interest and their individuals were identified offsite (Table 8.4) except three Aquilaria sinensis were found within the Project Site in woodland W3 near Po Tong Ha (Figure 8.1a). A total of 319 floral species were identified within the Project Site and Aquilaria sinensis is the only one floral species of conservation interest (Appendix 8.3).

Woodland

8.5.13 All the woodlands W1-5 were termed as secondary woodland throughout TM54 EIA, its EIA Review Reports and the two related PERs. However, findings from current ecological surveys suggested that these woodlands can be further categorised into three woodland types for their different vegetation composition and origination. With the additional W6 and W7 covered by this assessment area, a total of 4 types of woodland were classified:

- Mature Secondary woodland (W2);

- Mixed Woodland (mixture of plantation woodland and secondary woodland) (W1, W3 and W4);

- Secondary woodland (W5);

- Plantation Woodland (W6 and W7)

Mature Secondary Woodland (W2)

8.5.14 W2 is a small woodland area of about 2.7ha. The most dominant tree species in this woodland is Endospermum chinense, while other common tree species in the habitat include Aporusa dioica, Cratoxylum cochinchinense, Mallotus paniculatus, Microcos nervosa, Schima superba, Schefflera heptaphylla and Sterculia lanceolata. Common plants in the understorey include Ardisia crenata, Ardisia quinquegona, Mallotus repandus and Psychotria asiatica. A total of 104 floral species were identified in this woodland and six of them are species of conservation interest, including Aquilaria sinensis, Camellia crapnelliana, Diospyros vaccinioides, Gleditsia australis, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Rhodoleia championii, of which Aquilaria sinensis, Camellia crapnelliana, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Rhodoleia championii were identified previously in TM54 EIA (Table 8.1). Diospyros vaccinioides and Gleditsia australis are new records to this woodland. Diospyros vaccinioides is a small shrub found at the eastern end of the woodland while Gleditsia australis identified in the woodland is a mature tree of the species (Plate B5 in Appendix 8.2). Camellia crapnelliana, Gleditsia australis and Rhodoleia championii are rare species in Hong Kong and their presence indicates the woodland would be of ecological interest.

8.5.15 The overall high maturity of the dominant fung shui wood (FSW)-restricted species Endospermum chinense and the presence of the floral species of conservation interest with relatively high abundance in such a small woodland area (2.7ha) suggested that W2 can be considered as a mature secondary woodland of notable botanical and ecological interest, different from those ordinary secondary woodland such as W5 commonly seen in the countryside.

8.5.16 Michelia macclurei, Pinus morrisonicola and Fokienia hodginsii previously mentioned in TM54 EIA were not found in this woodland. Michelia macclurei is an introduced species probably planted locally by villagers for ornamental use. Pinus morrisonicola and Fokienia hodginsii would be planted for the same reason as Michelia macclurei, as suggested in TM54 EIA. Two trees of Michelia macclurei (Plate D1 in Appendix 8.2) however, were identified at roadside along a road access linking to a graveyard at the edge of the adjacent woodland W3 but not in woodland W2.

Mixed Woodland (W1, W3, and W4)

8.5.17 This type of mixed woodland is co-dominated by plantation woodland species and self-seeded native species commonly found in secondary woodlands. Woodlands W1, W3 and W4 are classified as this woodland type. All of these woodlands are originated from plantation woodland established by active tree planting and further develop into current state through natural colonisation of those largely native self-seeded pioneers.

W1

8.5.18 W1 is a small woodland of about 1.5ha in size and located south of W2 near Tong Hang Road. Its vegetation is co-dominated by common plantation species including mainly Castanopsis fissa and Casuarina equisetifolia; and secondary woodland species including Aporusa dioica, Bridelia tomentosa, Celtis sinensis, Dimocarpus longan, Macaranga tanarius, Microcos nervosa, Schefflera heptaphylla and Syzygium jambos. The FSW restricted Endospermum chinense can also observed here but of abundance lower than that in W2 and believed to be natural colonisation of the species from the adjacent W2. Aquilaria sinensis was found at southwest of the woodland, which is a floral species of conservation interest.

8.5.19 A total of 65 floral species were recorded and one of which (i.e. Aquilaria sinensis) is a species of conservation interest.

W3

8.5.20 W3 is the largest woodland (27.2ha) in the assessment area. It situates on the hill slopes northwest of Po Tong Ha. Almost half of its portion falls within Tsing Shan Firing Range. Its vegetation is co-dominated by common plantation species and secondary woodland species. Dominant plantation woodland includes mainly Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus exserta, Eucalyptus tereticornis and Lophostemon confertus; while common native secondary woodland species includes Acronychia pedunculata, Aporusa dioica, Celtis sinensis, Macaranga tanarius, Mallotus paniculatus, Microcos nervosa, Schefflera heptaphylla and Sterculia lanceolata.

8.5.21 Quite numerous graves were observed in this woodland, in particular in areas north of Po Tong Ha and north of W2. Therefore, major human disturbance would include burning and vegetation clearance / grass trimming for grave-sweeping activities or construction of new graves.

8.5.22 A total of 193 floral species were identified and four of which are species of conservation interest, including Aquilaria sinensis, Diospyros vaccinioides, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Geodorum densiflorum. As indicated in Figure 8.1, Aquilaria sinensis are widely distributed within the woodland. According to the field survey findings, most of them are seedlings with few young trees of trunk diameter 100-180mm. However, one of the recorded individuals located west of Po Tong Ha is a mature specimen of trunk diameter about 400mm (Plate D2 in Appendix 8.2).

W4

8.5.23 Vegetation composition of Woodland W4 is similar to that of W3, but the two habitats are physically separated by other habitats and land uses (Figure 8.1). It is also a mixed woodland co-dominated by plantation woodland species and secondary woodland species. Dominant plantation woodland species in W4 includes mainly Acacia confusa, Eucalyptus citriodora and Lophostemon confertus, while secondary woodland species includes Aporusa dioica, Celtis sinensis, Dimocarpus longan, Macaranga tanarius, Mallotus paniculatus, Microcos nervosa, Schefflera heptaphylla and Syzygium jambos.

8.5.24 A total of 59 floral species were identified. No floral species of conservation interest were identified in W4.

Secondary Woodland (W5)

8.5.25 W5 is located at Chung Shan at the northern portion of the assessment area and found to be fragmented into several patches by a shrub-grassland and some village areas and road access. The largest two patches situate on the eastern and western hillslopes of Chung Shan. Most of the woodland falls within the CA zoning on Lam Tei and Yick Yuen OZP No. S/TM-LTYY/10 as revealed in Section 8.4.

8.5.26 This habitat is dominated by native tree species widely seen in lowland secondary woodland, including Aporusa dioica, Celtis sinensis, Cratoxylum cochinchinense, Litsea glutinosa, Litsea monopetala, Macaranga tanarius, Mallotus paniculatus, Microcos nervosa, Pinus massoniana, Schefflera heptaphylla and Sterculia lanceolata. Eight individuals of Aquilaria sinensis were identified in the woodland.

8.5.27 A total of 117 floral species were recorded and one of which (i.e. Aquilaria sinensis) is a species of conservation interest.

Plantation Woodland (W6)

8.5.28 W6 is a plantation woodland dominated by Acacia confusa with some irregular distribution of orchards along the edge of the habitat. Apart from the dominant tree species Acacia confusa, other occasionally common species include Artocarpus heterophyllus, Aporusa dioica, Celtis sinensis, Dimocarpus longan, Litchi chinensis, and Syzygium jambos.

8.5.29 A total of 100 floral species were identified. No floral species of conservation interest were identified in W6.

Plantation Woodland (W7)

8.5.30 W7 is located at southeast of the assessment area near Fu Tai Estate. The vegetation of this woodland is rather simple, which is found almost dominated by Acacia confusa and Lophostemon confertus.

8.5.31 A total of 37 floral species were identified and none of them were species of conservation interest.

Shrub-grassland

8.5.32 This habitat is located on hillside area at north-western portion of the assessment area and most of the habitat falls within Tsing Shan Firing Range. The vegetation is dominated by shrubs and herbs. Common plants include Baeckea frutescens, Desmos chinensis, Dicranopteris pedata, Ilex asprella, Imperata cylindrica, Ischaemum barbatum, Litsea rotundifolia, Mallotus apelta, Melastoma sanguineum, Miscanthus sinensis, Neyraudia reynaudiana, Panicum maximum, Phyllanthus cochinchinensis, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Rhus hypoleuca, Sageretia thea and Zanthoxylum avicennae.

8.5.33 A total of 91 floral species were identified and two of them were species of conservation interest, which include Aquilaria sinensis and Diospyros vaccinioides.

Landscape Plantation

8.5.34 This habitat refers to artificially vegetated areas created for landscaping of engineered slopes along urban fringe. Routine maintenance mainly by grass trimming would be carried out on the modified terrain surface. Two patches of this habitat were found along the downslopes of woodlands W4 and W6 at the western edge of the assessment area. A total of 53 floral species were identified in this habitat. Common plants include Acacia confusa, Aleurites moluccana, Bauhinia blakeana, Casuarina equisetifolia, Chukrasia tabularis, Eucalyptus torelliana, Macaranga tanarius, Melaleuca cajuputi and Senna siamea.

8.5.35 No floral species of conservation interest were identified.

Agricultural Land

8.5.36 Agricultural lands were found at fragmented areas near Hong Po Road and a larger one near Fu Tai Estate south of Yuen Long Highway and cultivated as active dry agricultural land during surveys in 2018. A total of 60 floral species were recorded and as expected, common plants are all crop species such as Allium fistulosum, Allium tuberosum, Amaranthus tricolor, Brassica rapa, Dioscorea alata, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Ipomoea batatas, Musa x paradisiaca, Saccharum officinarum and Solanum melongena.

8.5.37 No floral species of conservation interest were identified.

Watercourse (Natural Stream, Semi-natural Stream and Drainage Channel)

8.5.38 There are three types of watercourses identified within the assessment area, viz. natural stream, semi-natural stream and drainage channel. Natural stream in this EIA refers to the natural watercourses without human interference/modification, while semi-natural stream refers to those with some extent of artificial modification for either drainage or agricultural purposes, and drainage channel are wholly engineered structures channelized for drainage function and flood control of the area.

8.5.39 The watercourses are grouped into three networks N1-N3 (Figure 8.2) under the study. N1 refers to the watercourse network around Hong Po Road, which comprises watercourses R1a-R1k. This network is comparatively complete without major broken sections or physical separations. This network N1comprises natural streams R1a-R1e and R1k at the most upper course along ravines on the hill, with semi-natural streams R1f-R1g and R1i at the mid-section along mainly village areas, and drainage channel R1h and R1j at the lower course. The waterflow of this water network N1 is finally directed into Tuen Mun Drainage Channel at section near Lam Tei Interchange. Water network N2 refers to those relatively shorter R2a-d, R3a-b and R4a-d around Po Tong Ha, R5a at woodland W6 and the isolated drainage channel R5 and R6. This network is characterised by the large separation of the watercourse between the upstream and downstream. The waters of R2a-d, R3a-b and R4a-d are immediately ended in developed area downstream which covered by habitats of village area and urban area and subsequently directed into an isolated drainage channel R5 or other underground culverts through the urban underground drainage systems. N3 refers to mainly the Tuen Mun Drainage Channel R7 and its associated tributary channels near Yuen Long Highway.

Natural Streams in N1 (R1a, R1b, R1c, R1d, R1e and R1k)

8.5.40 Six natural streams (R1a-e and R1k) are identified in water network N1 (Figure 8.1-8.2). All of them are rocky streams located at uphill area along ravines. Probably due to the difficult terrain and restriction in accessibility for their location within Tsing Shan Firing Range, these watercourses were found well preserved with high naturalness. Waterflow was observed to be continuous during the wet season in June to September 2018 and became intermittent during dry season in October to November 2018. In terms of size within the assessment area, R1a and R1b are the two largest natural streams. R1a is watercourse of about 520m in length and 13m in width, while R1b with 430m in length and 6m in width. The other four natural streams R1c-R1d and R1k are small, of length about 208m, 100m, 370m and 180m, with average width about 4m, 5m, 3.5m and 4m respectively.

8.5.41 Common riparian plants along the natural streams include Baeckea frutescens, Dicranopteris pedata, Gahnia tristis, Ischaemum barbatum, Lepidosperma chinense, Litsea rotundifolia, Melastoma sanguineum, Microcos nervosa, Miscanthus floridulus, Nepenthes mirabilis, Pogonatherum crinitum and Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, of which Nepenthes mirabilis is a species of conservation interest. As indicated in Figure 8.1, majority (24 individuals) of the Nepenthes mirabilis was identified at natural stream in R1a, and few (4 individuals) at natural stream in R1b. No floral species of conservation interest were identified in other natural streams of N1 (i.e. R1c-e and R1k).

Natural Stream in N2 (R2a, R2b, R2d, R3a, R3b, R4a and R5a)

8.5.42 Natural streams in N2 include R2a, R2b, R2d, R3a, R3b and R4a. R2-a-b were not identified in TM54 EIA but added later in SHR PER and HPR PER. Both are short watercourses of small size (of about 88m and 87m in length respectively for R2a and R2b; and 2.5m in width). R2a and R2d were found as dry channels without any waterflow even nor stagnant pool (Plate A17 and A19 of Appendix 8.2) during both wet and dry seasons from June to November 2018. Small water pools were observed at some locations of natural streams R2b and R3a-b (Plate A18, 20-21 of Appendix 8.2) but no notable waterflow was observed throughout both wet and dry seasons from June to November 2018. R3a comprises two stream sections and merges together at area near the proposed Road L7 at downstream. R3a is comparatively larger than R2a and R2b, of about 628m in total length with average width 3.5m. R3b of 240m in length is located near R3a with similar hydrological condition to R3a. No water flow was observed in both wet and dry seasons and most of its channel was observed to be dried out (Plate A21 of Appendix 8.2) during both wet and dry seasons in 2018.

8.5.43 In contrast, natural stream in R4a is the only one with continuous water flow in wet season and intermittent flow in dry season. It is a watercourse of about 420m in length with average width of about 5.5m.

8.5.44 R5a are an isolated group of small and short stream sections located within woodland W6. Their length ranges from 120m to 180m with average width about 1.8-3m.

8.5.45 A total of 80 floral species were identified but none of them were species of conservation interest. Common riparian plants include Alocasia macrorrhizos, Aporusa dioica, Blechnum orientale, Desmos chinensis, Ficus hispida, Mallotus paniculatus, Microcos nervosa, Microstegium ciliatum, Psychotria asiatica, Rhaphiolepis indica and Schefflera heptaphylla.

