7 ECOLOGY

7.1 Introduction

7.1.1.1 This Section presents the findings of an assessment of potential terrestrial and marine ecological impacts associated with the construction and operation activities of the Project.

7.2 Legislative Requirements and Evaluation Criteria

7.2.1.1 The criteria for evaluating ecological impacts are stated in the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process (EIAO-TM). EIAO-TM Annex 16 prescribes the general approach and methodology for assessing ecological impacts caused by a project or proposal, to allow a complete and objective identification, prediction and evaluation of the potential impacts. EIAO-TM Annex 8 recommends the criteria that are to be used for evaluation of ecological impacts. Legislative requirements and evaluation criteria relevant to this assessment are listed below. The details on each are presented in Appendix 7.1.

· Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96);

· Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap. 476) and its Subsidiary Legislation;

· Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170);

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

· Country Parks Ordinance (Cap. 208);

· Town Planning Ordinance (Cap. 131);

· Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499) and the Technical Memorandum on Environmental Impact Assessment Process under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO-TM);

· Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) Guidance Notes No. 6/2010, 7/2010, 10/2010 and 11/2010;

· Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines Chapter 10 (HKPSG);

· United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (1992);

· The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES);

· The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species; and

· Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) Regulations and Guidelines.

7.3 Baseline Conditions

7.3.1 Assessment Area

7.3.1.1 According to Clause 3.4.8.2 of the EIA Study Brief, the Assessment Area for the terrestrial ecological impact assessment shall include Scenic Hill as well as any other areas likely to be impacted by the Project. For conservative assessment, the Assessment Area is defined as within 500m from the boundary of the Project, which includes Scenic Hill as well as any other areas likely to be impacted by the Project. For marine ecological impact assessment, the Assessment Area shall be the same as that for water quality impact assessment (i.e. areas within 500 m from the boundary of the Project and cover the NWWCZ as designated under the WPCO and the WSRs in the vicinity of the Project).

7.3.1.2 Terrestrial and marine ecological important habitats and species of conservation importance within and in the vicinity of the Project site as well as within the Assessment Area are evaluated, including the Romer’s Tree Frog habitats at Scenic Hill, existing and proposed marine parks, horseshoe crab breeding and nursery grounds, mangroves, seagrass beds, coral communities, marine benthos of conservation interest, and key marine species including Chinese White Dolphins (CWDs) and horseshoe crabs. The ecological profiles and characteristics of these habitats and species are described in further details below. The habitat maps for terrestrial ecology and marine ecology are presented in Figures 7.1a and 7.1b and Figure 7A.4 of Appendix 7.1, respectively.

7.3.1.3 A literature review was conducted to review the baseline ecological conditions within the Assessment Area and to identify information gaps to determine whether field surveys were required to provide sufficient information for the marine and terrestrial ecological impact assessment. Findings of this literature review are presented in detail in Appendix 7.1.

7.3.1.4 Some of the baseline information was collected recently and considered to be up-to-date and representative of the existing conditions of the Assessment Area. In accordance with the requirements in Appendix F of the Study Brief, field surveys at selected habitats within the Assessment Area, where potential impact could occur and up-to-date baseline information is not present, were conducted to fill the identified data gaps, verify and update the latest ecological conditions of these habitats. The methodology for the field surveys is presented in Section 7.3.2 and the proposal has been agreed by AFCD prior to the survey.

7.3.2 Field Survey Methodology

Terrestrial Ecological Survey

Habitat and Vegetation Survey

7.3.2.1 The map showing habitats within the Assessment Area was prepared from satellite images / latest aerial photographs (Figure 7.2). Representative areas of the natural habitats in the Assessment Area were ground-truthed in order to ensure the habitat maps reflect current conditions and to distinguish between habitats that cannot always be reliably distinguished from satellite images. Habitats were characterised and defined with reference to size, vegetation type, flora species present, dominant species, species diversity and abundance, community structure, seasonality and inter-dependence, as well as the presence of any feature of ecological importance. Representative colour photos were taken for each habitat type and any important ecological features identified. Habitat maps of suitable scale (1:1000 to 1:5000) were prepared to show the types and locations of identified habitats in the Assessment Area.

7.3.2.2 In parallel with the habitat mapping survey, the flora species encountered and the relative abundance of plant species were recorded. Special attention was paid to species that are rare, protected or of ecological importance. Location of any flora species of conservation importance found was recorded with handheld GPS with photographic records where possible.

Terrestrial Mammal Survey

7.3.2.3 Mammal survey was carried out through transects (Figure 7.2), as well as in areas that may be potentially utilised by terrestrial mammals during day and night time. As mammals usually occur at low densities, in addition to direct observation, any signs of mammal activities, such as tracks, scats or burrows were actively sought.

7.3.2.4 The mammal survey also recorded bat species by direct observation and with a bat detector. All calls recorded were analysed to permit, as far as possible, identification of species from call structure. In addition, particular attention was paid to possible bat roost sites to determine whether there are bats roosting/ breeding in the area.

Bird Survey

7.3.2.5 Bird communities of the Assessment Area were surveyed following walk-transects (Figure 7.2). All birds seen or heard within 30 m of each transect were counted and identified to species level where possible. Any signs of breeding (e.g. nests, recently fledged juveniles) within the Assessment Area were also recorded. Observations were made using 8× binoculars and photographic records were taken, if possible. Bird species encountered outside transects but within the Assessment Area were also recorded to produce a complete bird species list. Night-time survey for avifauna was also conducted for nocturnal species. Particular attention was given to any signs of breeding or roosting sign of ardeids and any species of conservation importance.

Herpetofauna Survey

7.3.2.6 Herpetofauna survey was conducted through direct observation and active searching, in all major representative habitat types along survey transects and in potential hiding places such as among leaf litter, inside holes and under stones and logs within the Assessment Area (Figure 7.2). Auditory detection of species specific calls was also used to survey frogs and toads. During the surveys, all reptiles and amphibians sighted and heard were recorded. Particular attention was given to the potential habitat of Romer’s Tree Frog at Scenic Hill, as well as previously recorded location of Romer’s Tree Frog.

Butterfly and Odonate Survey

7.3.2.7 Butterflies and odonates of various habitats within the Assessment Area were surveyed following walk-transect during day time (see Figure 7.2). All butterflies and odonates seen within 30 m of each transect were counted and identified to species level where possible. Any butterflies and odonates encountered outside the transects were also identified and counted in order to produce a complete species list. Particular attention was paid to food/ host plants for butterfly larvae and preferred habitats for both groups, such as shrubland for butterflies and streams for odonates (both adults and larvae). Where necessary, netting might be used for collecting specimens to confirm the identification of adult butterflies and odonates. The specimens were photographed and released immediately at the site of capture. Permission from AFCD was sought for the use of hand nets or any applications to capture animals in the surveys.

Aquatic Fauna Survey

7.3.2.8 Sizable streams within the Assessment Area (Figure 7.2) were surveyed for aquatic fauna including freshwater/ brackish fish, invertebrates and macroinvertebrates. The aquatic fauna survey was through direct observation, active searching by hand nets and standard field sampling techniques, such as kick sampling using a D-framed net and trapping using fish traps where necessary at each aquatic survey sampling location. Potential hiding places such as boulders and logs within the watercourse were turned over to locate any aquatic animals underneath. Permit from AFCD was sought before use of nets and traps to collect freshwater fauna in streams.

Marine Ecological Survey

Coral Survey

7.3.2.9 Coral surveys were conducted once to identify and characterise the existing ecological conditions of the seabed within the Assessment Area (Figure 7.3). The subtidal coral surveys comprised of the following two components:

· Qualitative spot dive reconnaissance check; and

· Semi-quantitative Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) survey

Qualitative Spot-dive Reconnaissance Check

7.3.2.10 The qualitative spot dive reconnaissance check investigated if coral communities (e.g. hard corals, soft corals, sea pen and black corals) are present at the areas along the shores of the proposed marine facilities (Figure 7.4).

7.3.2.11 At each survey location, a spot dive reconnaissance check was conducted along a 100 m transect by coral specialists using SCUBA to identify the substrate type and associated sessile benthos, particularly the presence of hard and soft coral communities. The dive surveys generally followed the bathymetry of the survey transect. As the water depth within and in the vicinity of the proposed marine facilities is generally <5 m, the survey was conducted in shallow water (< -5 mCD) only and adjusted based on the site condition and substrates. The characteristics of seabed and associated fauna along the survey transect were recorded by photographs and videos to characterise the biological nature of the subtidal area along the survey transect. All organisms and coral colonies encountered were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level.

Semi-quantitative Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) Survey

7.3.2.12 When corals were recorded during the qualitative spot-dive reconnaissance check, semi-quantitative survey, Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA), was then undertaken with reference to the EIAO Guidance Note (GN 11/2010) to provide information on the relative coverage of coral and other benthic groups, in addition to creating an inventory of sessile benthic taxa used to define the community types. This technique is regarded as standard practice for EIA marine baseline surveys in Hong Kong, with many previously approved EIA’s utilising the same or similar methodology ⁽[1]^)
([2]^)
([3]^)
([4]^)
([5]⁾. The methodology outlined has been modified from the standardised REA survey technique established for the assessment of coral communities on the Great Barrier Reef ⁽[6]⁾ for the marine environment of Hong Kong ⁽[7]⁾.

7.3.2.13 Based on the information gathered in the qualitative spot-dive reconnaissance check, such areas where coral appear to be the most abundant within the proposed marine facilities, the REA survey was then performed along a 100 m transect. REA surveys were conducted at shallow water (< -5 mCD) and adjusted based on the site condition and substrates along the survey area to search for hard coral, octocoral and black coral. After the transect line was laid, video footage was taken for the benthos along the transect and the assessment of the benthic cover (Tier I) and taxon abundance (Tier II) will be conducted in a swathe ~ 2 m wide, 1 m either side of each transect where possible, taking into account the underwater visibility of the marine waters in western Hong Kong. An explanation of the two assessment categories (Tiers) used in the survey is presented below.

Tier I - Categorisation of Benthic Cover

Upon the completion of each survey transect, ecological and substratum attributes (Table 7.1) were assigned to standard ranked (ordinal) categories (Table 7.2).

Table 7.1 Tier I Benthic Attribute Categories

Ecological Attributes	Substratum Attributes
Hard coral	Bedrock
Dead coral	Continuous pavement
Octocoral (Soft corals and Gorgonians)	Rocks (<26 cm)
Black coral	Large boulders (>50 cm)
Dead standing coral	Small boulders (<50 cm)
Macroalgae	Rubble
Other Benthos (including sponges, zoanthids, ascidians and bryozoans)	Sand
	Mud/ Silt
	Other

Table 7.2 Tier I Ordinal Ranks of Percentage Cover of Benthic Attributes

Rank	Percentage Cover (%)
0	None recorded
1	1-5
2	6-10
3	11-30
4	31-50
5	51-75
6	76-100

Tier II - Taxonomic Inventories to Define Types of Benthic Communities

7.3.2.14 An inventory of benthic taxa will be compiled for each transect. Taxa were identified in situ to the following levels:

· Scleractinian (hard) corals to species, where possible;

· Soft corals, anemones and conspicuous macroalgae to genus level where possible;

· Other benthos (including sponges, zoanthids, ascidians and bryozoans) recorded to genus level, where possible, or phylum plus growth form.