Semi-natural Stream in N1 (R1f, R1g and R1i)

8.5.46 All the three semi-natural streams R1f, R1g and R1i in N1 are located at immediate lower course of the natural streams in R1a-b, R1c-d and R1e respectively and runs through areas of rural villages and some industrial undertakings. Major human modification would be the strengthening of the bank to stabilise the adjacent farmland, village houses or other artificial structures, while their natural alignments are largely maintained. Apart from structural modifications, significant human disturbance to these watercourses was the direct domestic discharge from village area and chemical effluents or run-off from industrial undertakings. Milky water and unpleasant odour were frequently noted during the survey period in 2018. Amongst the three semi-natural streams in N1, R1f is the largest one, of about 812m in total length with about 6m in width. R1f comprises two short tributaries at downstream of R1a and R1b before converging into its main watercourse near HPR Site, and its water finally discharges into the drainage channel R1h. Part of its middle section of about 264m will be located within the Project Site under the latest layout. R1g is second largest in N1, of about 716m in total length with average width about 3.5m. Its flowing pattern is similar to R1f, comprises two upstream tributaries with feeding waters from R1c and R1d before converging into its main watercourse near SHR Site and finally joins the downstream drainage channel of R1h. Whole R1g will be located outside the proposed Project Site. R1i is a very short watercourse located within the Project Site of about 92m in length and 2m in width.

8.5.47 A total of 66 floral species were identified along these watercourses. Common riparian plants include Alocasia macrorrhizos, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Bidens alba, Commelina diffusa, Microstegium ciliatum, Mikania micrantha, Panicum maximum, Panicum repens, Paspalum conjugatum and Pennisetum purpureum. No species of conservation interest were identified.

Semi-natural Stream in N2 (R2c, R4b, R4c and R4d)

8.5.48 R2c and R4b are two short sections of semi-natural streams identified at lower course of R2b and R4a. R4c-d are longer semi-natural streams in this network which were not identified in previous TM54 EIA nor the PERs. Most of their riparian areas had been modified for fruit tree planting, other agricultural use or flood control. Similar to those found in N1, these watercourses were subject to water pollution from domestic discharge indicated by the unpleasant odour.

8.5.49 A total of 46 floral species were identified. Common riparian plants include Alocasia macrorrhizos, Bidens alba, Ipomoea cairica, Macaranga tanarius, Microstegium ciliatum, Mikania micrantha and Panicum maximum. No species of conservation interest were identified.

Drainage Channel (R1h, R1j, R5, R6 and R7)

8.5.50 The major habitat of this type within the assessment area is Tuen Mun River Channel (TMRC) running almost in parallel to Tuen Mun Road (Figure 8.1-8.2) which is labelled as R7 in water network N3. R1h is channelized sections of watercourses at downstream of R1g and R1f, while R1j is a very short section currently used as village drainage. R5 and R6 are isolated channel sections located at Tsz Tin Road, which receives water from R2a-c, R3a-b, and R4b-d through some underground drainage systems. Apart from R7 located in N3, all other identified drainage channels are located downstream of water network N1-2. No major vegetation coverage was found except some weeds or self-seed pioneers growing from cracks or climbing on the concrete banks such as Bidens alba, Brachiaria mutica, Leucaena leucocephala, Mikania micrantha, Paspalum conjugatum, Panicum maximum and Sporobolus fertilis.

8.5.51 A total of 38 floral species were identified but none of them were species of conservation interest.

Pond

8.5.52 Totally four pond areas were identified within the assessment area. Three small ponds were identified near Tsing Chuen Wai, which comprise two irrigation ponds and one abandoned fishpond. One tiny fung shui pond probably maintained for religious belief was identified within a grave area enclosed by village houses near Tsz Tin Road. A total of 11 floral species were found along the pond bunds and none of them were species of conservation interest. Common species include Alternanthera philoxeroides, Brachiaria mutica, Gnaphalium pensylvanicum, Ipomoea aquatica and Panicum maximum.

Village / Orchard

8.5.53 This refers to habitat constituted by mixture of rural village areas and orchards in mosaic pattern, with some scattered agricultural lands. Therefore, vegetation includes mainly fruit trees and self-seeded native pioneers, such as Artocarpus heterophyllus, Averrhoa carambola, Bridelia tomentosa, Carica papaya, Celtis sinensis, Clausena lansium, Dimocarpus longan, Eriobotrya japonica, Litchi chinensis, Manilkara zapota, Musa x paradisiaca, Psidium guajava, Sterculia nobilis and Syzygium jambos.

8.5.54 Totally 179 floral species were recorded in this habitat, in which Aquilaria sinensis was one species of conservation interest. Four individuals of Aquilaria sinensis were found at area north of the private residential estate Villa Pinada.

Village Area

8.5.55 This refers to rural residential areas with much higher building density than village / orchard and most of the ground areas have been paved without major vegetation cover. It also included some paved open storage area.

8.5.56 Totally 112 floral species were recorded in this habitat but none of them were species of conservation interest. Common plants include Alocasia macrorrhizos, Bidens alba, Carica papaya, Ipomoea cairica, Leucaena leucocephala, Macaranga tanarius, Mikania micrantha, Paederia scandens, Panicum maximum and Wedelia trilobata.

Urban Area

8.5.57 This is the largest (258.8ha) habitat type dominating almost the south-eastern half of the assessment area, which comprises mainly residential built-up areas and associated infrastructures as well as some active construction sites and wastelands. Vegetation in this habitat therefore are mainly roadside amenity planting, isolated landscape planting within built-up areas and self-seeded weeds.

8.5.58 A total of 115 floral species were identified. Some common recorded plants include Aglaia odorata, Aleurites moluccana, Archontophoenix alexandrae, Bauhinia blakeana, Bidens alba, Calliandra haematocephala, Duranta erecta, Fagraea ceilanica, Ficus microcarpa, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Imperata cylindrica, Ipomoea cairica, Ixora stricta, Leucaena leucocephala, Melaleuca cajuputi, Mikania micrantha, Panicum maximum, Peltophorum tonkinense, Plumeria rubra, Roystonea regia, Schefflera arboricola and Wedelia trilobata. Two trees of Pyrenaria spectabilis were identified in a fenced off tree protection area in CEDD’s site formation works area for Site 1 & 1A (Agreement No. CV/2015/03) southwest of Po Tong Ha near woodland W2 and tagged as A2487 and A2488 respectively. These two individuals were the records of this species found in SHR PER and HPR PER.

Fauna Community

8.5.59 A total of 65 and 18 fauna species were recorded within the ecological assessment area and the Project Site respectively. Fauna lists of different animal groups are presented in Appendix 8.4. All species of conservation interest are summarized in Table 8.5, with their corresponding locations indicated in Figure 8.1.

Mammals

8.5.60 A total of three mammals were recorded during ecological baseline surveys (Appendix 8.4). Except Eurasian Wild Pig ( Sus scrofa), the other two are species of conservation interest, despite they are very common in Hong Kong.

8.5.61 A total of 3 insectivorous bats of Microchiroptera were found flying in village/ orchard area, near a section of semi-natural stream at R1f within Project Site.

8.5.62 A scat of East Asian Porcupine ( Hystrix brachyura) was detected in woodland W3 near natural stream R1e outside the Project Site.

8.5.63 Photographic records of mammal species of conservation interest are captured in Appendix 8.2.

Birds

8.5.64 A total of 29 bird species were recorded (Appendix 8.4). All are common and abundant species in Hong Kong. They are dominated by urban birds including Chinese Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis), Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus), Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus), House Swift (Apus nipalensis), Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) and Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis).

8.5.65 Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is the only bird species of conservation interest observed. Two individuals were standing in the northern section of Tuen Mun Drainage Channel R7, which is surrounded by village area/ orchard rather than by urbanized area as the southern section.

8.5.66 Other 6 bird species of conservation interest recorded by previous studies, i.e. Chinese Pond Heron, Crested Goshawk, Greater Coucal, Chinese Hwamei, Black Kite and Common Buzzard were not detected by current surveys.

8.5.67 Photographic records of bird species of conservation interest are captured in Appendix 8.2.

Herpetofauna

8.5.68 A total of 5 herpetofauna species were recorded (Appendix 8.4). Asian Common Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), Brown Tree Frog (Polypedates megacephalus), Changeable Lizard (Calotes versicolor) and Chinese Gecko (Gekko chinensis) are widely distributed, while Chinese Forest Skink (Ateuchosaurus chinensis) is locally uncommon.

8.5.69 There was no herpetofauna species of conservation importance detected.

Butterflies & Odonates

8.5.70 A total of 12 butterfly species were recorded (Appendix 8.4). All of them are either common or very common species. They are Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe), Common Mormon (Papilio polytes), Common Sailer (Neptis hylas), Dark-brand Bush Brown (Mycalesis mineus), Formosan Swift (Borbo cinnara), Indian Cabbage White (Pieris canidia), Large Faun (Faunis eumeus), Lemon Emigrant (Catopsilia pomona), Pale Grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria maha), Punchinello (Zemeros flegyas), Red-base Jezebel (Delias pasithoe) and Spangle (Papilio protenor).

8.5.71 There was no butterfly species of conservation importance detected.

8.5.72 A total of 8 odonate species were recorded (Appendix 8.4). All are common or abundant in Hong Kong. They are Blue Percher (Diplacodes trivialis), Common Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum glaucum), Common Bluetail ( Ischnura senegalensis), Orange-tailed Midget (Agriocnemis femina), Orange-tailed Sprite (Ceriagrion auranticum), Variegated Flutterer (Rhyothemis variegata), Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) and Yellow Featherlegs (Copera marginipes).

8.5.73 No species of conservation interest was identified.

8.5.74 The damselfly species Ischnura rufostigma was not detected within the assessment area during our field surveys, despite extra efforts have been paid around the recorded location at Tsing Lun Road.

Aquatic Fauna

8.5.75 A total of 2 fish and 7 aquatic invertebrate species were identified (Appendix 8.4) during the ecological baseline surveys. Most of them are common in Hong Kong.

8.5.76 Two endemic freshwater crab species are considered with conservation interest. Three localities with total 5 individuals of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon were detected in semi-natural stream R1f. Four out of 5 individuals from two localities were observed outside the Project Site; while the most downstream one was located within the Project Site. Among the three localities, mating behaviour was observed at the most upstream one (Appendix 8.2).

8.5.77 A total of 12 Somanniathelphusa zanklon from four localities were observed outside the Project Site. Four of them were detected at the recorded locality at the natural stream R1a; 5 were detected from two localities in semi-natural stream R1f; while another 3 were observed from one locality at semi-natural stream R1g near Villa Pinada.

8.5.78 The exotic Mosquito Fish (Gambusia affinis), Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Apple Snail (Pomacea canaliculata) are highly invasive to local aquatic community.

Table 8.5 - Faunal Species of Conservation Interest

Species	Quantity (Offsite Record)	Quantity (Onsite Record)	Total Quantity	Remarks (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
(a) Mammal
Insectivorous Bat of Microchiroptera	0	3 - 3 flying in village/orchard	3	- Scheduled under Cap 170; - Flying over and no roosting site detected
East Asian Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura)	1 - 1 in woodland (W3)	0	1	- Scheduled under Cap 170
Bird
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)	2 - 2 in drainage channel	0	2	- Scheduled under Cap 170; - Locally common; - Regional Concern
Aquatic Fauna
Cryptopotamon anacoluthon Cryptopotamon anacoluthon	4 4 in semi-natural stream of N1 (from 2 localities)	1 - 1 in semi-natural stream of N1 (from 1 localities)	5	- Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) species under IUCN Red List - Endemic; - Potential Global Concern
Somanniathelphusa zanklon Somanniathelphusa zanklon	12 - 8 in semi-natural stream of N1; 4 in natural stream of N1 (from 4 localities)	0	12	- Ranked as Endangered (EN) species under IUCN Red List - Endemic; - Global Concern
Reference source:      (1) Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) (2) Wild animals to watch: terrestrial and freshwater fauna of conservation concern in Hong Kong (Fellowes et al, 2002) (3) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/) (4) Distribution, habitat utilisation and conservation status of the freshwater crab, Somanniathelphusa zanklon , endemic to Hong Kong (Stanton and Leven, 2016) (5) Distribution of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon, a freshwater crab endemic to Hong Kong (Stanton et al., 2017)

8.6 Ecological Evaluation

8.6.1 Evaluation of the identified habitats and species of conservation interest are given in the tables below:

Table 8.6 - Habitat Evaluation – Woodland (Mixed Woodland)

Criteria	Woodland (Mixed Woodland) (W1)	Woodland (Mixed Woodland) (W3)	Woodland (Mixed Woodland) (W4)
Naturalness	Mixed woodland (mixture of plantation woodland and secondary woodland). Semi-natural habitat, originated from artificial plantation woodland.
Size	Small (1.5ha)	Large (27.2ha)	Medium (9.6ha)
Diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity	Medium-low in flora species and low in fauna species diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity
Rarity	Habitat type is fairly common in Hong Kong. The recorded Aquilaria sinensis is a plant species of conservation interest, which is a common species in Hong Kong. No rare faunal species were identified. Chinese Hwamei (Garrulax canorus) was identified from literature review and it is a common bird species in Hong Kong.	Habitat type is fairly common in Hong Kong. Aquilaria sinensis, Diospyros vaccinioides, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Geodorum densiflorum were the four recorded floral species of conservation interest, of which Aquilaria sinensis, Diospyros vaccinioides are common in Hong Kong, while Pyrenaria spectabilis and Geodorum densiflorum are restricted species in the territory. East Asian Porcupine is mammal species of conservation interest, but it is very common in Hong Kong. Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) was identified from literature review, which is a common bird species in Hong Kong.	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded
Re-creativity	Re-creatable from artificial origin of plantation woodland if time is given for natural colonization of secondary woodland species
Fragmentation	Low fragmentation	Low fragmentation	Low fragmentation
Ecological Linkage	Ecologically linked with adjacent woodland W2	Ecologically linked with adjacent woodland W2, natural streams and shrub-grasslands	Ecologically linked with adjacent shrub-grasslands
Potential Value	The habitat value is limited by its small size and the surrounding developed areas	Certain areas of W3 was observed under constant human disturbance such as burning and vegetation clearance / grass trimming for grave-sweeping activities and construction of new graves; The habitat value could be enhanced with higher maturity of the native secondary woodland plant species	The habitat value could be enhanced with higher maturity of the native secondary woodland plant species
Nursery / Breeding Ground	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	Moderate; Over 30 years	Moderate; Over 30 years	Moderate; Over 30 years
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Low	Low	Low
Overall Ecological Value	Low	Medium	Medium-Low
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.7 - Habitat Evaluation – Woodland (Mature Secondary Wood)

Criteria	Woodland (Mature Secondary Wood) (W2)
Naturalness	Largely natural with sign of early human modification indicated by the presence of fruit trees and ornamentals
Size	Small (2.7ha)
Diversity	Medium-low in flora diversity and low in fauna species diversity
Rarity	Mature secondary woodland with high abundance of Fung Shui wood-restricted species is uncommon in Hong Kong; Six floral species of conservation interest were identified, including Aquilaria sinensis, Camellia crapnelliana, Diospyros vaccinioides, Gleditsia australis, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Rhodoleia championii. Of which Aquilaria sinensis, Diospyros vaccinioides are common species in Hong Kong, while Pyrenaria spectabilis is a restricted species. Gleditsia australis is rare species while Camellia crapnelliana and Rhodoleia championii are very rare in Hong Kong. No rare faunal species were identified. Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) was identified from literature review and it is a common bird species in Hong Kong.
Re-creativity	Difficult to be re-created.
Fragmentation	Low fragmentation
Ecological Linkage	Ecologically linked with adjacent woodlands W1 and W3
Potential Value	High
Nursery / Breeding Ground	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	Mature; Over 60 years
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Low
Overall Ecological Value	High
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.8 - Habitat Evaluation – Secondary Woodland and Plantation Woodland

Criteria	Woodland (Secondary Woodland) (W5)	Woodland (Plantation Woodland) (W6)	Woodland (Plantation Woodland) (W7)
Naturalness	Largely natural, with sign of human modification indicated by the presence of fruit trees and ornamentals	Modified habitat originated from abandoned orchard	Artificial habitat for landscaping of natural terrains
Size	Medium (10.2ha)	Medium (19.2ha)	Small (0.3ha)
Diversity	Medium-low in flora diversity and low in fauna species diversity	Medium-low in flora diversity and low in fauna species diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity
Rarity	Habitat type is common in Hong Kong. The recorded Aquilaria sinensis is a plant species of conservation interest, which is a common species in Hong Kong. No rare faunal species were identified.	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded
Re-creativity	Requires long time to be re-created by woodland restoration	Requires long time to be re-created by woodland restoration	Re-created by afforestation
Fragmentation	Moderately fragmented by roads, and shrub-grassland maintained by frequent hill fires.	Low fragmentation	Low fragmentation (but presence as isolated small woodland patches within assessment area)
Ecological Linkage	Ecologically linked with adjacent shrub-grassland	No significant ecological linkage was identified	No significant ecological linkage was identified
Potential Value	The habitat value could be enhanced with higher maturity	The habitat value could be enhanced with higher maturity	Current potential value is low due to monoculture of exotic plantation species
Nursery / Breeding Ground	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	Moderate; Over 30 years	Moderate; Around 40 years	Young; Around 20-30 years
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Low	Low	Low
Overall Ecological Value	Medium	Low	Low
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.9 - Habitat Evaluation – Shrub-grassland, Landscape Plantation and Agricultural Land

Criteria	Shrub-grassland	Landscape Plantation	Agricultural Land
Naturalness	Semi-natural, some of its area is maintained by human induced hill fires.	Artificial habitat for urban amenity and landscaping of built-up areas	Artificial habitat for crop production
Size	Large (62.3ha)	Medium (7.5ha)	Medium (3.6ha)
Diversity	Low in both floral and faunal species diversity	Low in both floral and faunal species diversity	Low in both floral and faunal species diversity
Rarity	Habitat type is very common in Hong Kong. Aquilaria sinensis and Diospyros vaccinioides, were floral species of conservation interest, but both are common species in Hong Kong. No rare faunal species were identified.	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded
Re-creativity	Re-creatable by active planting of suitable species	Readily re-creatable	Readily re-creatable
Fragmentation	No fragmentation	Low fragmentation	Low fragmentation, but distribution scattered
Ecological Linkage	Ecological linked with adjacent woodlands and natural streams	No significant ecological linkage was identified	No significant ecological linkage was identified
Potential Value	Potential value could be enhanced with natural habitat succession and cease of hill fires	Low due to prominent human disturbance	Low due to prominent human disturbance
Nursery / Breeding Ground	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	Moderate; Over 30 years	Young; Around 15 years	Young; Around 10-20 years
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Low	Low	Low
Overall Ecological Value	Low	Low	Low
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.10 - Habitat Evaluation – Natural Streams

Criteria	Natural Streams (R1a-e, R1k in Water Network N1)	Natural Streams (R2a-b, R2d, R3a-b, R4a and R5a in Water Network N2)
Naturalness	Natural rocky streams, with continuous waterflow during wet season	Natural rocky streams; without waterflow (R2a-b, R2d, R3a-b, R5a) during both wet and dry season in 2018, except stream R4a in which waterflow was observed at wet season in 2018
Size	Small area with medium length (0.7ha; of total length 1,812m)	Small area with medium length (0.4ha; of total length 2,568m)
Diversity	Low in both floral and faunal species diversity	Low in both floral and faunal species diversity
Rarity	Habitat type is common in Hong Kong. The recorded floral species of conservation interest, Nepenthes mirabilis is a common species in Hong Kong. An endemic crab species Somanniathelphusa zanklon was recorded.	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded
Re-creativity	Upland rocky streams are difficult to be re-created	Upland rocky streams are difficult to be re-created
Fragmentation	No fragmentation	Low fragmentation
Ecological Linkage	Ecological linked with adjacent woodlands and shrub-grasslands	Ecological linked with adjacent woodlands
Potential Value	Potential value is high, particularily stream R1a where a large quantity of Nepenthes mirabilis a floral species of conservation interest and a locality of Somanniathelphusa zanklon an endemic crab species were identified.	Low, indicated by the poor hydrological condition of these streams (except R4a which had waterflow during wet season, all other streams in this network had no waterflow throughout both wet and dry season of the year 2018.)
Nursery / Breeding Ground	Potential breeding site for the endemic crab Somanniathelphusa zanklon	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	No information	No information
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Medium-low	Low
Overall Ecological Value	Medium	Low
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.11 - Habitat Evaluation – Semi-natural Stream

Criteria	Semi-natural Stream (R1f, R1g and R1i Water Network N1)	Semi-natural Stream (R2c, R4b, R4c and R4d in Water Network N2)
Naturalness	Semi-natural lowland watercourse, with slight to moderate human modifications for drainage, agricultural or geotechnical stability purposes	Semi-natural lowland watercourse, with slight to moderate human modifications for drainage, agricultural or geotechnical stability purposes
Size	Small area with medium length (0.5ha; of total length 1,620m): - R1f: 0.4ha (812m in length) - R1g: 0.1ha (716m in length) - R1i: 0.0ha (130m²; 92m in length)	Small area and short in length (0.2ha; of total length 616m)
Diversity	Low in both floral and faunal species diversity	Low in both floral and faunal species diversity
Rarity	Moderately common habitat, but declining due to continuous channelization works for drainage and flood control of the territory. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) identified from literature review is a common bird species in Hong Kong. Two endemic crab species Somanniathelphusa zanklon and Cryptopotamon anacoluthon were recorded in R1f and R1g.	Moderately common habitat, but declining due to continuous channelization works for drainage and flood control of the territory; and no rare species recorded
Re-creativity	Lowland watercourse could be re-created by habitat restoration or re-creation	Lowland watercourse could be re-created by habitat restoration or re-creation
Fragmentation	No fragmentation	Low fragmentation
Ecological Linkage	Ecological linked with natural stream at their upper courses	Ecological linked with natural stream at their upper courses
Potential Value	Potential value is limited by the prominent human disturbance, in particular water pollution by direct domestic discharge and/or chemical discharge.	Low, due to prominent human disturbance, in particular water pollution by direct domestic discharge and/or chemical discharge and small size of the habitat
Nursery / Breeding Ground	R1f and R1g are potential breeding site for the endemic crab Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	No information	No information
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Low	Low
Overall Ecological Value	Medium-low (for R1f and R1g); Low (for R1i)	Low
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.12 - Habitat Evaluation – Drainage Channel and Pond

Criteria	Drainage Channel (R1h, R1j, R5, R6 and R7)	Pond
Naturalness	Wholly artificial habitat for drainage and flood control	Artificial habitat for agricultural/irrigation uses or fung shui purpose
Size	Medium area with long length (3.9ha; 4,540m in total length)	Small (0.2ha)
Diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity
Rarity	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded; Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) was recorded and it is a common species in Hong Kong. Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus) identified from literature review is a very common species in Hong Kong.	Common habitat; and no rare species recorded
Re-creativity	Readily re-creatable	Readily re-creatable
Fragmentation	No fragmentation	No fragmentation
Ecological Linkage	No significant ecological linkage was identified	No significant ecological linkage was identified
Potential Value	The habitat value is limited due to completely artificial structure and prominent water pollution	Low due to small size and human disturbance
Nursery / Breeding Ground	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	TMRC was established in 1970s and is around 50 years; while others are recently constructed in around 10-20 years	No relevant information
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Low	Low
Overall Ecological Value	Low	Low
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.13 - Habitat Evaluation – Village/Orchard, Village Area and Urban Area

Criteria	Village/Orchard	Village Area	Urban Area
Naturalness	Artificial habitat, with scattered village houses, orchards and some small agricultural lands	Artificial habitat, comprising mainly rural residential areas	Wholly artificial habitat, dominating by highly urbanized land uses
Size	Large (28.2ha)	Large (90.0ha)	Large (258.8ha)
Diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity	Low in both flora and fauna species diversity
Rarity	Common habitat and no rare species recorded. The recorded Aquilaria sinensis is a plant species of conservation interest, which is a common species in Hong Kong. Insectivorous bat was recorded but the species is unknown. Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus), Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus), Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) and Chinese Hwamei (Garrulax canorus) were identified from literature review. Except Crested Goshawk is uncommon, all the others are common species in Hong Kong.	Common habitat and no rare species recorded.	Common habitat and no rare species recorded; The recorded Pyrenaria spectabilis is a floral species of conservation interest with restricted distribution in Hong Kong. The species was identified in a tree protection area in a construction site; The single individual of Ischnura rufostigma collected at a road junction is a rare damselfly species.
Re-creativity	Re-creatable	Re-creatable	Readily re-creatable
Fragmentation	No fragmentation	No fragmentation	N/A
Ecological Linkage	No significant ecological linkage was identified	No significant ecological linkage was identified	No significant ecological linkage
Potential Value	Low, due to human disturbance and anticipated further village development	Low, due to much higher human disturbance than village / orchard	Low, due to heavy urbanization
Nursery / Breeding Ground	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites	No recorded nursery / breeding sites
Age	Over 60 years	Range from 10-40 years	Over 50 years
Abundance/ Richness of wildlife	Low	Low	Low
Overall Ecological Value	Low	Negligible	Negligible
Note: the ranking order of overall ecological value of habitat: High, Medium-High, Medium, Medium-Low, Low, Negligible

Table 8.14 - Evaluation of Floral Species of Conservation Interest

Species	Location	Conservation / Protection Status (1) (4) (5)	Distribution (1) (2) (3)	Rarity (3)
Aquilaria sinensis	- Onsite Record: 3 (in woodland) - Offsite Record: 56 (48 in woodland; 4 in shrub-grassland and 4 in village/orchard)	- Listed in AFCD’s Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Near Threatened (NT) status in mainland China; - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586); - Recorded in China Plant Red Data Book and Illustration of Rare & Endangered Plant in Guangdong Province; - Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) under IUCN Red List	Common in Hong Kong	Common
Camellia crapnelliana	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 14 (in woodland)	- Listed in AFCD’s Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Vulnerable (VU) status in mainland China; - Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Recorded in China Plant Red Data Book; - Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) under IUCN Red List	Mount Parker, Mau Ping	Very Rare
Diospyros vaccinioides	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 6 (2 in woodland and 4 in shrub-grassland)	- No protection status in Hong Kong; - Ranked as Critically Endangered (CR) under IUCN Red List	Common in Hong Kong	Very Common
Geodorum densiflorum	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 5 (in woodland)	- Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586); - Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) in The Wild Orchards of Hong Kong	Wong Nai Chung, Aberdeen, Sai Kung	Restricted
Gleditsia australis	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 1 (in woodland)	- No protection status in Hong Kong	Tai Hang, Wong Nai Chung, Tai Wai, Tai Po	Rare
Nepenthes mirabilis	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 28 (in stream)	- Listed in AFCD’s Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Vulnerable (VU) status in mainland China; - Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586)	Tai Lam Chung, So Kwun Wat, Castle Peak, Lantau Island; Common in Hong Kong	Common
Pyrenaria spectabilis	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 26 (24 in woodland; and 2 in urban area)	- Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.)	Hong Kong Island, Ma On Shan, Tao Po, Kwai Tau Leng, Wu Kau Tang, Lantau Island	Restricted
Rhodoleia championii	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 1 (in woodland)	- Listed in AFCD’s Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong, of Vulnerable (VU) status in mainland China; - Scheduled under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.); - Listed as Lower Risk/Least Concern (LC) in IUCN Red List	Mount Nicholson, Mount Cameron, Aberdeen	Very Rare
Reference source:      (1) Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong (Online version at http://www.herbarium.gov.hk/PublicationsPreface.aspx?BookNameId=1&ContentId=48&SectionId=3) (2) Flora of Hong Kong Vol 1-4 (AFCD, 2007-2011); (3) Hong Kong Vascular Plants: Distribution and Status (Corlett et al, 2000) (4) The Wild Orchards of Hong Kong (Barretto et al, 2011) (5) IUCN Red List (Online version at http://www.iucnredlist.org/)

Table 8.15 - Evaluation of Faunal Species (Mammal) of Conservation Interest

Species	Location	Conservation / Protection Status (1)	Distribution (1) (2)	Rarity (1) (2) (3)
East Asian Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura)	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 1 (in woodland)	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Very widely distributed in countryside areas throughout Hong Kong, except for Lantau Island	Very common; Potential Global Concern
Insectivorous Bat of Microchiroptera	Onsite Record: 3 -(in village/ orchard) - Offsite record: none	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170)	Species identification is unable to be made by direct observation at present surveys.	N/A
Reference source:      (1)  Hong Kong Biodiversity Database (AFCD, 2020) (2) A Field Guide to the Terrestrial Mammals of Hong Kong (Shek, 2006) (3) Wild animals to watch: terrestrial and freshwater fauna of conservation concern in Hong Kong (Fellowes et al, 2002)

Table 8.16 - Evaluation of Faunal Species (Bird) of Conservation Interest

Species	Location	Conservation / Protection Status (1) (2)	Distribution (2)	Rarity (2) (3)
Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus)	This species was identified in previous studies, but not observed in current surveys. - Onsite Record: 1 (in drainage channel recorded from literature review) - Offsite record: 1 (in village/orchard recorded from literature review)	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Widely distributed	Common; Potential Regional Concern
Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus)	This species was identified in previous studies, but not observed in current surveys. - Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 1 (in village/orchard)	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Widely distributed in woodlands and shrublands throughout Hong Kong	Uncommon; Rare in China Red Data Book
Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)	This species was identified in previous studies, but not observed in current surveys. - Onsite Record: 1 (in woodland) - Offsite record: 4 (2 in woodland; 1 in village/orchard; and 1 in village area)	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Widely distributed	Common; Vulnerable (VU) in China Red Data Book
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)	- Onsite Record: 1 (recorded in semi-natural stream from previous studies) - Offsite record: 3 (3 in drainage channel, of which 2 records from current surveys; and another one from previous studies)	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Widely distributed in coastal area throughout Hong Kong	Common; Potential Regional Concern
Chinese Hwamei (Garrulax canorus)	This species was identified in previous studies, but not observed in current surveys. - Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 2 (1 in woodland; 1 in village/orchard)	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) - Scheduled under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Widely distributed in hillside shrubland throughout Hong Kong.	Common resident
Black Kite (Milvus migrans)	There were observations of this species reported from literature review, but no exact locations were indicated	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) - Scheduled under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap 586) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Widely distributed in Hong Kong; Natural range includes Palearctic, Ethiopian, Oriental and Australasian zoogeographical regions	Common; Regional Concern
Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicas)	There were observations of this species reported from literature review, but no exact locations were indicated	- Scheduled under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) - Scheduled under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap 586) - Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Widely distributed in Hong Kong	Common
Reference source:      (1)  All wild birds are protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) (2) Hong Kong Biodiversity Database (AFCD, 2020) (3) Wild animals to watch: terrestrial and freshwater fauna of conservation concern in Hong Kong (Fellowes et al, 2002)