7.3.2.15 Following the completion of the survey of each transect, each taxon in the inventory was ranked in terms of abundance in the community (Table 7.3). These broad categories rank taxa in terms of relative abundance of individuals, rather than the contribution to benthic cover along each transect. The ranks are visual assessments of abundance, rather than quantitative counts of each taxon. Representative photos of organisms were taken.

Table 7.3 Ordinal Ranks of Taxon Abundance

Rank	Abundance
0	Absent
1	Sparse
2	Uncommon
3	Common
4	Abundant
5	Dominant

7.3.2.16 The photographs and videos recorded for each REA transect were reviewed in order to compile the REA data. Species lists, species richness and the relative coverage for ecological and substratum attributes were presented.

Subtidal Benthos Survey

7.3.2.17 Subtidal benthos survey was conducted as described below to characterize the existing ecological conditions of the seabed within the Assessment Area (Figure 7.3). Sampling locations, equipment involved, sampling procedure, laboratory analytical procedures, and QA/QC requirements for the proposed surveys are detailed below.

7.3.2.18 Benthic sediment samples were collected within the proposed marine facilities for biological analyses (i.e. taxonomic identification and abundance of subtidal benthos) with particular attention on the presence of amphioxus or any notable marine benthos. Seabed sediment samples were collected from two (2) sampling locations representative of the subtidal soft-bottom habitats (Figure 7.4). At each location, one grab sample was collected from the seabed. The number of sampling locations is considered sufficient given the scale of the Project and the relatively homogenous nature of sediments at the proposed marine facilities. Sampling was conducted once in the wet season.

7.3.2.19 The benthic grab surveys were conducted utilising a modified Van Veen grab sampler (960 cm² sampling area; 11,000 cm³ capacity) with a supporting frame attached to a swiveling hydraulic winch cable. Sediments for biological analysis were sieved on board the survey vessel. The sediments were washed into a sieve stack (comprising 1 mm² and 500 µm² meshes) and gently rinsed with seawater to remove all fine material. Following rinsing, any material remaining on the two screens was combined and carefully rinsed using a minimal volume of seawater into pre-labelled thick triple-bagged ziplock plastic bags. A 5% solution of borax-buffered formalin containing Rose Bengal in seawater was then added to the bag to ensure tissue preservation. Samples were sealed in plastic containers for transfer to the taxonomy laboratory for sorting and identification.

Parameters Measured

7.3.2.20 The parameters measured for subtidal benthos analysis are:

· Total number of species (diversity)

· Abundance of each species recorded (biomass)

7.3.2.21 In addition to the above parameters, other relevant data were also measured and recorded, inclusive but not limited to; time, weather conditions, sea conditions, special phenomena (if any), and other activities undertaken around the sampling location that may influence the sampling results.

Laboratory Analyses

7.3.2.22 The benthic laboratory performed sample re-screening after the samples have been held in formalin for a minimum 24 hours to ensure adequate fixation of the organisms. Individual samples from the 500 µm² and 1 mm² mesh sieves were gently rinsed with fresh water into a 250 µm² sieve to remove the formalin from the sediments. Sieves were partially filled while rinsing a specific sample to maximize washing efficiency and prevent loss of material. All material retained on the sieve was placed in a labeled plastic jar, covered with 70% ethanol, and lightly agitated to ensure complete mixing of the alcohol with sediments. Original labels were retained with the re-screened sample material.

7.3.2.23 Standard and accepted techniques were used for sorting organisms from the sediments. Small fractions of a sample were placed in a petri dish under a 10-power magnification dissecting microscope and scanned systematically with all animals and fragments removed using forceps. Each petri dish was sorted at least twice to ensure removal of all animals. Organisms representing major taxonomic groups, such as Polychaeta, Arthropoda, Mollusca and miscellaneous taxa were sorted into separate, labeled vials containing 70% ethanol.

7.3.2.24 Taxonomic identifications were performed by qualified and experienced specialist using stereo dissecting and high-power compound microscopes. These are generally to the species level except for unidentified taxa, which were identified to genera as far as practical. The careful sampling procedure employed minimizes fragmentation of organisms. If breakage of soft-bodied organisms occurred, only anterior portions of fragments would be counted, although all fragments would be retained and weighed for biomass determinations (wet weight).

Quality Assurance & Control (QA/QC) Procedures

7.3.2.25 The sediment samples were evaluated for acceptance based upon the degree of disturbance, penetration depth, and amount of leakage from the grab. In the following cases, a sediment sample would be rejected and another sample collected:

· The sediment sampler doors open in recovery, causing possible surface washout.

· Half sample obtained where the sediment sampler had not struck a flat area of seabed, or improper deployment of benthic grab, or half sample of sediment.

· Disruption of the sample by heavy shaking or contamination (these can occur when a sample is badly handled or if the sediment sampler strikes the side of the vessel during operations).

· The sample represents less than 30% of the sediment sampler’s total capacity (i.e. less than 15 cm penetration).

· Grab deployment location deviates from the designated position ⁽[8]⁾.

7.3.2.26 Before sieving each sample on site, the grab, frame and sample containers were washed with seawater to avoid cross contamination of samples.

7.3.2.27 Sample integrity for subtidal benthos analyses should be maintained for the duration of the survey, demobilisation through to delivery to the appropriate laboratory. All samples should be accompanied with a Chain of Custody form to document sample management and delivery.

Intertidal Survey

7.3.2.28 Intertidal survey was conducted along the accessible shoreline within the Assessment Area (Figure 7.3). The survey locations are presented in Figure 7.4 and the methodology is discussed below.

Qualitative Assessment

7.3.2.29 Qualitative survey was undertaken to assess the overall species distribution along the accessible shoreline of the survey locations. Vertical seawalls were surveyed by qualitative assessment only. Organisms encountered were recorded and their relative abundance noted. Walk-through qualitative surveys were conducted for sloping seawalls. All recorded species were identified to species level as far as practicable.

Quantitative Assessment

7.3.2.30 A 50-100 m horizontal (belt) transect (actual length subject to the site conditions) was surveyed at each of the three tidal heights: 2 m, 1.5 m and 1 m above Chart Datum of the survey locations at sloping seawalls. On each transect, five quadrats (50 cm x 50 cm) were placed randomly on each transect to assess the abundance and distribution of flora and fauna. All organisms found in each quadrat were identified and recorded to species level so that density per quadrat could be determined. Sessile animals such as barnacles, oysters and algae (encrusting, foliose and filamentous) were identified and recorded by estimating the percentage cover on the rock surface. All organisms were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level (at least Genus level). Species encountered outside the quadrat but in the vicinity of survey transect were also recorded.

Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Survey for Marine Mammals

7.3.2.31 Underwater PAM survey is a tool for detecting the high frequency clicks of marine mammals as these are easily-distinguished from sounds of other marine animals. C-POD (Cetacean-Porpoise Detector) devices have been used for PAM for long-term marine mammal studies in Hong Kong ⁽[9]⁾ to record vocalisations of Chinese White Dolphins (CWDs), plus all other echolocating toothed whales and dolphins. With the advancement of C-POD technology, F-POD (Full Waveform Capture-Porpoise Detector) devices are developed, which captures full waveform of marine mammal vocalisations and provide more efficient and accurate monitoring of cetacean echolocations ⁽[10]⁾.

7.3.2.32 In Northern Lantau waters, habitat usage of CWDs have been recorded according to AFCD’s annual marine mammal monitoring reports and finless porpoises are absent from the area. In order to detect and monitor the presence of CWDs around the proposed marine facilities, a F-POD was deployed within the proposed marine facilities. The deployment of F-POD would allow monitoring the activity of Chinese White Dolphins both day and night over 24 hours in all weather conditions to provide supplementary information on Chinese White Dolphin usage of Northern Lantau waters.

7.3.2.33 Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) using F-POD or equivalent was conducted at one location within the proposed marine facilities to record vocalisations of Chinese White Dolphins (CWDs), plus all other echolocating toothed whales and dolphins, if present. The location of PAM deployment is presented in Figure 7.5, and the actual deployment location of the PAM device was subject to refinement taking into account marine traffic and site conditions. The F-POD was placed during the 4-month baseline monitoring, with servicing conducted every two months to download accumulated data and replace batteries.

7.3.2.34 The downloaded record from the F-POD was examined to identify sound signals of marine mammals. Analysis was undertaken to obtain information on marine mammal such as:

· Detection positive minutes (DPM): the total amount of minutes where at least one click train is detected within a one-minute period, which measures the duration of the dolphins spent in an area by at least one dolphin; and

· DPM related matrices such as the proportion of all logged days with one or more detections (% Detection positive days (DPD) of logged days), mean DPM per day.

7.3.2.35 Any spatial or temporal trends (especially the 24-hour activity patterns) in changes of the above parameter were determined.

7.3.3 Field Survey Findings

Survey Schedule

7.3.3.1 Ecological surveys were carried out from April to July 2022 in accordance with the methodology as stated in Section 7.3.2. Details of the survey schedule is summarised in Table 7.4.

Table 7.4 Terrestrial and Marine Ecological Survey Schedule

Surveys	Method	Survey Frequency	Date
*Terrestrial Ecological Surveys*
Habitat and Vegetation	Day survey by transect	Twice in wet season	14 Apr; 24 Jun 2022
Terrestrial Mammal	Day and night surveys by transect, active search and bat detector	Once per month for 4 months in wet season	14 Apr; 24 May; 24 Jun; 27 Jul 2022
Bird	Day and night surveys by transect	Once per month for 4 months in wet season	14 Apr; 24 May; 24 Jun; 27 Jul 2022
Herpetofauna	Day and night surveys by transect	Once per month for 4 months in wet season	14 Apr; 24 May; 24 Jun; 27 Jul 2022
Butterfly and Odonate	Day survey by transect	Once per month for 4 months in wet season	14 Apr; 24 May; 24 Jun; 27 Jul 2022
Aquatic Fauna	Day survey by direct observation and active search	Twice in wet season	14 Apr; 24 Jun 2022
*Marine Ecological Surveys*
Coral Surveys	Qualitative Spot-dive Reconnaissance Check and REA	Once at each survey location	16 May 2022
Subtidal Benthos Surveys	Benthic Grab Surveys	Once at each survey location	19 Apr 2022
Intertidal Surveys	Quantitative and Qualitative Surveys	Once at each survey location	13 Jun 2022
Passive Acoustic Monitoring Surveys for Marine Mammals	Deployment of F-POD or equivalent	Continuous monitoring at 1 location	· Deployment: 1 Apr 2022 · Replacement of batteries: 16 May, 6 Jul 2022 · Retrieval: 3 Aug 2022

Terrestrial Ecology

Habitat and Vegetation Surveys

7.3.3.2 Four habitat types were identified within the Assessment Area. These included mixed woodland, shrubland, developed area and watercourse. Habitats found are shown in the habitat map (Figures 7.1a and 7.1b). Photographic records of each habitat are presented in Figure 7.6. A total of 128 plant species were recorded during the ecological baseline surveys. The detailed plant list for each habitat within the Assessment Area is included in Table 7B.1 of Appendix 7.2. Among the recorded species, two flora species of conservation importance, namely Gnetum luofuense and Eulophia graminea, were identified in mixed woodland and shrubland during the surveys. Table 7.5 lists the total area occupied by each terrestrial habitat in the Project site, including the tentative alignment of the ATCL and the proposed Marine Facilities, and the Assessment Area.