Table 8.17 - Evaluation of Odonate Species of Conservation Interest

Species	Location	Conservation / Protection Status (1)	Distribution (2) (3)	Rarity (2)
Ischnura rufostigma	This species was identified from literature review, but not observed in current surveys. - Onsite Record: 1 (in urban area recorded from literature review) - Offsite record: none	- Ranked as Least Concern (LC) species under IUCN Red List	Recorded in Fanling, Ho Chung and Kam Tin; Burma, China, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam	Rare
Reference source:      (1) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/) (2) Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Hong Kong (Wilson et al., 2004) (3) The Dragonflies of Hong Kong (Tam et al., 2011)

Table 8.18 - Evaluation of Faunal Species (Aquatic Fauna) of Conservation Interest

Species	Location	Conservation /Protection Status (1)	Distribution (2) (3)	Rarity (2) (3) (4)
Cryptopotamon anacoluthon (Cryptopotamon anacoluthon)	- Onsite Record: 1 (from 1 locality) in semi-natural stream - Offsite record: 4 (from 2 localities) in semi-natural stream	- Ranked as Vulnerable (VU) species under IUCN Red List	Recorded on Hong Kong Island, Lantau and the New Territories	Endemic; Potential Global Concern
Somanniathelphusa zanklon (Somanniathelphusa zanklon)	- Onsite Record: none - Offsite record: 12 (4 in natural stream and 8 in semi-natural stream) (totally 4 localities)	- Ranked as Endangered (EN) species under IUCN Red List	Mainly in the New Territories and sporadically on Lantau	Endemic; Global Concern
Reference source:      (1) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/) (2) Distribution, habitat utilisation and conservation status of the freshwater crab, Somanniathelphusa zanklon , endemic to Hong Kong (Stanton and Leven, 2016) (3) Distribution of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon, a freshwater crab endemic to Hong Kong (Stanton et al., 2017) (4) Wild animals to watch: terrestrial and freshwater fauna of conservation concern in Hong Kong (Fellowes et al, 2002)

8.7 Assessment of Potential Ecological Impacts

8.7.1 The potential ecological impacts arising from the construction and operation of the proposed Project were assessed in accordance with Annexes 8 and 16 of the EIAO-TM.

8.7.2 The proposed Project aims to carry out site formation for subsequent public housing development and construct associated infrastructures to support the proposed public housing development at existing rural residential areas at Hong Po Road and San Hing Road (Details of project description is provided in Chapter 1 and general layout is illustrated in Figures 1.3a-b). The Project Site therefore will cover mainly developed or modified lands, such as village area and village/orchard. In order to support the proposed public housing development, the proposed Road L7 is required at area north Po Tong Ha, which would affect some woodland areas and a few short sections of natural streams in water network N2 (Figure 8.1).

8.7.3 Anticipated ecological impacts arising from the proposed project would include:

· Habitat Loss

· Impact on Floral and Faunal Species of Conservation Interest

· Habitat Fragmentation

· Construction disturbance to sensitive ecological resources

· Operational disturbance to sensitive ecological resources

Habitats Loss

8.7.4 Site clearance and site formation works would cause habitat loss within the PDA. Majority of the habitat loss will occur at area inside the PDA where all the site clearance and formation works are proposed. Those habitats within the Project Site but outside the PDA would only be affected temporarily without any alternation of existing land use or destruction of habitat. The permanent habitat loss area and temporary affected area are illustrated in Figure 8.3. The anticipated extent of habitat loss is summarised in the table below:

Table 8.19 - Summary of Habitat Loss

Habitat	Overall Ecological Value	Permanent Loss (ha)	Temporarily affected (ha)
Woodland (W3)	Medium	1.2	-
Agricultural Land	Low	1.1	-
Natural Stream (in N2)	Low	0.0 (193m^2; 104m in length)	-
Semi-natural Stream (in N1)	Medium-low (R1f) to Low (R1i)	0.1 (1,355 m^2; 356m in length)	0.0 (8m^2;7m in length)
Drainage Channel	Low	0.4 (1,160m in length)	0.0 (220m^2;20m in length)
Village / Orchard	Low	8.0	0.0 (127m^2)
Village Area	Negligible	17.4	0.4
Urban Area	Negligible	0.4	8.7

8.7.5 The ecological value of the affected habitats ranges from medium to negligible (Table 8.19). No habitats of high ecological value are involved.

8.7.6 The affected woodland patch is a portion in W3 located northwest of Po Tong Ha where the proposed Road L7 is to be built. It is also one of the two major grave areas in W3 (another one is located at area north of W2). Grave-sweeping activities such as burning, vegetation clearance and grass trimming, particularly during Ching Ming and Chung Yeung Festivals around this affected portion are the major human disturbance. The affected portion was also a typical low-quality woodland type indicated by the dominance of exotics such as Eucalyptus species, Lophostemon confertus and Melaleuca cajuputi. As indicated in Figure 8.1, the Project Site for road alignment of Road L7 is largely proposed at the edge of the woodland to reduce the affected size of the habitat, and avoid direct conflict with the localities of floral species of conservation interest Pyrenaria spectabilis and majority (over 10 individuals) of Aquilaria sinensis around Po Tong Ha, including the mature specimen of the species mentioned in Section 8.5. Under the current alignment, only three individuals of Aquilaria sinensis would require removal due to unavoidable direct conflict with the proposed works (for the proposed road L7). All are young individuals (Appendix 8.2, Plates D3-6) and one of them was found in poor health condition due to the topping of the main trunk and loss of its whole canopy (Appendix 8.2, Plates D5-6). No mature trees of the species will be affected. The wildlife utilisation of this woodland patch was found to be low. A Greater Coucal observed at the edge of the affected woodland portion in previous studies is a highly mobile bird species which can utilise various habitats in the immediate vicinity, and it was not observed again in current surveys. Taking into account the limited affected size (1.2ha) which is only a tiny proportion of the woodland, the affected location at woodland fringe, the presence of human disturbance and the low habitat quality of the affected area, the impact significance of loss of this woodland patch is anticipated to be minor.

8.7.7 Two sections of semi-natural streams (i.e. R1i and part of R1f) are located within the proposed HPR Site. R1i is a very short and small watercourse located at upstream of the concrete drainage channel R1j. R1i is considered to be of low ecological importance due to its limited size (0.01ha) and absence of species of conservation interest. R1f is one of the two major semi-natural streams (another one is R1g north of SHR Site) found in water network N1 (Plate D7-12 of Appendix 8.2). Part of R1f (about 264m) falls within the Project Site Boundary at HPR Site, with sections of about 380m and 176m outside the Project Site Boundary at its upper section and lower section, respectively. Little egret was observed at the semi-natural stream R1f in previous studies but not observed in current surveys (Little Egret was identified in current surveys, but the recorded location is at an offsite drainage channel R7). This species is common in Hong Kong and highly mobile and anticipated able to utilise other readily available alternative habitats within the vicinity, such as other offsite semi-natural streams at R1g; as well as drainage channel TMRC and those ponds near Ng Lau Road.

I. Discussion on Findings of Semi-natural Stream at R1f and Engineering Constraints

Loss of the semi-natural stream at R1f would cause impact on two crab species of conservation interest Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon as localities of the species were identified at an upper section of R1f. The original development layout requires destruction of all watercourses within the Project Site Boundary, including the whole onsite section of R1f of about 472m in length with the records of the two crab species and modified it into underground culverts. Taking into account the ecological baseline findings about the crabs, effort on impact avoidance and minimisation was carefully considered by the project team. As discussed in Section 2.3, the option of avoidance of the whole R1f within the PDA boundary is found to be infeasible due to the following three key engineering constraints.

1. As indicated in Figure 8.1 and other relevant figures, R1f cuts across the HPR Site. As the Site will be divided into two separate parts, at least 3 proposed housing blocks and the PTI would be affected and cannot be relocated to other parts of the Project Site. These housing blocks and PTI are essential construction items necessary for the development.

2. Secondly, retaining the whole R1f would inevitably cause disconnection of the proposed internal roads and associated utilities due to the position of R1f running across the Site.

3. Thirdly, the proposed site formation level is below the existing watercourse of R1f. As a result, for the implementation of the development, completely avoidance of the whole onsite section of R1f becomes impractical.

II. Retainment and Enhancement of Ecologically Sensitive Section of R1f

For achieving a better balance between the proposed housing development and nature conservation, impact minimisation measure by reducing the habitat loss of R1f is proposed. In the updated development layout, the most ecologically sensitive upper section of the semi-natural stream R1f (of about 208m in length) with direct connection to the offsite upstream and records of the two crab species is proposed to be retained by excluding from the Project Site Boundary to avoid the direct disturbance to the crabs and also habitat loss of upper section of the semi-natural stream. This retained section will be excluded from the Project Site Boundary (Figure 8.1b and 8.3b). The remaining onsite section of R1f of about 264m length and other drainage channels within the Project Site will be unavoidably diverted to proposed box culvert and connected to TMRC downstream under the latest drainage scheme due to aforementioned engineering constraints. Nevertheless, the affected lower section of the semi-natural stream R1f is less ecologically sensitive owing to the increasing human disturbance. This recommended measure can avoid all the two identified localities of Somanniathelphusa zanklon and majority of the localities of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon (affected localities reduced from 3 to 1). The retention of the upper course can also preserve the direct physical and ecological linkage with the natural streams of R1a and R1b through the offsite upper section of R1f.

Apart from the direct preservation of the sensitive upper section, a buffer zone of minimum 6m alongside the southern bank of this preserved semi-natural stream section will be provided for better protection. Taking in account the existence of human disturbance and avoidance of the sensitive upper section with records of the crab species, the overall impact significance of loss of these modified semi-natural streams is anticipated to be minor. A further lower section of R1f of about 176m length is located south of the HPR Site. As it is located outside the Project Site, it will be wholly retained.

The R1i and R1j will be diverted by drainage pipes to convey the upstream water flow from R1e to downstream portion of R1f (outside the HPR Site) and ultimately discharging to TMRC through existing R1h and underground box culvert.

Installation of a short section of fresh water mains to the village house is proposed along the existing footbridge over a short upstream section (8m², 7m in length) of R1f north of and outside of HPR site. The proposed works will be undertaken within the village/orchard habitat and to be laid along the footbridge without direct impact to the existing stream of R1f.

8.7.8 All other affected habitats are of ecological value ranging from low to negligible. Affected natural stream sections in water network N2 including R2a-b and R3a-b are of low ecological value, and small in size (Table 8.19) without any records of species of conservation interest. There were insectivorous bats observed at an area of village/orchard near the semi-natural stream R1f, they were flying over but not relied on this modified habitat type within the project footprint. The overall impact significance of loss of these habitats with low ecological value is anticipated to be minor. The affected onsite section of R2a-b and R3a-b will be changed to underground culverts for the construction of the proposed Road L7 on their above. No indirect habitat loss to these watercourses is anticipated.

8.7.9 The affected agricultural land and drainage channel are limited in size and of low ecological value. The overall impact significance of loss of these two habitats is anticipated to be minor. Though a Chinese Pond Heron was identified in a drainage channel section at downstream of R1g from previous studies, the affected section is limited in size, and similar to other ardeids, this bird species is highly mobile and able to utilise other readily alternative same type of habitats which are readily available in the close vicinity at TMRC and its tributaries.

8.7.10 Village area and urban area are completely artificial habitats of negligible ecological value and the impact significance of their loss is anticipated to be insubstantial. Though one individual of Ischnura rufostigma was identified in habitat of developed and disturbed urban area from literature review, this species was reported to be found in ponds and agricultural fields, rather than urban area which is not a typical habitat for this species. In fact, the related urban area at Tsing Lun Road are located outside the PDA and will only be temporarily affected without any habitat alternation (Figure 8.3).

8.7.11 The summary of ecological impact evaluation of habitat loss is given below:

Table 8.20 - Potential Ecological Impact of Habitat Loss

Criteria
Woodland (W3)
Habitat Quality	Habitat of overall medium ecological value; the affected portion however, is a low-quality habitat patch, and regularly disturbed by grave-sweeping activities
Species	1 floral species of conservation interest Aquilaria sinensis was recorded; Greater Coucal was identified in previous studies but not observed in current surveys
Size	Small: 1.2ha
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Agricultural Land
Habitat Quality	Habitat of low ecological value
Species	No species conservation interest was recorded
Size	Small: 1.1ha
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Natural Stream (N2) – R2a, R2b, R3a and R3b
Habitat Quality	Habitat of low ecological value; no waterflow during both wet and dry seasons in 2018
Species	No species of conservation interest
Size	Small: 0ha (193m²; 104m in length)
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Semi-natural Stream (N1) – R1f and R1i
Habitat Quality	R1f: Habitat of medium-low ecological value R1i: Habitat of low ecological value
Species	Cryptopotamon anacoluthon was identified in the affected section of R1f; Little Egret was identified in R1f from previous studies but not observed in current surveys
Size	Permanent Loss: Small: 0.1ha (1225 m²; 264m) of R1f; 0ha (130m²; 92m) of R1i Temporary Affected: Small: 0.0ha (8m²; 7m) of R1f
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods (8m² temporarily affected section will only be impacted during construction period)
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor (Permanent Loss) Insubstantial (Temporary Affected)
Drainage Channel
Habitat Quality	Habitat of low ecological value
Species	Chinese Pond Heron was identified from previous studies but not observed in current surveys
Size	Small: 0.4ha (1,160m in length) (permanent loss); Small: 0.0ha (220m², 20m in length) (temporary affected)
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor (Permanent Loss) Insubstantial (Temporary Affected)
Village / Orchard
Habitat Quality	Habitat of low ecological value
Species	An insectivorous bat was observed flying over
Size	Medium: 8.0ha (permanent loss); Small: 0.0ha (127m²) (temporarily affected) (127m² temporarily affected areas will only be impacted during construction period)
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor (Permanent Loss) Insubstantial (Temporary Affected)
Village Area
Habitat Quality	Habitat of negligible ecological value
Species	No species of conservation interest
Size	Medium: 17.4ha (permanent loss); Small: 0.4ha (temporarily affected)
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods (0.4ha temporarily affected areas will only be impacted during construction period)
Reversibility	Irreversible (Reversible for the temporarily affected areas)
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Insubstantial
Urban Area
Habitat Quality	Habitat of negligible ecological value
Species	One single record of Ischnura rufostigma was identified within the temporarily affected area. Urban area however is not the typical habitat for the species
Size	Small: 0.4ha (permanent loss); Medium: 8.7ha (temporarily affected)
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods (8.7ha temporarily affected areas will only be impacted during construction period)
Reversibility	Reversible due to urbanized land use in nature
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Insubstantial
Note: the rating order of overall ecological impact severity: Severe, Severe-Moderate, Moderate, Moderate-Minor, Minor, and Insubstantial

Impact on Floral Species of Conservation Interest

Aquilaria sinensis

8.7.12 Most of the localities of the species were located outside the Project Site boundary and can be preserved onsite throughout the implementation of the Project, but three individuals were found falling within the Project Site boundary at woodland W3 near Po Tong Ha. Removal would be required for the necessary site clearance and formation works for the proposed Road L7.

8.7.13 All are young individuals, comprising one sapling of about 1.8m in height, one seedling of 0.3m in height and one young but dying tree of about 1.4m in height (the tree was topped and leaving a trunk with 1.4m height). Photographic records of the affected individuals are given in Plate D3-6 of Appendix 8.2.

8.7.14 This species is locally common in Hong Kong, but the population of the mature individuals is under threats of illegal felling or cutting for collection of resin (Chen-Xiang). Young trees and seedlings are still common and not under particular threat at the moment. This condition had been reported in AFCD’s newsletter Hong Kong Biodiversity No. 7 and the recently released Incense Tree Species Action Plan 2018-2022.

8.7.15 Taking into account the small affected quantity (3 individuals), the young state of the affected plants of the species (with one of them in extreme poor condition), the removal impact is anticipated to be minor.

Table 8.21 - Potential Ecological Impact on Floral Species of Conservation Interest

Criteria
Aquilaria sinensis
Species	A common species but its mature individuals under threat of illegal felling/cutting.
Abundance	3 young individuals, comprising 1 sapling, 1 seedling and 1 young tree in poor condition
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Note: the rating order of overall ecological impact severity: Severe, Severe-Moderate, Moderate, Moderate-Minor, Minor, and Insubstantial

Impact on Faunal Species of Conservation Interest

Insectivorous Bat

8.7.16 Three individuals of insectivorous bat were observed at an area of village/orchard near semi-natural stream at R1f. No roosting site/ aggregated colonies were detected within the Project Site, despite potential places for roosting still exist (e.g roofs of old buildings). Unavoidable site clearance works for site formation and construction would result in irreversible reduction of foraging area and some (mainly artificial/ under human management) potential roosting sites. However, this highly mobile species would fly across large continuous patch of woodland and natural watercourse surrounding the Project Site for roosting (e.g. at caves, wooded area, tree holes, etc.); while their occurrence in village/ orchard reflected that they are adaptive to human settlement to some extent for foraging. Therefore, the overall ecological impact to this species is considered to be minor.

Little Egret, Chinese Pond Heron, Greater Coucal

8.7.17 A single individual of each of the three species was detected from previous studies within the Project Site but not observed in current surveys (Little Egret was identified in current surveys, but the recorded location is at an offsite drainage channel). No nest/ egretry were detected. All three bird species have a wide distribution in Hong Kong. Little Egret and Chinese Pond Heron are adaptive to various habitats, from ponds, natural streams, modified watercourse, drainage channel to coastal area. Greater Coucal inhabits in woodland, shrubland and grassland.

8.7.18 Unavoidable site clearance works for site formation and construction would result in irreversible reduction of foraging area. However, this highly mobile species would fly across other available habitats in vicinity. Greater Coucal can utilise the large continuous patch of woodland W1-W3; while Little Egret and Chinese Pond Heron could make use of the whole river networks N1-N3 within the assessment area. For example, Little Egret was observed at the TMRC during current surveys. Therefore, the overall ecological impact to these species is considered to be minor.

Cryptopotamon anacoluthon

8.7.19 Cryptopotamon anacoluthon inhabits rather clear/ unpolluted, fast flowing hill streams, with rocky substratum, leaf litters, and shaded/ wooded riparian habitats, ranging from 8m to 827m (Ng and Dudgeon, 1992; Stanton et al., 2017); despite downstream habitat for this species (as well as many other lowland aquatic species) in Hong Kong are usually fragmented, channelized, piped and polluted under urbanization.

8.7.20 Such situation is also reflected by our observations of its distribution pattern in current surveys. All 5 individuals were detected at three localities in an upper section of semi-natural stream R1f near the northern margin of the HPR Site (with 4 individuals outside and 1 within Project Site). The connected natural streams R1a and R1b keep feeding fresh, clear water to this upper section of R1f. The more channelized and opened section at R1f downstream was already invaded by exotic potential predator Mosquito Fish and Nile Tilapia; and more polluted by direct domestic discharge from village area and chemical discharge from industrial undertakings. Such sub-optimum habitat and predatory pressure would limit Cryptopotamon anacoluthon from the core HPR Site, while the upper section of R1f, natural stream R1a and R1b and the associated continuous woodland and shrub-grassland would be refuge for this population (also possible for upper natural stream/ semi-natural stream network at Chung Shan, see next section). As stated in the discussion of habitat loss, the latest layout has excluded the 208m upper section of R1f to reduce the impact on the crab species localities from 3 to 1 (Figure 8.3b). The whole structure including the banks and bed of the watercourse (Plate D9-10 of Appendix 8.2) at this section will be completely avoided by construction works with ecological enhancement to be conducted as discussed in Section 8.8.12. A 6m buffer zone will be provided along the southern bank of the avoided section for better protection.

8.7.21 With judgement from field observations, habitat requirement of the species, and the avoidance effort for the concerned section of watercourse, ecological impact from development of the Project Site to this species is considered to be minor.

Somanniathelphusa zanklon

8.7.22 Somanniathelphusa zanklon inhabits both lotic lentic, slow-flowing and low-gradient streams with various degrees of stream modification and channelization (Stanton and Leven, 2016). It prefers lowland watercourses or wetland/marsh, with all distribution records below 220m. It is reported as fairly tolerant to organic pollution (Ng and Dudgeon, 1992).

8.7.23 Its better tolerance to organic pollution from domestic discharge in village/ orchard seems explain the higher abundance and more localities of Somanniathelphusa zanklon recorded by current studies against Cryptopotamon anacoluthon; while it is also confined to upper section of semi-natural streams R1f and R1g, with direct observation up to the natural stream R1a. They were observed in microhabitat with slower water flow than the section with Cryptopotamon anacoluthon. However, similar sub-optimum habitat and predatory pressure at the more channelized and opened section at R1f downstream (at core of HPR Site within PDA) made Somanniathelphusa zanklon limited to the upper section rather than the proposed Project Site boundary located downstream. The natural streams R1a and R1b, as well as upper natural stream/ semi-natural stream network north of SHR Site (i.e. R1c, R1d and R1g) would be refuge for this population, despite a lack of more favourable wetland/ marsh habitat available within assessment area (Stanton and Leven, 2016). As stated in the discussion of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon above, the 208m upper section of R1f with the crab localities will be preserved by excluding this section from the Project Site with additional 6m buffer zone along the southern bank to avoid impact on both crab species and the habitat. This adjustment in development layout can avoid the impact on the crab species localities from permanent habitat loss (Figure 8.3b).

8.7.24 With judgement from field observations, habitat requirement of the species, and the avoidance effort for the concerned section of watercourse, ecological impact from development of PDA to this species is considered to be insubstantial.

Ischnura rufostigma

8.7.25 Ischnura rufostigma is a medium-sized damselfly inhabits in slow-flowing stream, marshes and wet fields (Tam et al. 2011). It was once found in Fanling, Ho Chung and Kam Tin, but had not been observed in Hong Kong for a long time since its last record in the 1960s. One individual of this species was reported at a barren field near Tsing Lun Road, Tuen Mun in March 2020 and the species identity was confirmed by AFCD. The collection location of that single individual was in the habitat type of urban area which is also not typical to this species.

8.7.26 As illustrated in Figure 8.1, the road junction at Tsing Lun Road and Tsz Tin Road is solely covered by habitat of urban area. Wet places in nearby area include the concrete drainage channel R6, a small fung shui pond and some narrow irrigation ditches in habitat of village/orchard. However, Ischnura rufostigma was not observed in all these habitats during the current surveys in 2018 and 2020. In fact, no records of this species were observed in natural/semi-natural streams (i.e. R1a-R4b) within the assessment area.

8.7.27 As indicated in Figures 1.4 and 1.5, the road junction situates outside the PDA without any major development works, but will only minor axillary engineering works including proposed rising mains, salt water main and re-alignment of traffic lanes of Tsing Lun Road. All these works are small in scale and will be completely within the habitat of urban area which is of low ecological value (Figure 8.1). If there is a chance any adult of Ischnura rufostigma occurs again in this road junction during the construction period, its mobility can avoid those minor works activities. The larvae of this species however, should rely on wetlands which is not present in the recorded location. The drainage channel, ditches in village/orchard habitat and the small fung shui pond are all located outside the Project Site boundary, without any construction activities of the Project. Further taking into account only one single individual was recorded, the potential impact on Ischnura rufostigma due to the implementation of the project is anticipated to be insubstantial.

8.7.28 The proposed works will not alter the habitat type (i.e. urban area) and ecological value of the recorded location and its nearby areas (Figure 8.3). No operation impact on this species is anticipated.

Table 8.22 - Potential Ecological Impact on Faunal Species of Conservation Interest

Criteria
Insectivorous Bat
Species	Commonly observed
Abundance	3 flying over and no roosting site/aggregated colonies detected
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Little Egret
Species	Widely distributed in coastal area throughout Hong Kong
Abundance	1 was observed at the semi-natural stream R1f in previous studies but not observed in current surveys.
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Chinese Pond Heron
Species	Widely distributed in Hong Kong
Abundance	1 was observed at drainage channel R1i in previous studies but not observed in current surveys.
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Greater Coucal
Species	Widely distributed in Hong Kong
Abundance	1 was observed at woodland W3 in previous studies but not observed in current surveys.
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Ischnura rufostigma
Species	Rare; last records were made in 1960s (apart from the rediscovery record in March 2020).
Abundance	1 male was recorded by a member of the public, but not observed in current surveys and other literatures/previous studies
Duration	Throughout the construction period
Reversibility	Reversible
Magnitude	small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Insubstantial
Cryptopotamon anacoluthon
Species	Endemic; recorded on Hong Kong Island, Lantau and the New Territories
Abundance	1 locality observed in the affected section of semi-natural stream R1f (2 localities will be avoided by the retaining of the upper section of R1f)
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Intermediate
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Somanniathelphusa zanklon
Species	Endemic; mainly in the New Territories and sporadically on Lantau
Abundance	All the 2 localities in semi-natural stream R1f will be avoided by the latest project layout; No locality of the species identified in the affected section of R1f
Duration	N/A
Reversibility	N/A
Magnitude	N/A
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Insubstantial
Note: the rating order of overall ecological impact severity: Severe, Severe-Moderate, Moderate, Moderate-Minor, Minor, and Insubstantial

Habitat Fragmentation

8.7.29 The linear alignment of the proposed Road L7 near Po Tong Ha would cause fragmentation impact on woodland W3 as it would cut through the habitat and cause the formation of an isolated woodland patch south of the new road. However, the ecological impact has been largely reduced due to the proposed location at the edge of the woodland rather than core of the habitat. No notable wildlife utilization of the woodland area was observed. There were no nest/ breeding site/ important feeding sites associated with any species of conservation interest. As the isolated patch is limited in size (about 0.8ha) compared with the whole continuous habitat, the integrity of woodland W3 can be maintained (25.4ha of W3, i.e. 93.4% of the original woodland area will be retained) and the fragmentation effect is anticipated to be minor.

8.7.30 Semi-natural streams in network N1 are anticipated to be impacted mainly by direct habitat loss (i.e. sections of R1f fall within Project Site) discussed above rather than fragmentation. Their natural (i.e. the natural stream habitat) and semi-natural (i.e. semi-natural stream) upstream sections (i.e. R1a-g) will be unaffected and able to retain their integrity, while the downstream drainage channel TMRC will be regularly maintained for drainage and flood control function of the area. The overall impact severity for watercourses is anticipated to be insubstantial. Slight fragmentation would occur at semi-natural stream R1f due to about 264m middle section would be permanently changed to underground culvert. However, the 380m (including 172m offsite R1f and that 208m retained section) upper section of the R1f to be retained is the most ecologically sensitive for their higher habitat quality, recorded localities of the two crab species of conservation interest and better ecological linkage with natural streams R1a-b. Further taking into account the lower ecological importance of the offsite downstream and the smaller proportion of this section, the adverse impact on R1f due to fragmentation effect is anticipated to be minor.

8.7.31 No fragmentation impact on other onsite habitats is anticipated since no major fragmented habitats would be produced in other part of the Project Site currently dominated by village areas and village/orchard of low ecological value. The overall impact severity is anticipated to be insubstantial.

Table 8.23 - Potential Ecological Impact of Habitat Fragmentation

Criteria
Woodland (W3)
Habitat Quality	Habitat of medium ecological value; the affected portion however, is a low-quality habitat patch, and regularly disturbed by grave-sweeping activities
Species	No notable wildlife utilization of the woodland area
Size	A small (0.8ha) isolated woodland patch would be formed after the project, but the integrity of the core habitat at size over 25.4ha (93.4%) will be maintained. Furthermore, there are burial grounds within this 0.8ha woodland patch.
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Semi-natural Stream (R1f)
Habitat Quality	Habitat of medium-low ecological value; the affected section is located at the downstream with lower ecological importance
Species	2 localities of each species of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon at the retained upper section; No notable wildlife utilization identified at the retained downstream section
Size	380m of the watercourse retained in upstream; 176m of the watercourse retained in downstream
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Other Habitats (Drainage Channel, Agricultural Land, Village/Orchard, Village Area, Urban Area)
Habitat Quality	Ecological value ranging from low to negligible
Species	No notable wildlife utilization of the relevant habitats
Size	No major isolated habitat of particular ecological value would be formed
Duration	Throughout the construction and operation periods
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Negligible as no significant fragmentation is anticipated
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Insubstantial
Note: the rating order of overall ecological impact severity: Severe, Severe-Moderate, Moderate, Moderate-Minor, Minor, and Insubstantial

Construction Disturbance to Sensitive Ecological Resources

8.7.32 Construction disturbance would cause impact to wildlife and their habitats in the close proximity to the Project Site or in onsite areas proposed to be preserved which are sensitive to human activities, noise, dust or site runoff during the construction period. In terms of plant species and habitat, offsite woodland areas at W3 with distribution of Aquilaria sinensis and Pyrenaria spectabilis are located along the two sides of the proposed Road L7 near Po Tong Ha, and the natural stream (R1a) and semi-natural streams (R1f and R1g) with localities of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon are located upstream of the Project Site near HPR Site and SHR Site. Woodland W2 and the CA zone at Chung Shan will have no direct physical bordering to the Project Site boundary with these habitats and only a very small portion of their boundaries (eastern end of W2 and southern end of the CA zone) facing the Project Site, while majority of their boundary is enclosed by other land uses / habitats.