Table 7.5 Area of Each Habitat in Project Site and Assessment Area

Habitat	Within 500m Assessment Area	Within Project Site
	Size (ha)	Percentage (%)	Size (ha)	Percentage (%)
	Size (ha)	Percentage (%)	Size (ha)	Percentage (%)
Mixed Woodland	12.25	4%	0.31	2.4%
Shrubland	22.46	6%	-	-
Developed Area	315	90%	12.82	97.6%
Watercourse	340m	-
Total	349.73	13.13		100%

Mixed Woodland

7.3.3.3 Mixed Woodland was recorded on remnants of natural hillslope at Scenic Hill (Figure 7.1a). It is the third largest habitat in terms of area identified within the Assessment Area (approximately 12.25ha, ~4% of the total area).

7.3.3.4 This habitat had a semi-closed to closed canopy, with tree heights ranging from 4m to 12m depending on the local topography and the canopy species. A mixture of common native and exotic tree species, such as Acacia confusa, Bauhinia spp, Celtis sinensis and Macaranga tanarius var. tomentosa, was found in this habitat. The self-colonised species, Leucaena leucocephala, was also found at the edge of some foothill areas. The mid-storey of this habitat was occupied by a mixture of common shrubs species and small to medium sized trees (e.g. Aporosa dioica, Ficus hispida, Litsea rotundifolia var. oblongifolia and Microcos paniculata) while the understory was occupied by common shrubs and climbers including Desmos chinensis, Paederia scandens and Psychotria asiatica. Some planted tree species (i.e. Acacia spp.) with commonly found woodland species in understory were also scattered in the mixed woodland edge, in particular along the roadside.

7.3.3.5 Within this habitat, a total of 63 flora species were recorded. One species of conservation importance, Gnetum luofuense, was identified during this ecological baseline surveys. The woody climber Gnetum luofuense is listed as "Near Threatened" under IUCN Red list of Threatened Species due to the loss or fragmentation of its forest habitat in its biogeographical region. However, it is commonly found in forest and shrubland in Hong Kong, and is not locally protected by law. Photographic record of this habitat found during the surveys is shown in Figure 7.6 and their location is shown in Figure 7.1a.

7.3.3.6 A small patch of mixed woodland (0.31ha) fell within the Project site at the edge of Scenic Hill, in which the vegetation composition was largely related to the connected mixed woodland. This patch of mixed woodland was being disturbed in nature in terms of vegetation clearance at the understory, refer to Photos (c)&(d) in Figure 7.6. No flora species of conservation importance was recorded within the Project site.

Shrubland

7.3.3.7 Shrubland within the Assessment Area mainly occurs uphill areas of Scenic Hill (Figure 7.1a). The total area of this habitat is approximately 22.46ha and accounts for 6% of the overall Assessment Area. It was found with various common shrub species that were present at hillside areas (e.g. Litsea rotundifolia var. oblongifolia, Melastoma sanguineum, Panicum maximum, Pennisetum alopecuroides and Zanthoxylum avicennae) and common tree species occasionally found at uphill areas (e.g. Acacia confusa, Lophostemon confertus, Mallotus paniculatus, Polyspora axillaris) with an average height ranging from 2m to 4m. The understorey vegetation dominating this habitat included ferns and grass (e.g. Dicranopteris pedata, Lygodium japonicum and Phyllanthus reticulatus).

7.3.3.8 A total of 42 flora species were recorded in shrubland within the Assessment Area. Most of the plant species are locally common or very common in Hong Kong. Two species of conservation importance were recorded, namely Gnetum luofuense and Eulophia graminea. Eulophia graminea is an orchid species protected under Cap. 96 and scheduled under Cap 586 while their distribution is restricted locally in Hong Kong. Photographic record of this species found during the surveys is shown in Figure 7.6 and their location is shown in Figure 7.1a.

Developed Area

7.3.3.9 Developed area within the Assessment Area refers to large-scaled public facilities, infrastructure and urban development such as various buildings and park (Figures 7.1a and 7.1b). It is the largest habitat identified in the surveys with an area of about 315ha and accounts for ~ 90% of the whole Assessment Area.

7.3.3.10 Flora species recorded in this habitat were mainly ornamental species for roadside planting and within landscaping areas. A total of 43 flora species were recorded in this habitat. Tree species commonly adopted for streetscaping in this habitat were Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia confusa, Delonix regia, Ficus microcarpa, Grevillea robusta and Handroanthus chrysanthus. Other shrub and ground cover included Allamanda schottii, Bougainvillea spectabilis, Calliandra haematocephala, and Wedelia trilobata, which were commonly planted in plantation areas within this habitat. Some common invasive herbaceous weeds such as Bidens alba, Lantana camara and Mikania micrantha were also identified in urban areas. No flora species of conservation importance was recorded in this habitat within the Assessment Area.

7.3.3.11 Up to 98% of the land-based area of Project site fell within the developed area which majorly comprised of existing paved roads/areas supported with limited vegetation and trees that were occasionally planted for landscaping purpose and/or self-colonised species such as Leucaena leucocephala. No flora species of conservation importance was recorded within the Project site.

Watercourse

7.3.3.12 Two natural watercourses were found within the Assessment Area near mixed woodland and shrubland at the Scenic Hill (Figure 7.1a). As observed during the surveys, the watercourses were comprised of boulders at stream bed. The riparian zones of these watercourses were largely related to the habitat types in their immediate surrounding environment, and thus similar species composition was found. The watercourses were observed in dry condition even during the wet season surveys. The flora diversity and abundance of this habitat was low and no flora species of conservation importance was found. Commonly recorded species included Aporosa dioica, Litsea rotundifolia var. oblongifolia and Sterculia lanceolate. The total length of the watercourses within the Assessment Area is about ~340 m.

7.3.3.13 Table 7.6 below summarises all the flora species of conservation importance recorded during the ecological baseline surveys within the Assessment Area and their recorded habitats. No flora species of conservation importance was recorded within the Project site.

Table 7.6 Flora Species of Conservation Importance Recorded within the Assessment Area

Name	Conservation Status ⁽¹⁾	Recorded Habitat
Name	Conservation Status ⁽¹⁾	Recorded Habitat
Gnetum luofuense	Classified as "Near Threatened" on the IUCN Red List	Mixed Woodland, Shrubland at Scenic Hill
Eulophia graminea	Scheduled under Cap. 96A and protected under Cap. 586.	Shrubland at Scenic Hill

Notes:

1. Conservation Status:

a. AFCD (2003) Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, HKSAR, Hong Kong.

b. Cap. 96A: Forestry Regulations, the subsidiary legislation of Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96).

c. Cap. 586: Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance

d. IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species (2022).

Fauna Surveys

7.3.3.14 A majority of the Assessment Area is located in developed area with no natural habitats on the reclaimed land of the Airport Island. By lacking natural habitats and associating with intensive human disturbances, the fauna surveys recorded low fauna species diversity and abundance among each habitat within the Assessment Area. The recorded species mostly comprised of common and widespread species which are adaptive to nuisance. Moreover, due to absence of permanent flowing watercourse, the water dependent species such as aquatic fauna was not recorded, and also species associated with water including odonata and herpetofauna were rarely recorded. Among the recorded species, a total of one mammal, four avifauna and one butterfly species of conservation importance were recorded within the Assessment Area. The detailed fauna list recorded during the surveys within the Assessment Area is included in Tables 7B.2 – 7B.7 of Appendix 7.2.

7.3.3.15 One mammal species of conservation importance, Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat, was recorded near the peak of the Scenic Hill at the west of the Assessment Area. All wild bat species are protected under Cap. 170 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, although this species is considered as locally common (Shek 2006)[11]. Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat is also considered as Local Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)[12].

7.3.3.16 Four avifauna species of conservation importance, including Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret, Pacific Reef Heron and Greater Coucal. Black-crowned Night Heron and Pacific Reef Heron are listed as of conservation concern by Fellowes et al. (2002) based on the restrictedness in breeding and/or roosting sites rather than in general occurrence. Little Egret is considered as Potential Regional Concern in general occurrence and listed as Regional Concern based on the restrictedness in breeding and/or roosting sites by Fellowes et al. (2002). Both Pacific Reef Heron and Greater Coucal are listed under China State Major Protection Status: Appendix II. Nevertheless, these avifauna species are all common resident and widely distributed in Hong Kong (AFCD 2022)[13].

7.3.3.17 One butterfly species of conservation importance, Small Cabbage White, was found at the edge of mixed woodland near Scenic Road, west of the Assessment Area. This species is classified as Rare in AFCD Assessment (AFCD 2011)[14].

7.3.3.18 The protection and/or conservation status of the recorded fauna species of conservation importance are presented in Table 7.7. No fauna species of conservation importance were recorded within the Project site.

Table 7.7 Fauna Species of Conservation Importance Recorded within the Assessment Area

Common Name	Scientific Name	Recorded Habitat	Conservation/Protection Status ⁽¹⁾
Mammal
Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat	Hipposideros armiger	Shrubland	Fellowes: (LC); Cap.170
Avifauna
Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Sea	(LC)
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	Sea; Developed Area	PRC (RC)
Pacific Reef Heron	Egretta sacra	Sea	(LC); CSMPS(II)
Greater Coucal	Centropus sinensis	Mixed Woodland	CSMPS(II)
Butterfly
Small Cabbage White	Pieris rapae	Developed Area	AFCD Assessment: Rare
Notes: 1. Conservation and Protection Status: a. Fellowes – Fellowes et al. (2002): RC = Regional Concern, PRC = Potential Regional Concern, LC = Local Concern. Letters in parentheses indicate that the assessment is on the basis of restrictedness in breeding and/or roosting sites rather than in general occurrence. b. CSMPS – China State Major Protection Status: Appendix II c. Cap. 586: Protected under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance d. Cap. 170: Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance e. All birds in Hong Kong are protected under Cap. 170 – Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance f. AFCD Assessment (AFCD 2011)

Marine Ecology

Subtidal Benthos Surveys

7.3.3.19 A total of 85 individual organisms were collected from the two grab samples from the 2 sampling stations B1 and B2 (Figure 7.4). The specimens belong to 4 Phyla with a total of 7 classes, 14 families and 19 species identified. Table 7.8 provides a summary on the abundance, biomass, taxonomic richness, Pielou’s Evenness and Shannon Diversity of infauna collected at each station. The raw data of benthos surveys is presented in Table 7B.8 of Appendix 7.2.