8.7.33 Potential impacts to these ecological resources would include direct damage to the vegetation, due to uncontrol construction activities such as illegal dumping or stockpiling of construction materials or waste; or indirect adverse disturbance by excessive dust deposition. The preliminary findings from impact assessment on air quality, water quality and waste management in Chapters 4, 6 and 11 of this report suggested that construction disturbance to offsite environments could be properly controlled by recommended good site practices together with clear site demarcation and no residual adverse impact on air quality, water quality and waste is anticipated. The overall unmitigated impact is anticipated to be minor.

8.7.34 In terms of faunal community, the crab species of conservation interest, two localities of Somanniathelphusa zanklon was observed at the offsite upstream of R1a and R1g respectively. As revealed in Water Quality impact Assessment in Chapter 6, water quality of the offsite environments can be properly controlled and no significant residual adverse impact is anticipated. Their upstream locations can further reduce the potential water quality disturbance due to their high elevation and waterflow direction (i.e. water flows away from rather than towards the crab localities). Provided that proper construction activities control on water quality and site demarcation is strictly implemented through good site practice, no significant adverse impact to these offsite crab communities is anticipated.

8.7.35 Due to additional avoidance design in the latest project layout, a section of the semi-natural stream R1f of about 208m in length is proposed to be excluded from the Project Site with provision of 6m buffer zone along the southern bank for watercourse preservation. As this retained section is directly connected with the undisturbed offsite watercourses R1a and R1b, and also located at upstream position, construction disturbance would be similar to those offsite watercourses, given that the mentioned good site practice is well in place. Site runoff, according to standard water quality control measure detailed in Chapter 6, will be properly treated before discharging into downstream drainage channels. The retained upper section with crab species of conservation interest will therefore not be affected by water quality disturbance. No housing development works are proposed in the excluded stream section (of about 208m) and its associated 6m buffer zone along the southern bank. Under the “no-works” scenario, the construction disturbance to this section of R1f and the crab localities is anticipated to be minor. Other than the avoidance and minimisation measures, enhancement of R1f has been considered in the planning and design processes of the project. As discussed in the ecological baseline in Section 8.5, R1f is semi-natural with some moderate human modification on their stream banks (Plate D7 and D9 of Appendix 8.2) and their adjacent areas alongside are occupied by modified habitats, dominated by village/orchard and village area. Ecological enhancement by reinstatement the modified parts into natural state is recommended, which include the demolition of the concrete modified banks to natural sloping banks (i.e. with exposed top soil) and removal of village buildings or structures (e.g. paved footpaths or temporary storage structure) within the 6m buffer zone to allow natural vegetation re-introduction. With the implementation of the recommended enhancement measure, this stream section will be reinstated to more natural state and its ecological potential is anticipated to be improved. The proposed demolition works, however, would cause some disturbance temporarily to the stream and the two crab species of conservation interest. In order to minimise the disturbance impact on the habitat and the crab species, temporary partition along the southern bank to be reinstated will be provided to, on the one hand confine the works inside the area enclosed by the temporary partition and on the other hand retain the waterflow of the watercourse to minimise the construction impact on the ecological and hydrological function of the watercourse. Since the demolition of modified banks is small scale works which large works area is not required. The temporary partition will be set at 1.5m from the southern bank. Demolition works will only be undertaken within the enclosed area. The subject section of R1f is about 6m in width. Therefore, the temporary working area demarcated by the partition will only be about 25% of the subject section and the majority of about 75% of the existing watercourse to be enhanced will not be affected. Though some disturbance due to demolition activities would inevitably affect the crabs, the impact is anticipated to be higher than that under the “no-works” scenario (i.e. retaining the stream without ecological enhancement works); considering the limited portion of works area and temporary nature of the disturbance, it is still anticipated within the range of minor. In fact, the crabs and this watercourse currently receive similar disturbance irregularly due to the essential maintenance of those modified stream banks by the villagers.

8.7.36 About 176m lower section of R1f will be located offsite south of the Project Sites of HPR Site. No works are proposed in this offsite section. Temporary disturbance would occur during the construction period as its immediate onsite upper section will undergo some construction works for diverting the watercourse into proposed underground culvert. As explained in discussion of habitat loss, both the physical and hydrological condition of this section will be maintained. Though the feeding water would be disturbed by the diversion works during construction period, the water quality control requirement under the Project will ensure no significant adverse impact on the offsite waterbody by properly treating of all water before discharging. As also discussed in Section 8.7.29, the preliminary findings from impact assessment on air quality, water quality and waste management in Chapters 4, 6 and 11 of this report suggested that construction disturbance to offsite environments could be properly controlled by recommended good site practices together with clear site demarcation and no residual adverse impact on air quality, water quality and waste is anticipated. The temporary construction disturbance to this offsite section of R1f is anticipated to be minor. In addition, this offsite section is not considered as sensitive ecological receiver for its lower ecological importance compared with the upper section particularly the first 208m section with records of crab species of conservation interest due to the weaker ecological linkage with habitats of higher ecological value such as woodland and natural streams for its location further away from these habitats and heavier water pollution and other human disturbance due to the accumulation effect of the pollutants at its lower course position at this stream.

Table 8.24 - Potential Ecological Impact of Construction Disturbance

Criteria
Woodland W3
Species	2 floral species of conservation interest, including Aquilaria sinensis and Pyrenaria spectabilis
Abundance	12 records of Aquilaria sinensis and 3 records of Pyrenaria spectabilis in the close surroundings
Duration	Throughout the construction period
Reversibility	Reversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Somanniathelphusa zanklon localities at offsite natural stream (R1a) and semi-natural stream (R1g)
Species	1 crab species of conservation interest Somanniathelphusa zanklon
Abundance	2 localities of Somanniathelphusa zanklon (1 in natural stream R1a and another 1 in semi-natural stream R1g)
Duration	Throughout the construction period
Reversibility	Reversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Somanniathelphusa zanklon and Cryptopotamon anacoluthon at retained section of semi-natural stream R1f
Species	2 crab species of conservation interest Somanniathelphusa zanklon and Cryptopotamon anacoluthon
Abundance	2 localities of each species of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon
Duration	Throughout the construction period
Reversibility	Reversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor (with or without ecological enhancement works)
Woodland W2 and CA zone at Chung Shan
Species	6 floral species of conservation interest, including Aquilaria sinensis, Camellia crapnelliana, Diospyros vaccinioides, Gleditsia australis, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Rhodoleia championii,
Abundance	20 records of Aquilaria sinensis; 19 records of Camellia crapnelliana; 1 record of Diospyros vaccinioides; 1 record of Gleditsia australis; 21 records of Pyrenaria spectabilis; and 1 record of Rhodoleia championii
Duration	Throughout the construction period
Reversibility	Reversible
Magnitude	Small
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Note: the rating order of overall ecological impact severity: Severe, Severe-Moderate, Moderate, Moderate-Minor, Minor, and Insubstantial

Operational Disturbance to Sensitive Ecological Resources

8.7.37 Existing rural areas of comparatively lower population will be replaced with modern and highly urbanised residential development complex. The significant increase in human activities due to the population intake during the operation of the project would cause additional disturbance to sensitive habitats and associated wildlife in the surroundings.

8.7.38 Natural habitat of higher ecological value would be more sensitive to the disturbance than those man-made or modified habitats, as the latter are already under prominent human disturbance and themselves also a source of disturbance to the surroundings. Woodland W2 is the only habitat of high ecological value within the assessment area. It is however located west of the end of the proposed Road L7 and separated from the main development at Hong Po Road and San Hing Road by over 500m. The works for proposed Road L7 is comparatively small in scale. In fact, only a very small portion (eastern end) of the habitat is facing the Project Site, but most of its boundary is enclosed by other habitats and land uses. The disturbance arising from the operation of the Project is therefore anticipated to be minor.

8.7.39 The eastern portion of Woodland W3 and hillside natural streams (R1a and R1e) in network N1 are habitats of medium ecological value and will be located almost in immediate vicinity to the core development area at Hong Po Road. The subject portion of woodland W3 currently is physically separated by a section of the vehicular access of Hong Po Road and this road section will be retained to continue to act as a barrier along this interface. A scat of East Asian Porcupine was recorded at this woodland area. The increase in noise and artificial lighting from the proposed development would disturb this mammal. However, the adverse effect is expected to be insignificant. It is because the abundance of the species is low at the area and the habitat (i.e. woodland W3) is densely vegetated is considered able to screen off a certain extent of the noise and light pollution from the new development area at Hong Po Road. The woodland W3 itself is subject to human disturbance from both outside the habitat by village residential areas and inside by the grave-sweeping activities evidenced by the presence of large number of graves, particularly, in area around Po Tong Ha. Nevertheless, majority of the woodland is located on steep terrains and covered with dense vegetation, which could effectively restrict the access and as a result minimise additional potential disturbance due to the rise of the population of the area. In addition, a large proportion of the woodland W3 is located within the Tsing Shan Firing Range which can provide further restriction of public access to the habitat imposed by the military land use. This restriction could offer an enhancement of indirect protection to the habitat and at the same time allow a better preservation of those offsite woodland areas for the East Asian Porcupine as their alternative habitats or refugee to alleviate the disturbance to occur at the edge of the woodland with direct interface with the proposed development. The Greater Coucal identified from previous studies but not observed in current surveys is highly mobile and well adapt urban area and anticipated to be able to avoid human activities. The overall impact on the woodland habitat and its associated wildlife is anticipated to be minor.

8.7.40 Another habitat of medium ecological value in close proximity are those natural hillside streams northwest of the Project Site, especially R1a and R1b for their large size and presence of species of conservation interest. Over 90% of these natural streams are located within the Tsing Shan Firing Range and the restriction in access allows better protection to both the floral species of conservation interest (i.e. Nepenthes mirabilis) and faunal species of conservation interest (i.e. Somanniathelphusa zanklon), which biologically relied on these natural stream habitats during the operation of the Project. All these natural streams are upper courses of the water network N1 and their upstream position can further reduce the risk of water pollution by runoff from the future development as the water shall run downward by gravity to downstream rather than upward through the proposed drainage system (i.e. box culverts according to the latest design) in the Project Site and finally discharged into the TMRC. Therefore, the overall impact on the offsite natural streams and its associated wildlife is anticipated to be minor.

8.7.41 Another locality of the crab species Somanniathelphusa zanklon was found at the semi-natural stream section at R1g. Similar to its another locality at natural stream R1a, it is located at the uppercourse of the affected section with a separation distance of about 125m. Major source of human disturbance is anticipated to be come from the existing residential land use occupied by Villa Pinada and the rural village of Chung Shan, rather than from the future development area at SHR Site for the immediate interface with the existing disturbance. Its upstream location can also prevent potential water quality impact from runoff of the new proposed development area. Therefore, the overall impact on this second locality of Somanniathelphusa zanklon is anticipated to be minor.

8.7.42 An additional 208m section of R1f is proposed to be retained under the latest development layout, in which covers two localities of each species of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon and will be in close proximity to the housing development at HPR Site. Due to the level difference between the watercourse and proposed site formation levels of the development, a retaining wall of average height 2-3m will be constructed along the interface. No direct access will be provided to the watercourse from the proposed housing development. The physical separation by the proposed retaining wall and the lack of access between the development site to the watercourse will largely discourage human disturbance from the new development during the operational phase. In additional to the recommended reinstatement of artificial habitats to natural riparian vegetation in the 6m buffer zone, the watercourse and its non-buffered opposite side (i.e. the northern and eastern side) of the watercourse will not be affected by the project. No significant operation impact on the watercourse and the two crab species of conservation interest is anticipated. In fact, the carrying capability of the enhanced section is expected to become higher for the two crab species during the operation phase due to the proposed reinstatement of the banks with its 6m riparian habitats, and permanent removal of domestic effluents from the villages along the existing southern side of the watercourse, which is considered to be an ecological beneficial impact.

8.7.43 The CA zone at Chung Shan is located outside the Project Site and is subject to prominent disturbance from the surrounding developed areas of Tsing Chuen Wai village and grave-sweeping activities from the extensive areas of graves on the hill. Similar to W2, only a very small portion (southern end) of the area is facing the Project Site, but most of its boundary is enclosed by other habitats and land uses. The operation disturbance to this CA zone arising from this Project is therefore anticipated to be minor.

8.7.44 As discussed in literature review in Section 8.4, the distribution and abundance of floral species of conservation interest is basically consistent between the previous TM54 EIA undertaken in 1997-1998 and this EIA in 2018, under the situation that the surrounding areas were substantially developed and urbanised, which indicated that no notable adverse impact on the floral species of conservation interest occurred. The proposed Project is anticipated not to bring significant ecological impact on these species during the operation. Attention is paid to Aquilaria sinensis which would be the target of illegal agar wood collectors. Fortunately, most of the individuals of the species were found either seedlings or young trees which are unlikely targets of those illegal events. Only one mature specimen of about 400mm trunk diameter was identified at woodland W3 near natural stream R2b (Table D of Appendix 8.2). A Species Action Plan has been developed to undertake conservation actions on the species which aims to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of the local Aquilaria sinensis populations. Further taking into account most of the individuals of the species are unlikely the target of the illegal activities, the operation disturbance impact on most of the floral species of conservation interest located in close proximity to the Project Site is anticipated to be minor.

Table 8.25 - Potential Ecological Impact of Operational Disturbance

Criteria
Receiver(s)	CA zone at Chung Shan; Woodland W2-W3; Natural streams R1a-b in N1; Semi-natural streams R1f-g in N1; 6 floral species of conservation interest, including Aquilaria sinensis, Camellia crapnelliana, Diospyros vaccinioides, Gleditsia australis, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Rhodoleia championii 3 faunal species of conservation interest, including East Asian Porcupine, Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon
Abundance	30 records of Aquilaria sinensis; 19 records of Camellia crapnelliana; 1 record of Diospyros vaccinioides; 1 record of Gleditsia australis; 24 records of Pyrenaria spectabilis; 1 record of Rhodoleia championii; and 4 localities of Somanniathelphusa zanklon (1 in natural stream R1a; 1 in semi-natural stream R1g and 2 in semi-natural stream R1f) and 2 localities of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon (in semi-natural stream R1f)
Duration	Throughout the operational period
Reversibility	Irreversible
Magnitude	Small for ecological receivers
Impact Severity before Mitigation	Minor
Note: the rating order of overall ecological impact severity: Severe, Severe-Moderate, Moderate, Moderate-Minor, Minor, and Insubstantial

8.8 Mitigation Measures

8.8.1 According to the guidelines stipulated in the EIAO-TM Annex 16 on impact mitigation, the policy adopted in the EIA for mitigating ecological impacts, in order of priority, is:

· Avoidance:  Potential impacts shall be avoided to the maximum extent practicable by optimising the project design;

· Minimisation:  Unavoidable impacts shall be minimised by taking appropriate and practicable measures; and

· Compensation:  The loss of important species and habitats may be provided elsewhere (i.e. onsite or offsite) as a compensation. Enhancement and other conservation measures shall always be considered, whenever possible.

Mitigation Measures during Design Phase

Avoidance Measure for Sites of Conservation Interest

8.8.2 Woodland W2 and the CA zone at Chung Shan are two sites of conservation interest identified from literature review and their ecological conditions were further confirmed in this EcoIA. Direct encroachment of PDA for site formation and subsequent housing development, and the works area for associated supporting infrastructure works, including traffic improvement works and pipes laying works etc., has been avoided from these two sites to avoid adverse ecological impact. The implementation of clear site demarcation of the Project Site during construction could further enhance the effectiveness of this avoidance measures.

Avoidance / Minimisation Measure for Species of Conservation Interest

8.8.3 A total of 15 individuals of Aquilaria sinensis and 3 individuals of Pyrenaria spectabilis were identified in woodland W3 at area around where the proposed Road L7 is located. With reference to the baseline findings, the initial Project Site is found to be in direct conflict with three young individuals of Aquilaria sinensis (comprising one seedling, one sapling and one topped young tree) but able to avoid the remaining 12 Aquilaria sinensis of which including the mature specimen of trunk diameter of 400mm and all the three streamside Pyrenaria spectabilis. As the proposed Road L7 is essential to accommodate the traffic demand arising from proposed public housing development and release the burden of the existing road linkages within the area, complete avoidance is considered not feasible for the implementation of the Project. Adjustment of the alignment to minimise the impact has been considered. However, as indicated in relevant drawings, shifting northward or southward would only increase the affected quantity of these species. The current alignment is found to be the preferred option from ecological perspective as minimal affected Aquilaria sinensis could be resulted and at same time prevent direct impact on the mature Aquilaria sinensis.

8.8.4 Some slope works are required along the proposed Road L7 for achieving geotechnical stability alongside. In order to prevent potential adverse impact to the offsite Aquilaria sinensis identified in close proximity to the proposed Road L7, alternative construction method (i.e. vertical retaining walls) is proposed instead of cut slope in order to minimize the construction works area required (according to the preliminary estimation, encroachment of an additional 0.9ha of woodland W3 would be required (if cut slope is adopted). This alternative construction method can significantly reduce construction works area to completely avoid all the vegetation including the plants of conservation interest within the additional 0.9ha of woodland W3.

8.8.5 The crab species Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon were identified in an upper section of a semi-natural stream at northern portion of the HPR Site. In order to avoid adverse impact on these crab species, the upper section about 208m, which covering the totally 4 recorded crab species localities, is proposed to be completely retained with minimum 6m buffer zone under the latest revised layout. Other than the recommended ecological enhancement, no development works will be undertaken within the 6m buffer zone throughout the construction period.

Mitigation Measures for Construction Phase

Avoidance and Minimisation Measures for Habitat Loss

8.8.6 The habitat loss of W3 has been largely reduced from 2.7ha to 1.9ha identified in approved TM54 EIA report. Under this EIA study, the area of habitat loss is reduced to 1.2ha. Further enhancement planting has been recommended.

8.8.7 Though the Project Site of the core development area at Hong Po Road and San Hing Road cannot be further reduced in order to provide the required number of public housing units, the proposed works area for associated infrastructures and traffic improvement works are all located away from sensitive ecological areas as far as possible in particular woodland W2 and upland natural streams R1a -b to avoid impacts on these habitats.

Consideration of Ecological Enhancement by Provision of Woodland Enhancement Planting

8.8.8 As evaluated in Section 8.7, no significant adverse impact was anticipated due to habitat loss. The avoidance and minimisation measures mention in Section 8.8.7 are recommended to ensure the impact will be confined to practical minimal. No mitigation measure is required.

8.8.9 Nevertheless, ecological enhancement by provision of woodland planting has been considered during the development of the project to take the opportunity to enhance the ecological performance to the nearby area.

8.8.10 Since the affected woodland W3 is not a high-quality habitat due to the constant human disturbance and the dominance of exotic plantation species, the “like for like” principle stated in the EIAO-TM is considered not suitable. Ecological enhancement by establishing a woodland habitat by using native plant species instead of exotics found in the affected area is hence recommended.

8.8.11 As shown in Figure 8.4, the proposed woodland enhancement planting area is located on existing village/orchard habitat alongside an offsite upper section of the semi-natural stream R1f connected to the section to be retained. The advantage of this location is that the proposed enhancement planting is going to replace the existing artificial village/orchard habitat by a woodland, and such replacement can reduce the human disturbance to the ecologically sensitive section of R1f, and also provide additional buffer to the natural stream R1b for screening disturbance.

8.8.12 A preliminary woodland enhancement planting plan is presented in Appendix 8.6.

8.8.13 Since the impact of woodland loss is in minor level, the recommended ecological enhancement through woodland enhancement planting can bring some extent of ecological beneficial impact to the area.

Preservation of Floral Species of Conservation Interest by Transplanting

8.8.14 As revealed in Section 8.7, unavoidable removal of three young Aquilaria sinensis would be required due to site clearance works within Project Site. Two of them are seedling and sapling of 0.3m and 1.8m in height respectively. As both plants are young in age and small in size, they are considered suitable to be preserved by transplanting for their good health observed during the ecological baseline survey and anticipated high survival rate and recovery ability following the transplanting operation. The third affected individual is a topped young tree. As illustrated in Plate D5-6 of Appendix 8.2, the tree has lost its whole canopy and just left a lower trunk of about 1.4m in height. It is not recommended for transplanting due to its extreme poor condition.

8.8.15 As reported in our ecological baseline study in Section 8.5, seedlings and young trees of the species were common in woodland W3. No specific compensatory planting measure is required for the removal of the dying individual.

8.8.16 Potential receptor site for the transplanted Aquilaria sinensis can be located in the unaffected areas inside woodland W3. Potential site for the transplanting is indicated in Figure 8.4. With the implementation of the proposed transplanting measure, the impact on this species could be reduced from minor to insubstantial.

Minimisation Measure and Preservation of Faunal Species of Conservation Interest by Habitat Enhancement and Temporary Translocation

8.8.17 Apart from the direct avoidance of 208m semi-natural stream R1f to preserve the habitat of the crab species of conservation interest, ecological enhancement is recommended for the retained section onsite. As the major artificial modification of R1f is stream bank strengthening works (mainly by concrete lining), and the presence of disturbed habitats occupied by village structures or paved footpaths at the immediate proximity alongside the stream, proposed ecological enhancement includes reinstatement of the disturbed stream bank and the buffer zone by demolition of all artificial structures, following by planting of native plants:

· To demolish artificial bank structures and reinstate natural state of southern stream bank of R1f for reintroduction of riparian vegetation (the demolition works are only undertaken at sections with modified bank structure. Diagram D1 in Appendix 8.5 indicates the extent of the recommended works);

· To demolish artificial structures e.g. temporary storage structures/buildings, and paved grounds inside the buffer zone to allow planting;

· To plant the recommended native plant species along the reinstated bank and 6m buffer zone.

8.8.18 Since the stream bed of the onsite R1f is basically natural, no further instatement works is required.

8.8.19 As the heavily modified stream banks and the artificial structures inside the 6m buffer zone cannot be utilized by wildlife at present, it is expected that the proposed enhancement by reinstating these areas are able to improve the ecological carrying capacity of the stream and its associated riparian habitats.

8.8.20 Native plant species typically found along local lowland streams and another unaffected R1g are selected for the proposed vegetation planting on the reinstated banks and 6m buffer zone:

Species	Proposed Coverage (%)
Stream Bank (approx. 2m wide within the 6m buffer zone)
Alternanthera sessilis	25
Commelina diffusa	25
Isachne globosa	10
Ludwigia adscendens	5
Microstegium ciliatum	5
Persicaria hydropiper	5
Rotala rotundifolia	25
Other Area within 6m buffer (approx. 4m in width)
Bridelia tomentosa	10
Celtis sinensis	5
Cleistocalyx nervosum	20
Ficus hispida	15
Litsea rotundifolia	15
Mallotus paniculatus	5
Microcos nervosa	10
Schefflera heptaphylla	20

8.8.21 As discussed earlier in Section 8.7, the enhancement works will be confined in areas enclosed by temporary partitions about 1.5m from the bank. Majority of the original watercourse (about 75% of its area) will be unaffected. However, during the erection of the temporary partition in the watercourse, most of the individuals of the two crab species Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon would move away from the works activities to avoid disturbance but, some individuals would be accidentally moved into the demolition works area. Translocation of these affected individuals to the unaffected portion of the watercourse R1f is therefore recommended. Preliminary translocation proposal is given in Section 8.10.

8.8.22 One locality of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon in R1f is unavoidably affected by the project due to its relevant section of the watercourse is unable to be preserved onsite. In order to minimise the impact on the individuals of this locality, same translocation practice recommended above is also applicable to this section.

8.8.23 Apart from the retained section of stream R1f with recorded localities of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon recommended to be the receptor site of the translocated individuals, two more sections of watercourse at further uppercourse (the eastern tributary downstream of R1b) of R1f and R1g are considered suitable to be alternative options for receiving the translocated individuals (Figure 8.4). The western tributary of R1f at immediately downstream of R1a is also a potential receptor site from ecologically perspective, however, it was screened out as that section falls within the Tsing Shan firing Range, in which the translocation operation and the subsequent necessary monitoring in the area would have some extent of uncertainty due to unpredictable military activities inside.

8.8.24 With the implementation of the recommended translocation measure, the ecological impact on the crab species is anticipated to be minor.

Minimisation of Construction Disturbance

8.8.25 Although no significant adverse ecological impact is anticipated from construction disturbance as discussed in Section 8.7, general good site practices related to ecological protection has been considered since the commencement of the feasibility stage and should be implemented to further minimise impact arising from air quality, noise, water quality and disturbances from other construction activities, including:

· Restricting construction activities within clearly demarcated works boundary;

· Erecting hoarding and fencing around works areas, screening disturbances to adjacent habitats;

· Use of quiet mechanical plant;

· Use of movable noise barrier / temporary noise screening structures or purpose-built temporary noise barriers;

· Use of well-maintained plant on site, which should be serviced regularly during the construction programme;

· Regular spraying to minimise impacts of dust deposition on adjacent vegetation and habitats during the construction activities;

· Stockpiling of construction materials and dusty materials should be covered and located away from any watercourses;

· Construction debris and spoil should be covered up and/or disposed of as soon as possible to avoid being washed into the nearby watercourses;

· Construction activities, which generate large amount of wastewater, should be carried out in a distance away from the watercourses;

· Mitigation measures to control site run-off from entering the nearby water environment should be implemented to minimise water quality impacts.  Surface channels should be provided along the edge of the Project Site with direct interface with watercourses to intercept the run-off;

· Site lighting should be carefully designed to prevent light spillage and glare; and

· Strictly prohibiting open burning on work sites.

Mitigation Measures for Operation Phase

8.8.26 No ecological mitigation measure for operation phase is recommended.

8.9 Residual Ecological Impact

8.9.1 A summary of potential ecological impacts before and after adoption of the recommended mitigation measures is given below:

Table 8.26 - Summary of Residual Impacts

Potential Impact	Impact Significance (Before Mitigation)	Mitigation / Precautionary Measures	Impact Significance (After Mitigation)
Habitat Loss (Woodland (W3)	Minor	No mitigation is required, but Ecological enhancement by means of woodland planting is proposed as additional ecologically friendly measure	Minor
Habitat Loss (Agricultural Land, Natural Stream (N2), Semi-natural Stream (N1), Drainage Channel, Village/Orchard)	Minor	No specific ecological mitigation is required	Minor
Habitat Loss (Village Area, Urban Area)	Insubstantial	No specific ecological mitigation is required	Insubstantial
Habitat Fragmentation (Woodland, Semi-natural Stream)	Minor	No specific ecological mitigation is required	Minor
Habitat Fragmentation (Drainage Channel, Agricultural Land, Village/Orchard, Village Area, Urban Area)	Insubstantial	No specific ecological mitigation is required	Insubstantial
Impact on Floral Species of Conservation (Aquilaria sinensis)	Minor	Preserving affected individuals by transplanting	Insubstantial
Impact on Faunal Species of Conservation Interest (Cryptopotamon anacoluthon)	Minor	Avoidance of the semi-natural stream section; Preserving affected individuals by translocation; Ecological enhancement for the retained watercourse and its 6m buffer zone with temporary partition during the working period of the enhancement.	Minor
Impact on Faunal Species of Conservation Interest (Somanniathelphusa zanklon)	Insubstantial	Avoidance of the semi-natural stream section; Ecological enhancement for the retained watercourse and its 6m buffer zone with temporary partition during the working period of the enhancement; Preserving affected individuals during enhancement works by translocation	Insubstantial
Impact on Faunal Species of Conservation Interest (Insectivorous Bat, Little Egret, Chinese Pond Heron and Chinese Hwamei)	Minor	No specific ecological mitigation is required	Minor
Impact on Faunal Species of Conservation Interest (Ischnura rufostigma)	Insubstantial	No specific ecological mitigation is required	Insubstantial
Construction Disturbance to Sensitive Ecological Resources	Minor	Recommended good site practices; No specific ecological mitigation is required	Minor
Operational Disturbance to Offsite Ecological Resources	Minor	No specific ecological mitigation is required	Minor

8.9.2 With the full implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, potential ecological impacts arising from Project are anticipated to be minimised / mitigated to acceptable level.

8.10 Environmental Monitoring & Audit (EM&A)

8.10.1 The proposed mitigation measures and ecological enhancement to avoid, minimize and compensate the identified impacts arising from the proposed Project should be checked as part of the environmental monitoring and audit programme during the construction phase. Major ecological mitigation measures and enhancement recommended to be implemented during the construction phase are summarised below:

· Ecological enhancement by provision of woodland planting;

· Transplanting directly affected individuals of Aquilaria sinensis;

· Ecological enhancement for the retained section of stream R1f; and

· Translocation of crab species of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon

Ecological Enhancement by Provision of Woodland Planting

8.10.2 The enhancement planting shall be monitored throughout the establishment period (i.e. period after the completion of the planting works of the proposed enhancement planting). According to the preliminary woodland enhancement planting plan in Appendix 8.6, a 3-years monitoring is proposed and the parameters to be monitored shall include health condition (good/fair/poor/dead) and survival (%) of the planted trees. The frequency of the monitoring is proposed to be bi-monthly during the first year while quarterly for the following years.