7.3.3.20 Results of the surveys showed that infaunal abundance was higher at station B2 and the biomass was higher at station B1. The taxonomic richness (here represented by number of families and species of infaunal organisms), evenness and diversity were similar between the two stations. In terms of infaunal abundance, the majority of organisms recorded were from the Phyla Annelida and Arthropoda, which accounted for ~39% and ~39% at station B1, and ~35% and ~37% at station B2 respectively. The amphipod Gammarus sp. was the most abundant species at both sites (total abundance = 13 and 17 individuals at stations B1 and B2 respectively). No species of conservation importance were recorded in the surveys. In terms of infaunal biomass, organisms from the Phylum Mollusca contributed ~94% and ~87% of the total biomass recorded at stations B1 and B2 respectively. The high biomass of Mollusca was contributed by a number of bivalves species, including Paratapes undulatus and Placamen isabellina for station B1, and Timoclea scabra and an unidentified bivalve juvenile for station B2.

Table 7.8 Density and Indices of Richness, Evenness and Diversity of Infaunal Assemblages at the Sampling Locations for the Soft Bottom Habitat Surveys at the Assessment Area

Station	Abundance of Infaunal Individuals	Taxonomic Richness (No. Families)	Taxonomic Richness (No. Species)	Pielou’s Evenness (J)	Shannon Diversity (H’)	Total Biomass (g wet weight)	Mean Biomass per Individual (g wet weight)
B1	36	13	16	0.8282	2.296	1.449	0.0403
B2	49	12	14	0.8022	2.117	1.008	0.0206

Note:

[1] Shannon Diversity Index is calculated with log_e

Coral Surveys

7.3.3.21 Coral surveys was conducted at two survey locations (D1 and D2 as shown in Figure 7.4). The weather was fine and the sea was generally calm during the coral surveys. The underwater visibility ranged between 0.1m and 1m and was generally poorer in deeper regions. Spot check dives were conducted at both locations and the REA surveys was only conducted at location D1 as no coral was observed at location D2. During the surveys, the seabed composition was identified and the coral species was recorded. The general substrata and biological conditions along the transect noted during the qualitative spot check dives and REA surveys are presented in Table 7.9.

Table 7.9 Summary of Results of Qualitative Spot Check Dives and REA Surveys

Survey Location	Depth	Description
Survey Location	Depth	Description
D1	-2 to -4 mCD	The transect is located at the eastern coast of Airport Island. The site was dominated by artificial shoreline and silt with low hard coral coverage (<5%). A small colony of hard coral Oulastrea crispata was recorded on the transect with low sediment cover. Low coverage of other benthos, such as sponges, was recorded along the transect.
D2	-2 to -4 mCD	Spot dive check was conducted at the northern coast of Chek Lap Kok Road between Airport Island and Hong Kong Port (HKP) of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The site was dominated by artificial shoreline. Low coverage of other benthos, such as sponges, was recorded along the transect. No coral was recorded at the site, and hence, no REA was conducted.

7.3.3.22 The site mainly comprised of muddy substrates along the artificial shorelines. Only low coverage of hard coral (<5%) and other benthos (<5%) were observed. A single colony of a common and widespread hard coral species, Oulastrea crispata, was recorded at location D1, while isolated barnacles and sponges were mainly recorded on the hard substrata. Representative photographs of the seabed and coral conditions at the survey transects are presented in Figures 7.7a and 7.7b. The seabed attribute and benthic communities recorded during the REA surveys at location D1 were presented in Table 7B.9 and Table 7B.10 of Appendix 7.2.

7.3.3.23 Overall, results of the diving surveys indicated that the subtidal hard substrate within surveyed locations showed very limited sessile taxa diversity. A single common and widespread hard coral Oulastrea crispata was recorded in low percentage cover (<5%) at location D1, and no coral was recorded at location D2.

Intertidal Surveys

7.3.3.24 A list of organisms encountered during the qualitative spot checks and their relative abundances at the vertical seawall of east of Airport Island (T1) and the artificial sloping seawall at the west of HKP (T2) is provided in Table 7B.11 of Appendix 7.2. Data of the mean density of intertidal fauna and mean percentage cover of sessile fauna and flora recorded at T2 are presented in Table 7B.12 of Appendix 7.2.

7.3.3.25 The vertical seawall located east of Airport Island exhibited a low diversity of species. Only qualitative surveys were conducted for this site and the surveys has recorded a total of 12 fauna species and 4 algal species. The species recorded are all very common and widespread species on artificial shores of Hong Kong, such as the barnacles Amphibalanus amphitrite, bivalves Saccostrea cuccullata and algae Gelidium pusillum. Representative photos of the intertidal habitats at the vertical seawall are shown in Figure 7.8.

7.3.3.26 The artificial sloping seawall of the HKP exhibited a low diversity of species. The surveys have recorded a total of 13 fauna species and 4 algal species in the qualitative walk-through survey which was similar to the numbers reported for vertical seawall. A slightly higher species diversity was observed at the high-tide level at the artificial sloping seawall. Quantitative surveys were also conducted for the artificial sloping seawall and the survey results showed that both the abundance/ density of mobile species and percentage cover of sessile organisms were considered to be low to moderate (i.e. 0.8 – 51.2 individuals/m² and 0.4 – 48%/m² respectively). The species recorded are all very common and widespread species on artificial shores of Hong Kong, such as the bivalves Saccostrea cuccullata, gastropods Monodonta labio and the cyanobacteria Kyrtuthrix maculans. Representative photos of the intertidal habitats at the artificial sloping seawall are shown in Figure 7.8.

7.3.3.27 Overall, results of the intertidal surveys showed that all species were common and widespread, and no species of conservation importance were recorded.

Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Surveys

7.3.3.28 An F-POD unit was deployed on the west of HKP on 1 April 2022 and was fully retrieved after 4 months of monitoring on 3 August 2022. The location of PAM deployment has been updated after assessing the Project site conditions to avoid main construction areas and marine traffic routes in the vicinity of the proposed marine facilities. The updated location is shown in Figure 7.5.

7.3.3.29 At the deployment site, the F-POD unit was deployed for 123.8 logged days with 2 retrievals completed during the deployment period for battery replacement. Two dolphin detections in terms of Detection Positive Minutes (DPMs) were recorded during the deployment period, which would belong to the only delphinid species, CWDs that are residents of North Lantau waters. CWD activities were recorded on 2 days (5 April and 10 May 2022) during the first deployment period from 1 April to 16 May 2022, with the mean dolphin DPM per day to be 0.02 (i.e. a total of two DPMs across 123.8 logged days) recorded at the site. There were no false positives detected which could provide good confidence of the recorded dolphin detections. The summary of deployment data and statistics are presented in Appendix 7.3.

7.3.3.30 The acoustic detections recorded was very low during the monitoring period which suggested the overall low CWD usage of marine habitat in the vicinity of the Project site for the proposed marine facilities. The results are in line with the findings of the long-term AFCD marine mammal monitoring surveys, suggesting the areas within and in the vicinity of the Project site are not considered as unique and important habitats for CWDs.

7.3.4 Ecological Profiles

7.3.4.1 The key findings of the literature review and field surveys are summarised below.

Recognised Site of Conservation Importance

7.3.4.2 Recognised sites of conservation importance in the vicinity of the Project site include Marine Parks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). No other recognised sites of conservation importance for terrestrial resources (e.g. Country Park) were recorded with in the Assessment Area. Details of these recognised sites of conservation importance are discussed below.

Existing, Proposed and Potential Marine Parks

7.3.4.3 The Brothers Marine Park (BMP) is the existing marine park located in the vicinity of the Project site. The North Lantau Marine Park (NLMP) is the proposed marine park identified in the vicinity of the BMP. Details of the BMP and NLMP are provided in Table 7A.4.1 of Appendix 7.1. The locations of the two marine parks are provided in Figure 7A.4 of Appendix 7.1⁽[15]⁾.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

7.3.4.4 SSSIs located within the Assessment Area include San Tau Beach SSSI and Tai Ho Stream SSSI which are more than 1km from the Project site. Given the Project is located at some distance to these SSSIs, unacceptable impacts to these SSSIs are not anticipated. The locations of the SSSIs are provided in Figure 7A.4 of Appendix 7.1⁽[16]⁾.

Marine Mammals

7.3.4.5 The Chinese White Dolphin, Sousa Chinensis is recorded within the Assessment Area in North Lantau waters. According to the long-term marine mammal monitoring conducted by AFCD⁽^{^[17]}⁾, survey results from 2013-2021 showed the abundance of CWDs at North Lantau waters have been decreasing. Higher dolphin densities recorded at areas of Northwest Lantau (NWL) around Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park (SCLKCMP) and very low dolphin densities recorded in Northeast Lantau (NEL) waters. Dolphin sightings at the BMP during the monitoring period is minimal, with no sightings recorded in recent years in 2019-2021. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has been conducted alongside with the long-term AFCD study, which showed that some dolphin detections were recorded within the BMP during 2017-2020 with more night-time detections obtained. For the Project site, areas in the vicinity of the proposed marine facilities are closer to the CWD habitats around the BMP but is still at some distances away from areas with higher dolphin density around SCLKCMP. With the presence of marine traffic around SkyPier near the proposed marine facilities, the likelihood of the area near the proposed marine facilities as important habitat for CWDs is low. Areas in the vicinity of proposed marine viaduct are located near Tung Chung Development Pier, which has busy marine traffic and is considered to be far away from the key CWD habitats at northern Chek Lap Kok waters, dolphin occurrence around the proposed marine viaduct is therefore unlikely. The distribution and abundance of CWDs in Hong Kong waters are provided in Figure 7A.8 and Figure 7A.9 of Appendix 7.1⁽^{^[18]}⁾.

Horseshoe Crab, and its Breeding and Nursery Grounds

7.3.4.6 Two species of horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, have previously been recorded around Hong Kong waters. Both Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda are recorded on intertidal sandy shores or mudflats at Tung Chung Bay, San Tau and Tai Ho Wan which are more than 1km from the Project site.