Transplanting directly affected individuals of Aquilaria sinensis

8.10.3 In order to confirm and update the condition of directly affected and temporarily affected plants of Aquilaria sinensis in woodland W3, an update vegetation survey on the species prior to the commencement of the site clearance works is recommended. The update vegetation survey shall include the following:

· Confirm and update the presence, condition and locations of Aquilaria sinensis;

· Identify suitable receptor site(s) for the plants (according to the current proposal stated in Section 8.8, suitable unaffected area in woodland W3 is recommended). Potential receptor site for the transplanting is indicated in Figure 8.4. Deviation from the proposal shall be fully justified and agreed with AFCD before commencement); and

· Propose implementation and monitoring programme for the transplanting.

8.10.4 Qualified ecologist(s) shall be in place to conduct the monitoring recommended in the update vegetation survey report. The monitoring would be conducted after the completion of the transplanting. Monthly monitoring for the first year following transplanting and quarterly for the second year is recommended. The details will be provided in the update vegetation survey report for AFCD’s review and prior agreement.

Ecological Enhancement for the Retained Section of Stream R1f

8.10.5 Apart from the direct avoidance of 208m semi-natural stream R1f to preserve the habitat of the crab species of conservation interest, ecological enhancement is recommended for the retained section onsite. Proposed ecological enhancement includes reinstatement of the disturbed stream bank and the buffer zone to natural condition by demolition of all artificial structures, following by planting of native plants:

· To demolish artificial bank structures and reinstate natural state of stream bank for reintroduction of riparian vegetation (the demolition works are only undertaken at sections with modified bank structure. Diagram D1 in Appendix 8.5 indicates the extent of the recommended works);

· To demolish artificial structures e.g. temporary storage structures/buildings, and paved grounds inside the buffer zone to allow planting;

· To plant the recommended native plant species along the reinstated bank and 6m buffer zone.

8.10.6 A 12-months establishment period shall be provided after the planting works. Monitoring of the plants once a month is recommended. Species planted along the bank and buffer zone shall be checked by a qualified ecologist to ensure correct species are used in accordance with the recommendation in the EIA. Apart from the species identity, monitoring parameters shall include the overall survival rate and general health condition of each species. The monthly monitoring shall be conducted by a qualified ecologist and provide advice whether necessary actions, such as replacement of dead plants, removal of invasive species, etc. are required to ensure the performance of the planting works. The monitoring findings shall be reported properly in the monthly EM&A report.

Translocation of affected crab species of conservation interest Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon

8.10.7 A confirmation survey is recommended to be undertaken prior to erection of the temporary partition for the ecological enhancement works for the retained section of stream R1f, which aims to update the condition of the crab localities identified in the EIA stage, and to confirm recommended receptor site(s) (the unaffected section along the retained section of stream R1f is recommended as the preferred receptor site in Section 8.8. Other potential receptor sites for consideration are indicated in Figure 8.4); and to advise the translocation methodology according to the survey results and post-translocation monitoring requirements to be agreed with AFCD.

8.10.8 It is expected that the translocation practice is to be conducted by the qualified ecologist at the same day of the completion of the erection of the temporary partitions along the bank to be reinstated. The qualified ecologist shall inspect whether individuals of the two crab species are trapped in the enhancement works area defined by the temporary partitions, and carry out translocation immediately according the agreed methodology with AFCD.

8.10.9 Collection permit for target species would be applied from AFCD prior to commencement of translocation. Direct capture, hand netting, and baited traps would be applied at the semi-natural stream where the two crab species would be affected by proposed development. Capture would be carried out in wet season when the crabs are more active. At least 3 capture days are proposed, depending on the project programme, site and weather condition, and number of individuals captured. All captured crabs would be temporarily stored in containers with stream water with leaves and over-crowding in the containers should be avoided. They would be translocated to the finalized receptor site(s) within the same day. The ecological enhancement works for the retained section of stream R1f shall only be started when the whole translocation is completed.

8.10.10 A post-translocation monitoring would be carried out by qualified ecologist(s) by the end of wet season after translocation to assess the recapture rate. The monitoring is recommended to be conducted once a month. The details will be provided in the confirmation survey report for AFCD’s review and agreement.

Protection of Offsite Ecological Resources in Close Vicinity during Construction Period

8.10.11 Clear demarcation of construction site limit should be made to prevent disturbance to offsite ecological resources including adjacent habitats, vegetation and in particularly plant species of conservation interest and natural streams which provide suitable habitats for crab species of conservation interest. As clear site demarcation as well as good site practices will be an integral part of the site operation and associated inspections, no further specific ecological monitoring is recommended.

8.11 Cumulative Ecological Impacts

8.11.1 Totally 11 concurrent projects have been identified in Section 1.8 of this EIA Report.

(a) Contract No. CV/2011/01 – Site Formation and Infrastructure Works near Tsing Lun Road and Tsz Tin Road in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(b) Contract No. CV/2012/02 – Construction of Sewage Pumping Station near Tsz Tin Road and Associated Sewerage Works in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(c) Contract No. CV/2015/03 – Site Formation and Infrastructure Works near Tong Hang Road and Tsz Tin Road in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(d) Public Housing Projects at Site 1 & 1A, Site 2, Site 3 & 4 (East) in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(e) Private Housing Development Works at Site 3/4 (West) in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(f) Formation, Roads and Drains in Area 54, Tuen Mun – Site Formation at Site 4A (East), Site 4A (South), Site 5 and Associated Infrastructure Works

(g) Housing Projects at Site 4A (South) and Site 5 in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(h) Construction for Community Hall and Sports Centre at Site 4A (West) in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(i) Construction for Primary School and Secondary School at Site 4A (East) in Area 54, Tuen Mun

(j) Public Housing Development at Tuen Mun Area 29 West

(k) Tuen Mun Western Bypass

8.11.2 As detailed in Section 1.8, projects (a)-(d), and (h) will not have cumulative construction impacts with this Project since there will no overlapping of construction period with these interfacing projects.

8.11.3 Projects (e)-(g), (i)-(j) and (k) will have some overlapping of construction period with this Project. Projects (e) - (g) are located in urban area of low ecological value southeast of the proposed Road L7. No significant cumulative impacts are anticipated. Their ecological condition under the corresponding projects has also been reflected in our baseline study in Section 8.5 (mapped as urban area in the habitat map of Figure 8.1). Significant cumulative impacts from projects (i)-(j) and (k) are not anticipated as these three projects are located rather far away from this Project and separated by other existing urban land uses. Site 5 of project (g) is located south of woodland W1, but will be completely laid on existing developed area with no conflict with any sensitive ecological resources such site or species of conservation interest. No significant adverse cumulative ecological impacts are anticipated. In fact, projects (e) -(g) and this Project were components of the main study of Planning and Development Study of Potential Housing Site in Area 54, Tuen Mun. According to their latest EIA Review Report (TM54 EIAR-2012) under Agreement No. CE38/2011 for ecological impact assessment, and no adverse cumulative construction impacts were identified.

8.11.4 Cumulative operation impacts are not anticipated from projects (a)-(b), (c), (e)-(j) as all these projects are built on existing developed areas and located distant from this Project. Project (k) is a proposed tunnel for Tuen Mun Western Bypass running completely underground within the assessment area of this Project, with a long separation distance of about 500m. No cumulative operation impacts are anticipated.

8.11.5 Projects (c) and (d) are associated projects at Site 1 & 1A near the proposed Road L7 under this Project and therefore also components of main study of Planning and Development Study of Potential Housing Site in Area 54, Tuen Mun. Project (c) is responsible for the site formation and construction of the infrastructures while project (d) is for the housing development on top of the site. Major ecological impact arising from these two projects is the permanent loss of some area at woodland W1. During the course of planning and design, the loss of the woodland habitat has been reduced to 0.1ha, from 0.6ha at early stage in TM54 EIA and 0.2ha in TM54 EIAR-2012. According to TM54 EIAR-2012, a woodland compensation area of about 0.4ha for habitat loss at W1 was proposed at an area bordering W1 and W2. Due to the small size of the affected area in woodland W1, and the compensation measure, no adverse cumulative operation impacts were identified from both the TM54 EIAR-2012 and the later SHR PER and HPR PER. The loss of habitat at W1 has also already been reflected in the current ecological baseline study and illustrated in the updated habitat map Figure 8.1.

8.12 Conclusion

8.12.1 An ecological impact assessment was conducted for the proposed site formation and infrastructure works for the housing development at San Hong Road and Hong Po Road in Tuen Mun.

8.12.2 A total of 11 types of habitat were identified, including woodland, shrub-grassland, landscape plantation, agricultural land, natural stream, semi-natural stream, drainage channel, pond, village/orchard, village area and urban area.

8.12.3 Sites of conservation interest included a mature secondary wood (woodland W2) near Tong Hang Road and a CA zone at Chung Shan.

8.12.4 In terms of floral species, a total of 8 species of conservation interest were identified in the baseline study, including Aquilaria sinensis, Camellia crapnelliana, Diospyros vaccinioides, Geodorum densiflorum, Gleditsia australis, Nepenthes mirabilis, Pyrenaria spectabilis and Rhodoleia championii.

8.12.5 In terms of faunal community, a total of 5 species of conservation interest were identified, which include 2 mammal species (an insectivorous bat of Microchiroptera and East Asian Porcupine ), 1 bird species (Little Egret) and 2 aquatic faunal species (Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon). Another 5 bird species (Chinese Pond Heron, Crested Goshawk, Greater Coucal, Chinese Hwamei and Black Kite) and one damselfly species (Ischnura rufostigma) were detected by previous studies.

8.12.6 Most of the faunal species of conservation interest were detected outside the proposed Project Site/associated with offsite habitat. For terrestrial/ volant mammal and bird species of conservation interest, they are all either locally common or widely distributed in Hong Kong, with high mobility. They are able to avoid human activities and anticipated to utilise other readily available and connected habitats in the vicinity. No nest/breeding/roosting site was detected during the surveys.

8.12.7 Potential ecological impacts arising from the project include habitat loss, removal impact on the crab species of conservation interest (Cryptopotamon anacoluthon), and removal impact on the floral species of conservation interest (Aquilaria sinensis). None of these impacts, however, are anticipated to be of high ecological significance, because avoidance and minimisation measures have been carefully considered as early as in the design of the Project to prevent significant adverse impacts to habitats or species of high conservation importance. No potential impact on the damselfly species Ischnura rufostigma was anticipated as proposed works will not cause any alternation to the habitat of its recorded location where the species was detected nor destruction of any wetland habitats suitable for this species in the surrounding.

8.12.8 The two identified sites of conservation interest including the mature woodland W2 of high ecological value and the CA zone within the assessment area will be avoided by the Project from ecological impacts. An upper section of the semi-natural stream R1f at HPR Site is proposed to be retained by adjusting the project site boundary for the preservation of the localities of two crab species of conservation interest (Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon).

8.12.9 Consideration of minimising impacts on floral species of conservation interest Aquilaria sinensis and Pyrenaria spectabilis has also been taken into account during the design of the alignment and construction method of the proposed Road L7 at Po Tong Ha. With the implementation of the minimisation measure, including the careful designation of the alignment and the construction method for the retaining structures along the new road, all the Pyrenaria spectabilis and majority of Aquilaria sinensis, including the large specimen of the species can be preserved in-situ without any conflicts with the proposed works. Other recommended minimisation measures include the transplanting of Aquilaria sinensis.

8.12.10 Majority of the recorded localities of the two crab species of conservation interest Cryptopotamon anacoluthon and Somanniathelphusa zanklon that detected at the semi-natural stream section marginally located along the project site boundary can be avoided from direct impact by the proposed avoidance of the sensitive upper section. Apart from the direct avoidance of the sensitive watercourse section, a buffer zone of minimum 6m alongside will be provided for further protection to these crab species and their habitat. One locality of Cryptopotamon anacoluthon, however, is found unavoidably affected due to the permanent loss of its habitats for the development. The crabs of this locality are recommended to be preserved by translocation at suitable undisturbed stream habitat. With implementation of the recommended translocation measure, no significant overall ecological impact on the crab species is anticipated. In addition, ecological enhancement for the retained section of the semi-natural stream R1f by reinstating its artificial bank structure to natural riparian habitat is proposed which aims to improve the carrying capability of the watercourse for the two crab species of conservation interest.

8.12.11 Due to limited affected size and quality of the affected woodland patch, no significant adverse impact is anticipated from the habitat loss. However, provision of woodland enhancement planting is recommended to enhance the ecological performance of the area. According to current proposal, enhancement woodland of not less than 1.2ha will be provided.

8.12.12 With the full implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, no unacceptable residual ecological impacts arising from the implementation of the proposed Project are anticipated.

8.13 Reference

AECOM. 2016. Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area: EIA Report. Civil Engineering and Development Department, HKSAR.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. 2019. Hong Kong Biodiversity Database. Accessed in April 2020. (http://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/hkbiodiversity/database/search.asp?lang=en.)

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong (Online Version). Accessed in April 2020. (http://www.herbarium.gov.hk/PublicationsText.aspx?BookNameId=1&SectionId=3)

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Incense Tree Species Action Plan 2018-2022 (Online Version). Accessed in April 2020. (https://www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_flo/con_flo_con/files/Incense_Tree_SAP_2018_2022.pdf)

Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited and Environmental Resources Management (ERM). 2017. Engineering Study Review for Site Formation and Infrastructure works Works at Hong Po Road, Tuen Mun – Investigation: Final Preliminary Environmental Review Report. Civil Engineering and Development Department, HKSAR.

Black & Veatch Hong Kong Limited Environmental Resources Management (ERM). 2017. Engineering Study Review for Site Formation and Infrastructure Works at San Hing Road, Tuen Mun – Investigation: Final Preliminary Environmental Review Report. Civil Engineering and Development Department, HKSAR.

Barretto, G., Cribb P. and Gale S. 2011. The Wild Orchids of Hong Kong. Natural History Publications (Borneo).

Chan, A., Cheung, J., Sze, P., Wong, A., Wong, E. & Yau, E. (2011) A Review of the Local Restrictedness of Hong Kong Butterflies. Hong Kong Biodiversity AFCD Newsletter, 21. pp 1-12.

Chan, K.F., Cheung, K.S., Ho, C.Y., Lam, F.N, Tang, W.S., Lau, W.N. & Bogadek, A. 2005. Field Guide to the Amphibians of Hong Kong. AFCD, Friends of the Country Parks and Cosmos Books Ltd. Hong Kong.

Corlett, R.T., Wing, F.W., Ng, S.C., Chau, L.K.C., and Wong, LM.Y. 2000. Hong Kong Vascular Plants: Distribution and Status. Memoirs of the Hong Kong Natural History Society No 23, pp 1-157. 

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[1] Four woodland areas were identified in TM54 EIA and labelled as W1-W4 respectively. Same grouping and labelling numbers were followed by the two subsequent EIA Review Reports (TM54 EIAR-2005 and TM54 EIAR-2012) and PERs (SHR PER and HPR PER). In SHR PER and HPR PER, an additional woodland W5 at Chung Shan was added in their extended ecological assessment area.

[2] It refers floral species that has conservation interest, recognized by its conservation and protection status.