Mangroves

7.3.4.7 Mangrove communities are recorded in Tung Chung Bay, San Tau and Tai Ho Wan which are more than 1km from the Project site.

Seagrass Bed

7.3.4.8 Seagrass beds have been recorded in Tung Chung Bay, San Tau and Tai Ho Wan which are more than 1km from the Project site.

Coral Communities

7.3.4.9 According to literature review, only a few species of gorgonians (Echinomuricea spp. and Guaiagorgia sp.) and hard corals (Balanophyllia sp. and Oulastrea crispata) were recorded in the vicinity of the Project site which were usually in low abundance and low coverage. All recorded coral species are common and widespread in the northern and western waters of Hong Kong.

7.3.4.10 Coral surveys were conducted within the Project site to determine the coral coverage within the Project footprint, and the results showed that only very low coverage and very low abundance of hard coral Oulastrea crispata was present.

7.3.4.11 Overall, the literature review and surveys suggested that the coral communities within and in the vicinity of the Project site are scattered with low abundance and low coverage, which are commonly observed in North Lantau waters.

Other Intertidal and Subtidal Assemblages

7.3.4.12 Other intertidal and subtidal benthos species reported in the Assessment Area from the field surveys and literature review are mostly common and widespread in Hong Kong. Species of conservation importance, such as seahorse (Hippocampus kuda) and longtooth grouper (Epinephelus bruneus) have been recorded in subtidal soft bottom habitat, but all are rare sightings and far away from the Project site.

7.3.5 Ecological Importance

Evaluation of Marine and Terrestrial Ecological Habitats

7.3.5.1 The existing conditions of the marine and terrestrial ecological habitats and resources within the Assessment Area have been assessed. These baseline conditions have been based on available literature and, where considered necessary, focused field surveys and data review to update and supplement the data. Based on this information presented from Section 7.3.3, Section 7.3.4, Appendices 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3, the ecological importance of each habitat has been determined according to the EIAO-TM Annex 8 criteria.

7.3.5.2 Within the Assessment Area of this EIA, which covers a large area extent, variations in the ecological characteristics of habitats across different locations (which are kilometres apart) are likely to be present. To provide information of key relevance to the marine and terrestrial ecological assessment, the ecological importance of the habitats was determined through reference to the following:

n Literature review;

n Findings of the field surveys;

n Comparison with other areas in Hong Kong; and

n Annexes 8 and 16 of the EIAO-TM.

Outcomes of the evaluation of ecological importance of the marine and terrestrial habitats and species within the Assessment Areas are presented in Table 7.10 to Table 7.13 for terrestrial ecology and Table 7.14 to Table 7.21 for marine ecology.

Table 7.10 Ecological Importance of Mixed Woodland within the Assessment Area and Project Site

Criteria	Assessment Area	Project Site
Naturalness	Mostly natural habitat with some planted species at the edge of mixed woodland, subject to human disturbances from adjacent developed area and village area	Being disturbed in nature, in particular the understory was partly cleared out
Size	~12.25ha	~0.31ha
Diversity	Low to Moderate in diversity of plant species and structural complexity Low diversity of fauna species.
Rarity	Common habitat in Hong Kong Flora and fauna species of conservation interest recorded from field surveys and literature review: Flora – Aquilaria sinensis, Gnetum luofuense Avifauna – Greater Coucal; Black Kite Amphibians – Romer’s Tree Frog and Chinese Bullfrog	Common habitat in Hong Kong Species of composition is similar to the adjacent mixed woodland at Scenic Hill No flora and fauna species of conservation importance was recorded
Re-creatability	It takes at least 20-30 years for the mixed woodland to develop to the current mature stage
Fragmentation	Isolated by surrounding developed area
Ecological Linkage	Functionally links to the shrubland and watercourses in close proximity	Functionally links to the adjacent mixed woodland at Scenic Hill
Potential Value	Moderate potential value to become a more mature mixed woodland if given sufficient time under protection
Nursery/Breeding Area	Potential nursery/breeding grounds for mammals and birds, but no significant record Record of Romer’s Tree Frog breeding site from literature review was identified in this habitat	Potential nursery/breeding grounds for mammals and birds, but no significant record
Age	More than 30 years
Abundance	Low abundance and richness for fauna species
Ecological Importance	Moderate	Low to moderate

Table 7.11 Ecological Importance of Developed Area within the Assessment Area and Project Site

Criteria	Assessment Area	Project Site
Naturalness	Entirely man-made, subject to frequent human disturbance
Size	~315ha	~12.82ha
Diversity	Low floral diversity and structure complexity Low diversity of fauna species
Rarity	Very common habitat in Hong Kong Flora and fauna species of conservation interest recorded from field surveys and literature review: Flora – Rhododendron spp, Canthium dicoccum Avifauna – Little Egret Butterfly – Small Cabbage White	Very common habitat in Hong Kong Species of composition is similar to developed area within the Assessment Area No flora and fauna species of conservation importance was recorded
Re-creatability	Readily re-creatable
Fragmentation	Not fragmented
Ecological Linkage	Weak ecological linkage with adjacent habitats
Potential Value	Low
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant nursery or breeding ground recorded
Age	Not applicable
Abundance	Low abundance and richness for fauna species
Ecological Importance	Low

Table 7.12 Ecological Importance of Shrubland within the Assessment Area

Criteria	Assessment Area
Naturalness	Natural habitats mainly covered by native shrub and grass species
Size	~22.46ha
Diversity	Low floral diversity and structure complexity Low diversity of fauna species
Rarity	Common habitat in Hong Kong Flora and fauna species of conservation interest recorded from field surveys and literature review: Flora – Aquilaria sinensis, Brainea insignis, Canthium dicoccum, Eulophia graminea, Gnetum luofuense Mammal – Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat Avifauna – Common Kestrel, Pacific Swift Butterfly – Danaid Eggfly and Plain Palm Dart
Re-creatability	In the absence of disturbance, it would take at least 5 years for the shrubland to be re-created
Fragmentation	Isolated by surrounding developed area
Ecological Linkage	Functionally linked to mixed woodland and watercourses in close proximity
Potential Value	Low to moderate. Potential to become mature shrubland and then young mixed woodland if given sufficient time and protection from disturbance
Nursery/Breeding Area	Potential nursery/breeding area for landbirds and insects, but no significant record
Age	More than 30 years
Abundance	Low abundance and richness for fauna species
Ecological Importance	Low to moderate

Table 7.13 Ecological Importance of Watercourse within the Assessment Area

Criteria	Assessment Area
Naturalness	Natural, comprised of boulders at river bed but dry out most of the time even in wet season
Size	~340m
Diversity	Low floral diversity and structure complexity Low diversity of fauna species
Rarity	Common habitat in Hong Kong No flora and fauna species of conservation importance recorded in this habitat
Re-creatability	Re-creatable given the hydrological conditions are available
Fragmentation	Not applicable
Ecological Linkage	Functionally linked to adjacent mixed woodland
Potential Value	Low potential due to limited water flow
Nursery/Breeding Area	Potential nursery/breeding grounds for aquatic fauna and herpetofauna, including Romer’s Tree Frog, but no significant record
Age	Not applicable
Abundance	Low
Ecological Importance	Low to moderate

Table 7.14 Ecological Importance of Existing and Proposed Marine Parks in the vicinity of the Project Site

Criteria	The Brothers Marine Park (BMP)	Proposed North Lantau Marine Park (NLMP)
Naturalness	Natural intertidal and subtidal hard and soft bottom habitat and marine waters	Natural intertidal and subtidal hard and soft bottom habitat and marine waters
Size	~970ha	~2,400ha
Diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Rarity	Habitats and species are common in the western waters of Hong Kong. Species with conservation importance include CWD, seahorse (Hippocampus kuda), several marine fishes (including Goatee croaker (Dendrophysa russelii), Longtooth grouper (Epinephelus bruneus) and Banded tuna (Scomberomorus commerson)), ahermatypic cup corals and gorgonians	Habitats and species are common in the western waters in Hong Kong. Species with conservation importance include CWD, seahorse (Hippocampus kuda), horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) and several marine fishes (including Aetobatus flagellum, Telatrygon zugei, Dendrophysa russelii, Epinephelus bruneus, Ephinephelus coioides, Larimichthys crocea, Otolithes ruber and Scomberomorus commerson), ahermatypic cup corals and gorgonians
Re-creatability	Not re-creatable	Not re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to the subtidal habitats and CWD habitats nearby	Connects subtidal habitats, the BMP, SCLKCMP and other CWD habitats in North Lantau waters
Potential Value	Already designated as marine park	To be designated
Nursery/Breeding Area	Potential nursery area for CWD	Potential nursery area for CWD
Age	Designated as Marine Park in December 2016	N/A
Abundance	Rare CWD records in North Lantau waters in recent years, low to moderate coverage of octocorals and low coverage of cup corals are recorded	Rare CWD records in North Lantau waters in recent years, low coverage of octocorals and cup corals are recorded
Ecological Importance	High	Moderate

Table 7.15 Ecological Importance of Intertidal Habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project Site

Criteria	Areas within and in the vicinity of the Project Site
Naturalness	Mainly consist of artificial shorelines
Size	~9.00ha
Diversity	Low
Rarity	Common intertidal organisms are recorded at vertical and sloping seawalls.
Re-creatability	Re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to intertidal habitats nearby
Potential Value	Low as the Project site is at some distance from natural shorelines at San Tau Beach SSSI, Tai Ho Stream SSSI, Tung Chung Bay and Tai Ho Wan
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant records identified
Age	N/A
Abundance	Low to moderate
Ecological Importance	Low

Table 7.16 Ecological Importance of Subtidal Hard-Bottom Habitats within and in the vicinity of the Proposed Marine Facilities

Criteria	Areas within and in the vicinity of the Proposed Marine Facilities
Naturalness	Mixture of natural habitat with artificial shorelines
Size	~8.33ha
Diversity	Low
Rarity	Assemblages comprise of typical common and widespread species in Hong Kong. Some species of conservation importance, included hermatypic hard corals
Re-creatability	Re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to rocky shores in the BMP
Potential Value	Generally low since it is comprised of partially artificial habitat with low coral coverage
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant records identified
Age	N/A
Abundance	Low coral coverage (<5%) at the proposed marine facilities
Ecological Importance	Low

Table 7.17 Ecological Importance of Subtidal Hard-Bottom Habitats within and in the vicinity of the Marine Viaduct

Criteria	Areas within and in the vicinity of the Marine Viaduct
Naturalness	Mixture of natural habitat with artificial shorelines
Size	~0.67ha
Diversity	Low
Rarity	Assemblages comprise typical common and widespread species in Hong Kong. Some species of conservation importance, included ahermatypic cup corals
Re-creatability	Re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to rocky shores in Tung Chung Bay
Potential Value	Generally low since it is comprised of partially artificial habitat with low coral coverage
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant records identified
Age	N/A
Abundance	Low coral coverage (<5%) at areas within and in the vicinity of the marine viaduct
Ecological Importance	Low

Table 7.18 Ecological Importance of Subtidal Soft Benthos Assemblages within and in the vicinity of the Proposed Marine Facilities

Criteria	Areas within and in the vicinity of the Proposed Marine Facilities
Naturalness	Mixture of natural habitat with artificial shorelines
Size	~8.33ha
Diversity	Low
Rarity	Assemblages comprise typical common and widespread species in Hong Kong, dominated by annelid worms and arthropods
Re-creatability	Re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to subtidal habitats nearby
Potential Value	Low
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant records identified
Age	N/A
Abundance	Similar to other parts of the northern Lantau waters of Hong Kong
Ecological Importance	Low

Table 7.19 Ecological Importance of Subtidal Soft Benthos Assemblages within and in the vicinity of the Marine Viaduct

Criteria	Areas within and in the vicinity of the Marine Viaduct
Naturalness	Mixture of natural habitat with artificial shorelines
Size	~0.67ha
Diversity	Low
Rarity	Assemblages comprise typical common and widespread species in Hong Kong, dominated by annelid worms, arthropods and molluscs
Re-creatability	Re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to subtidal habitats nearby
Potential Value	Low
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant records identified
Age	N/A
Abundance	Similar to other parts of the northern Lantau waters of Hong Kong
Ecological Importance	Low

Table 7.20 Ecological Importance of Marine Waters within and in the vicinity of the Proposed Marine Facilities

Criteria	Areas within and in the vicinity of the Proposed Marine Facilities
Naturalness	Natural but in close proximity to marine fairways
Size	~8.33ha
Diversity	CWD was recorded
Rarity	CWD is a resident species in Hong Kong
Re-creatability	Not re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to CWDs in North Lantau waters and marine habitats nearby
Potential Value	Some value as it is next to the BMP and proposed NLMP
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant records identified
Age	N/A
Abundance	Very low CWD density. Low abundance of fish compared to other waters of northern Hong Kong with some species of conservation importance
Ecological Importance	Low

Table 7.21 Ecological Importance of Marine Waters within and in the vicinity of the Marine Viaduct

Criteria	Areas within and in the vicinity of the Marine Viaduct
Naturalness	Natural but in close proximity to marine fairways
Size	~0.67ha
Diversity	No CWD records have been documented in the vicinity of the marine viaduct
Rarity	N/A
Re-creatability	Not re-creatable
Fragmentation	Unfragmented
Ecological Linkage	Linked to CWDs, horseshoe crabs in North Lantau waters and marine habitats nearby
Potential Value	Low as the marine viaduct is at a distance from the BMP and proposed NLMP, partially blocked by the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities and Hong Kong International Airport
Nursery/Breeding Area	No significant records identified
Age	N/A
Abundance	Low abundance of fish compared to other waters of northern Hong Kong with some species of conservation importance
Ecological Importance	Low

7.3.6 Species of Conservation Importance

7.3.6.1 In accordance with EIAO-TM Annex 8 criteria, an evaluation of species of conservation importance recorded within and in the vicinity of the Project site is presented in Table 7.22. As Tai Ho Stream SSSI is located at ~5.7km from the Project site which is remote from the Project, species which were only recorded in Tai Ho Stream SSSI are not discussed below.

Table 7.22 Species of Conservation Importance within and in the vicinity of the 500m Assessment Area

Common Name	Scientific Name	Protection Status	Distribution, Rarity and other Notes	Literature	Surveys	Recorded Location
Terrestrial Ecology
Flora
Incense Tree	Aquilaria sinensis	Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) Listed as "Near Threatened" in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong Listed as "Vulnerable" in China Plant Red Data Book Under State protection (Category II) in China (AFCD 2003) Listed as "Vulnerable" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species	Common in Hong Kong	ü		Recorded in mixed woodland around Scenic Hill, shrubland edge around Tung Chung
Cycad-fern	Brainea insignis	Listed as "Vulnerable" in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong Under State protection (Category II) (AFCD 2003)	Common in Hong Kong	ü		Recorded in shrubland around Tung Chung
Butulang Canthium	Canthium dicoccum	Listed as "Vulnerable" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species	Common in Hong Kong	ü		Recorded in shrubland around Tung Chung, with multiple individuals around Yu Tung Road
Pale Purple Eulophia	Eulophia graminea	Protection of Forest and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96) Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586)	Restricted distribution in Hong Kong	ü	ü	Recorded in shrubland around Scenic Hill
Luofushan Joint-fir	Gnetum luofuense	Listed as "Near Threatened" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species	Very common in Hong Kong		ü	Recorded in mixed woodland and shrubland around Scenic Hill
-	Rhododendron sp.			ü		Recorded in developed area around Tung Chung
Mammal
Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat	Hipposideros armiger	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Local Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Widely distributed in countryside areas throughout Hong Kong.		ü	Recorded in flight around shrubland in Scenic Hill
Avifauna
Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Local Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Common resident and migrant, widely distributed in Hong Kong	ü	ü	Recorded along edge of shoreline around Pak Sha Tsui
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Potential Regional Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Common winter visitor, found in Deep Bay area, Starling Inlet, Kowloon Park, Cape D'Aguilar	ü		Recorded along edge of shoreline around Pak Sha Tsui
Great Egret	Ardea alba	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Potential Regional Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Regional Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Common resident, migrant and winter visitor. Widely distributed in Hong Kong.	ü		Recorded along edge of shoreline around Pak Sha Tsui
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Potential Regional Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Regional Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Common resident and widely distributed in coastal area throughout Hong Kong	ü	ü	Recorded along edge of shoreline around Pak Sha Tsui
Pacific Reef Heron	Egretta sacra	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Local Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002) Appendix II of China State Major Protection Status	Common resident and widely distributed in coastal areas throughout Hong Kong	ü	ü	Recorded along edge of shoreline around Pak Sha Tsui
Black Kite	Milvus migrans	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Regional Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002) Appendix II of CITES Appendix II of China State Major Protection Status	Common resident and winter visitor, widely distributed in Hong Kong	ü		Recorded along edge of shoreline around Pak Sha Tsui
Greater Coucal	Centropus sinensis	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Appendix II of China State Major Protection Status	Common resident and widely distributed in Hong Kong		ü	Recorded in mixed woodland around Scenic Hill
Pacific Swift	Apus pacificus	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Local Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Uncommon spring migrant and summer visitor. Mainly found in Deep Bay area and islands.	ü		Recorded in shrubland around Scenic Hill
White-throated Kingfisher	Halcyon smyrnensis	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Breeding/ roosting site listed as Local Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Common resident. Widely distributed in coastal areas throughout Hong Kong.	ü		Recorded along edge of shoreline around Pak Sha Tsui
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) Appendix II of CITES Appendix II of China State Major Protection Status	Common autumn migrant and winter visitor. Widely distributed in Hong Kong.	ü		Recorded in shrubland around Scenic Hill
Amphibian
Chinese Bullfrog	Hoplobatrachus rugulosus	Potential Regional Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002) Listed as “Endangered” on Red List of China’s Vertebrate (2016) Appendix II of China State Major Protection Status	Widely distributed in Hong Kong.	ü		Recorded in mixed woodland around Scenic Hill
Romer’s Tree Frog	Liuixalus romeri	Protected under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Potential Global Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002) Listed as “Vulnerable” on Red List of China’s Vertebrate (2016) Listed as "Endangered" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species	Endemic to Hong Kong, distributed in woodlands on Lantau Island, Po Toi Island, Lamma Island, Hong Kong Island and New Territories	ü		Recorded in mixed woodland around Scenic Hill
Butterfly
Plain Palm Dart	Cephrenes acalle	AFCD Assessment : Very Rare	Ngong Ping	ü		Recorded in shrubland around Tung Chung
Danaid Egg Fly	Hypolimnas misippus	Local Concern by Fellowes et al. (2002)	Ngau Ngak Shan, Lung Kwu Tan, Hong Kong Wetland Park, Mount Parker, Cloudy Hill, Lin Ma Hang	ü		Recorded in shrubland around Scenic Hill
Small Cabbage White	Pieris rapae	AFCD Assessment (AFCD 2011): Rare	Shep Mun Kap, Fan Lau, Ngong Ping, Kam Tin, Ho Chung, Luk Keng, Tuen Mun Ash Lagoon		ü	Recorded in developed area around Scenic Hill
Marine Ecology
Hard Coral	Oulastrea crispata	Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586)	Common and widely distributed in the eastern waters of Hong Kong	ü	ü	Within and in the vicinity of the Project site, and along rocky shorelines of the Assessment Area
Cup Coral	Balanophyllia sp.	Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586)	Common and widely distributed in Hong Kong, especially in western waters	ü		In the vicinity of the Project site at northeast shore of Chek Lap Kok and at the BMP
Cup Coral	Paracyathus rotundatus	Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586)	Common and widely distributed in Hong Kong, especially in western waters	ü		At BMP, Tai Mo To and outside of Tai Ho Wan; recorded all around Lantau Island
Marine Fish (Goatee Croaker)	Dendrophysa russelii	Listed as “Vulnerable” in the China Species Red List	Commonly caught and sold in Hong Kong and southern China, though local population has not been assessed	ü		The BMP, northern and western Chek Lap Kok waters ⁽[19]⁾
Marine Fish (Longtooth grouper)	Epinephelus bruneus	Listed as “Vulnerable” in the China Species Red List	Rare in Hong Kong waters	ü		The BMP, northern and western Chek Lap Kok waters ⁽[20]⁾
Marine Fish (Banded tuna)	Scomberomorus commerson	Listed as " Near Threatened" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species	Local population has not been assessed	ü		The BMP and northern Chek Lap Kok waters ⁽[21]⁾
Seahorse	Hippocampus kuda	Listed as “Vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List and in China Species Red List	Uncommon in Hong Kong	ü		At the BMP, waters of northern Chek Lap Kok and Tai Ho Wan ⁽[22]⁾
Horseshoe crab	Tachypleus tridentatus	Listed as “Endangered” in the China Species Red List	Confirmed nursery sites around Lantau area include San Tau near Tung Chung, Tai Ho Bay, Tai O, Yi O, Sham Wat Wan, Sha Lo Wan, and northern and western water of Chek Lap Kok and Shui Hau at south Lantau. Records are also found in Tap Shek Kok, Tsim Bei Tsui, Ha Pak Nai and Pak Nai in Deep Bay.	ü		Tung Chung Bay, San Tau Beach SSSI, Hau Hok Wan and Tai Ho Wan
Horseshoe crab	Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda	Listed as “Vulnerable” in the China Species Red List	Confirmed nursery sites around Lantau area include San Tau near Tung Chung, Tai Ho Bay, Tai O, Yi O, Sham Wat Wan, Sha Lo Wan, and northern and western water of Chek Lap Kok and Shui Hau at south Lantau. Records are also found in Tap Shek Kok, Tsim Bei Tsui, Ha Pak Nai and Pak Nai in Deep Bay.	ü		Tung Chung Bay, San Tau Beach SSSI, Hau Hok Wan and Tai Ho Wan
Chinese White Dolphins	Sousa chinensis	Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170) Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) Listed as “Endangered” in the China Species Red List Listed as “Grade I National Key Protected Species” in China Listed as "Vulnerable" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species	Range across Pearl River Estuary and across Hong Kong western waters from Deep Bay to Soko Island	ü	ü	Northern Lantau waters, typically at areas around SCLKCMP

Marine Ecological Sensitive Receivers

7.3.6.2 Based on the review of available information within the Assessment Area, marine ecological sensitive receivers have been identified in accordance with the EIAO-TM criteria and are consistent with the ones identified in the Water Quality Modelling Plan. These sensitive receivers and their distance from the Project site are listed in Table 7.23. Locations of sensitive receivers can be referred to Figure 7A.4 of Appendix 7.1.

Table 7.23 Approximate Shortest Sea Distance to Marine Ecological Sensitive Receivers (SRs) around the Project Site

Description	Location	Shortest Sea Distance from Area of Proposed Marine Facilities (km)	Shortest Sea Distance from Area of Marine Viaduct (km)
Existing Marine Park	The Brothers Marine Park	2.5	3.9
Proposed Marine Park	Proposed North Lantau Marine Park	0.9	4.6
SSSI	Tai Ho Stream SSSI	6.9	5.7
SSSI	San Tau Beach SSSI	8.3	1.4
Mangroves, seagrasses and horseshoe crabs	Tung Chung Bay	8.3	1.4
Horseshoe crabs	Hau Hok Wan	9.9	3.1
Corals	The Brothers Islands (West Brother)	2.9	5.8
Corals	Seawall outside Siu Ho Wan ⁽¹⁾	4.8	5.2
Chinese White Dolphins	North Lantau waters	Linked to waters of proposed marine facilities	Linked to waters of marine viaduct
Note: [1] The entire coastline of North Lantau is covered with scattered coral colonies. For this EIA, this location is selected as a representative location for the corals along the coastline of North Lantau.

7.4 Assessment Methodology

7.4.1.1 The assessment methodology of ecological surveys under this assignment was approved on 16 November 2021. A desktop literature review and supporting field surveys were conducted in order to establish the ecological profile of the area within and surrounding the Project site. The importance of potentially-impacted marine ecological resources identified within the Assessment Area was evaluated using the methodology defined in the EIAO-TM.

7.4.1.2 Potential impacts to these resources due to the construction and operation of the Project were assessed (following the EIAO-TM Annex 16 guidelines) and the impacts evaluated (based on the criteria in EIAO-TM Annex 8). Findings of water quality modelling are used (Section 5), where appropriate, to assess potential impacts on the identified marine ecological resources.

7.5 Potential Impacts and Impact Assessment (Terrestrial Ecology)

7.5.1 Sources of Impacts

7.5.1.1 In view of the current habitat conditions of the Project site and its vicinity and their ecological values, the potential ecological impacts associated with the proposed works would be anticipated during construction phase and operational phase.

· Permanent and temporary habitat loss within the Project site due to the construction activities;

· Indirect disturbances to the surrounding habitats and associated wildlife due to the construction works and operation from the ATCL and associated facilities (e.g. increased human activities, generation of dust, waste and noise and inappropriate disposal of construction materials); and

· Indirect impacts (pollution) on watercourses.

Construction Phase

Habitat Loss

7.5.1.2 The construction activities for the proposed ATCL and marine facilities largely fell within the existing developed area (about 98% of the whole Project site, see Figures 7.1a and 7.1b) where is already subject to extensive human disturbance. Since these land-based work areas would be located within developed areas of the Airport Island and Tung Chung Town with no natural habitats, no terrestrial ecological impact is anticipated for 98% of the whole Project site.

7.5.1.3 While a small part of the Project site (0.31ha) encroached into the mixed woodland edge at the lowland area of Scenic Hill, this patch of mixed woodland is subject to certain degree of human disturbance (i.e. human activities around the Scenic Hill such as hiking, running, and landscaping works) and is considered of low to moderate ecological value. Without reinstatement work in this area, permanent loss of about 0.31ha mixed woodland will be anticipated. Clearance of herbaceous and shrub species with limited tree felling or pruning will be involved.

7.5.1.4 Overall, the Project would involve minimal vegetation clearance and loss of small patch of mixed woodland fringe with low to moderate ecological value. Considering the habitat loss is largely restricted to developed area which is urbanized, the direct habitat loss caused by the Project is considered to be Minor.

Potential Direct Impacts on Flora and Fauna Species of Conservation Importance

7.5.1.5 It should be noted that all of the identified individuals of flora species of conservation importance are located outside the Project site. Therefore, no flora species of conservation importance is expected to be affected by the proposed works directly.

7.5.1.6 With reference to the literature review and the recent surveys, fauna species of conservation importance recorded within the Project site are of relatively high mobility such as avifauna, bat and butterfly. These species are not subject to direct impact from the Project. Record of breeding site for Romer’s Tree Frog from literature review were located at some distance to the Project site at another side of the Scenic Hill. No watercourse will be lost and none of them is located close to the Project site, and thus the recorded Chinese Bullfrog and Romer’s Tree Frog, which associated with watercourse/waterbody and the adjoining vegetated area, would not be directly affected. Given the road/ paved surface and road edge vegetated areas are not preferred habitats for fauna species of conservation importance, direct impact on wildlife (esp. fauna species of conservation importance) due to the Project is considered to be Negligible.

Indirect Disturbances to Surrounding Habitats and Associated Wildlife

7.5.1.7 The surrounding habitats adjacent to the Project site could be indirectly impacted by the Project, due to construction-induced disturbances, including movement from construction traffic and the greater presence of human activities on-site, arising from the Project. Noise, dust, waste generation and visual disturbance are predicted to occur during construction phase, which may arise from the construction activities. Short-term disturbance can affect the time species have available for feeding, whilst longer term effects can cause a reduction in the use of a particular area for feeding and/or breeding (Treweek 1999)⁽[23]⁾. However, according to the baseline ecological surveys and literature review, fauna species inhabiting the nearby area are mostly mobile and able to move to the other similar habitats, which are large in area and with higher habitat quality. Furthermore, the fauna recorded within the Assessment Area were subjected to existing nearby human disturbance and thus human disturbance, nuisances induced by the construction works along the Project site would not have significant impact to surrounding wildlife.

7.5.1.8 In view of fragmentation to the habitats, the Project site is located at the edge of the mixed woodland and majorly along existing road/ paved surface in developed area, which is currently subject to traffic load, potential habitat fragmentation or road kill caused by the proposed works is considered to be insignificant.

7.5.1.9 In the absence of mitigation measures, the above-mentioned disturbance impacts on surrounding habitats and associated wildlife due to noise, dust, waste generation, visual disturbance, fragmentation and roadkill etc. caused by the Project is considered to be Minor.

Other Indirect Impacts

7.5.1.10 Site runoff from the works area may contain suspended solids and contaminants if uncontrolled. Potential sources of water pollution from uncontrolled site runoff may include runoff and erosion of exposed bare soil, earth and stockpiles, fuel, oil, and lubricant from maintenance of construction mechanical equipment. Considering the absence of watercourse at the vicinity of the Project site, and with the water pollution prevention/mitigation measures recommended in Chapter 5 of the EIA report, impact of potential water pollution caused by the Project is considered to be Negligible.

Operational Phase

Habitat Loss

7.5.1.11 During the operational phase, the developed area within the Project site will be reinstated. Considering the degraded nature (refer to Photos (c)&(d) in Figure 7.6) and involved small-scaled loss, unacceptable impact due to permanent loss of 0.31ha mixed woodland is considered to be Minor. The area would likely be developed into a landscape feature with vegetation planting.

Indirect Disturbances/Impacts to Surrounding Habitats and Associated Wildlife

7.5.1.12 Upon completion of the construction works, the operation of the Project would involve of various types of disturbances such as increased human activities and nuisances (i.e. noise, air, lighting) generated from the Project and associated facilities. Nevertheless, it should be noted that silent nature of zero emission vehicles adopted in the ATCL would create lower level of disturbance to the natural/semi natural habitats nearby compared with traditional traffic. In addition, the Project would only involve minor conversion of natural habitat (0.31ha of mixed woodland to be lost), the rest of the Project site was developed area which is not a typical major habitat of wildlife and the existing wildlife are already of high adaptivity to human disturbance. In view of water pollution, the sewage / wastewater generated from the land facilities / marine facilities including depot during the operational phase will be properly collected and discharged to the foul sewer and would not discharge to the sea. Therefore, overall indirect disturbances/impacts to surrounding habitats and associated wildlife during operational phase is considered to be Minor.

7.6 Potential Impacts and Impact Assessment (Marine Ecology)

7.6.1.1 Potential impacts to marine ecology that may arise from the construction activities are summarised in Table 7.24 and further discussed in the following sections.

Table 7.24 Potential Construction Phase Impacts to Marine Ecology

Nature of Impact	Habitat Affected	Potential Impact
Habitat loss and disturbance	Benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project site	· Temporary disturbance of ~8.33ha of seabed and marine waters within the proposed marine facilities works area · Temporary disturbance of ~0.67ha of seabed and marine waters within the marine viaduct works area
Habitat loss and loss of prey resources	Habitats for CWDs (i.e. marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site, as well as BMP and proposed NLMP)
Change in marine traffic volume and underwater sound from marine construction activities and marine vessels	Marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site (including BMP and proposed NLMP)	· Disturbance to CWDs · Impacts to BMP and proposed NLMP

7.6.2 Habitat Loss and Disturbance to Benthic Communities, Subtidal and Intertidal Habitats

7.6.2.1 Temporary disturbances to marine habitats would occur during the piling works for the marine viaduct crossing the Tung Chung Navigation Channel and the piling works for supporting or anchoring of the proposed marine facilities. The construction activities of the marine viaduct section are expected to be completed within 2 years (from October 2025 to October 2027 tentatively) and would cause disturbance to the marine habitat with an area of approximately up to 0.67ha. The construction activities of the proposed marine facilities are expected to be completed within 10 months (from February 2026 to November 2026 tentatively) and would cause disturbance to the marine habitat with an area of approximately up to 8.33ha. Direct impacts would occur at areas where the piles and floating pontoons are installed and indirect impacts would be occurred at other areas within and in the vicinity of the Project, caused by other factors, such as generation of underwater noise and changes in water quality from construction activities. It should be noted that slow-moving works vessels would be involved at each work area within the Project area (i.e. about 12-16 vessel movements per day at each work area, including some barges/ tug boats/ supporting vessels).

7.6.2.2 Within and in the vicinity of the Project site, the seabed composition was found to mainly consist of silty mud along the artificial shorelines. The seabed mainly consists of benthic assemblages dominated by annelid worms and arthropods, and is characterised by similar species diversity and biomass as elsewhere in Hong Kong. The overall coral coverage is considered very low (<5%), and the species recorded are common and widespread in Hong Kong. Overall, the subtidal habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project site were considered as of low ecological importance.

7.6.2.3 Intertidal habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project site are mainly made up of artificial vertical or sloping seawalls, which the organisms found on these seawalls are mainly of common and widespread species, such as barnacles, bivalves and algae species with low ecological importance. Intertidal habitats that could be impacted are mainly the vertical seawalls where the floating pontoons will be located. Overall, intertidal habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project site are of low ecological importance.

7.6.2.4 As discussed in Section 5.7.1, there will not be any open sea dredging during Project construction. The proposed pontoons for berthing facilities and SKYCITY Pier are precasted off-site and arrive at site via marine access, while the pontoons will be supported or anchored by foundation piles/ guide piles and installed by hydraulic vibrator or drill rig with oscillator machine. These works would only involve in minor disturbance of the seabed and temporary localised elevation of turbidity that would subside in a short period of time. For the marine viaduct, bored piling will be used during construction with the use of silt curtain to contain potential sediment loss from the process. Overall, these works will not result in any significant water quality impact.

7.6.2.5 As discussed in Sections 5.7.2 – 5.7.3, construction runoff from the earthworks area and stockpiles, wastewater from dust suppression sprays and wheel washing facilities may contain suspended solids which could be a source of water pollution. Sewage will arise from the construction workforce and site office’s sanitary facilities. During the construction phase, standard site management practices and mitigation measures as described in Section 5.9 are recommended. It is anticipated that no unacceptable water quality impacts would arise from these works.

7.6.2.6 Considering the temporary nature of the construction works, the small extent of area affected (total of approximately 9.00ha), and low ecological importance found within and in the vicinity of the Project site and the implementation of standard site management practices and water quality mitigation measures, impacts from habitat loss and disturbance of the Project are considered to be of minor significance and unacceptable impacts on the benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats, especially corals due to the construction of the Project are not anticipated.

7.6.3 Habitat Loss and Loss of Prey Resources to Chinese White Dolphins

7.6.3.1 The Project will result in the temporary disturbance of approximately 9.00ha (including 8.33ha and 0.67ha of marine habitat for the construction of the proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct, respectively). From the baseline information, while CWD utilise waters in the Assessment Area, the likelihood of the areas within and in the vicinity of the Project site as important habitat for CWDs is low and are not considered as unique and important habitats for CWDs. The construction activities of the Project mainly involve piling works at a small works area, which will use of slow-moving works vessels at each work area within the Project area (i.e. about 12-16 vessel movements per day at each work area, including some barges / tug boats/ supporting vessels). No marine vessels will be anchored or moored outside of the Project area. Considering the temporary nature of the disturbance, the small extent of area affected, impacts on CWDs are expected to be of minor significance. Upon cessation of the disturbance, no significant change in marine mammal distribution, abundance and usage pattern in the wider Hong Kong waters is expected.

7.6.3.2 Prey resources of CWD, such as Iiisha sp., Johnius sp. and Mugil sp. were recorded at BMP and northern Chek Lap Kok waters from previous fisheries surveys⁽^{^[24]}⁾. While the habitat loss would represent a very small loss of foraging area, this loss is not expected to reduce the foraging success or availability of prey resources (i.e. mainly fishes) for CWD which is an opportunistic feeder. Given the very small habitat loss and the Project area is not identified as unique and important habitats for CWD and fisheries resources, no adverse impacts to loss of prey resources are predicted. The impacts to CWD due to the loss of prey resources are expected to be minor.

7.6.3.3 As discussed in Sections 7.6.2.4 and 7.6.2.5, marine and land-based construction activities are not expected to result in any significant water quality impacts. Standard site management practices and mitigation measures as described in Section 5.9 are recommended to be implemented and no unacceptable impacts to CWD are anticipated due to potential change in water quality.

7.6.3.4 Overall, with the implementation of standard site management practices and water quality mitigation measures, no unacceptable impacts to CWDs are expected due to habitat loss and loss of prey resources during construction phase of the Project.

7.6.4 Change in Marine Traffic Volume and Increase in Underwater Sound

7.6.4.1 Works vessels, including barges, tugs and supporting vessels will be used for construction activities of the Project and this may have potential impacts to CWD and the functionality of BMP and the proposed NLMP. There are two main ways of increased vessel movements that may potentially impact CWD. Firstly, vessel movements may potentially increase physical risks to CWD. Secondly, the physical presence of works vessels may cause short-term avoidance of the area where works vessels are operating.

7.6.4.2 In Hong Kong, there have been instances when marine mammals have been killed or injured by vessel collisions⁽[25]^{)([26])([27])}, but it is thought that this risk is mainly associated with high-speed vessels such as high-speed ferries. Slow-moving works vessels (i.e. some barges/ tug boats/ supporting vessels at each work area) would be used, and the frequency/ trip of works vessels would also be low in general (i.e. about 12-16 vessel movements per day at each work area). The waters at Northern Lantau waters have high levels of existing marine traffic and the vessel traffic associated with the proposed Project would represent only a minor increase in marine traffic in the area. Works vessels would make use of designated fairways and route to access the Project area. In case the works vessels used in the Project need to pass through the existing and proposed marine parks (e.g. BMP and the proposed NLMP), the 10-knot vessel speed limit of the Marine Parks and Reserves Regulations (Cap. 476A) will be strictly followed. Also, any anchoring/ anchor spread requirements will avoid encroachment into the existing and proposed marine parks. Given the slow-moving nature of works vessels involved in the Project and about 12-16 vessel movements per day at each work area compared to the estimated average daily movement of ~540-810 nos. of marine traffic during year 2011-2030 in North Lantau waters (including the construction vessels from the nearby projects e.g. 3RS, TCNTE etc. and other ferries services)^([28]), the increase of marine traffic volume due to the Project would be minor. Together with the very low CWD usage of marine waters in the vicinity of the Project site, unacceptable adverse impacts of increased marine traffic on CWD and the functionality of BMP and the proposed NLMP are not anticipated.

7.6.4.3 Underwater noise that could affect CWDs would include noise generated from bored piling from the construction of marine viaduct, and the use of hydraulic vibrator or drill rig for the installation of foundation piles and guide piles for the proposed marine facilities. Small cetaceans are acoustically sensitive at certain frequencies, and sound is important to their behavioural activities. Sound that masks communications for socialising and group cohesion or echolocation for foraging could have a potential impact. The reactions from impacted cetaceans can range from brief interruption of normal activities to short- or long-term displacement from noisy areas.

7.6.4.4 CWDs are acoustically sensitive at a peak range of 8 – 90 kHz. The bored piling and hydraulic vibrator piling method produces a continuous sound with peak pressures lower than those produced from impulses generated by impact piling such as percussive piling⁽[29]⁾. Whilst the typical sound source levels of impact piling range from 180 – 235 dB re 1 μPa (most of the sound energy usually occurs at lower frequencies between 100 Hz and 1 kHz), the typical sound source levels of vibratory piling range from 160 – 200 dB re 1 μPa (most of the sound energy also usually occurs at lower frequencies between 100 Hz and 2 kHz) ^([30]). The use of bored piling and vibratory piling methods where technically feasible (i.e. over soft marine deposit of the seabed) are considered to be less disturbing to marine mammals with the low frequency range and effective in reducing potential underwater sound impacts on marine mammals. The use of impact piling (i.e. drill rig methods) in contrast would generate more intense and pulsed construction noise, and would be avoided for this Project. Due to the small area of piling works, the use of bored piling and that the Project site is distant from the key CWD habitats at North Lantau waters near SCLKCMP, the impact is considered to be low and specific mitigation measures are not required.

7.6.4.5 Waters within the Assessment Area and its vicinity is subject to high levels of marine traffic by similar types of vessels. It is reasonable to assume that marine mammals are habituated to high background level of underwater sound, and increase in vessel and construction activities associated with this Project is not anticipated to result in unacceptable impacts on marine mammals at and in the vicinity of the Project site, and at the BMP and the proposed NLMP nearby. Marine mammals would have temporary avoidance of areas in the vicinity of the works area or close to the source of disturbance. Unacceptable impacts to CWDs are therefore not expected and specific mitigation measures are not required.

Operational Phase

7.6.4.6 Potential impacts to marine ecology that may arise from the operation activities are summarised in Table 7.25 and further discussed in the following sections.

Table 7.25 Potential Operation Phase Impacts to Marine Ecology

Nature of Impact	Habitat Affected	Potential Impact
Permanent habitat loss and disturbance	Benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project site	· Permanent habitat loss of <0.01ha of seabed for the piling structures of proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct · Habitat disturbance of ~8.33ha of water column and intertidal habitat within the proposed marine facilities
Habitat loss and loss of prey resources	Habitats for CWDs (i.e. marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site, as well as BMP and proposed NLMP)
Change in marine traffic volume and underwater sound from marine construction activities and marine vessels	Marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site (including the BMP and proposed NLMP)	· Disturbance to CWDs · Impacts to BMP and proposed NLMP
Changes in water quality / hydrodynamics properties	Marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site (including the BMP and proposed NLMP)	· Impacts to BMP and proposed NLMP

7.6.5 Permanent Habitat Loss and Disturbance to Benthic Communities, Subtidal and Intertidal Habitats

7.6.5.1 The marine viaduct structures and proposed marine facilities will not fully occupy all of the sea areas within Project boundary but mainly a section of surface water column for the structures over water (including proposed marine facilities berthing area, wave attenuator, and SKYCITY Pier) and a very small area of seabed for pile structures for both the viaduct and the structures over water for proposed marine facilities. During the operation phase, the presence of pile structures of the marine viaduct section and proposed marine facilities would occupy a small extent of the seabed area and resulting in a total area of <0.01ha loss of benthic habitat. Floating pontoons will be present at the proposed marine facilities, occupying parts of the water surface and vertical seawall. Together with the marine vessels that will utilise the proposed marine facilities, the area of disturbance to the water column and intertidal habitat is approximately 8.33ha during operation.

7.6.5.2 Pile structures for both the viaduct and the proposed marine facilities would provide hard substrate for the settlement of epifaunal organisms that would not otherwise be successful in colonising the area. Where permitted, colonisation of the structures over time is expected to lead to the colonisation of pile structures with species such as seaweeds, crustaceans, corals, bivalves, amphipods, anemones, bryozoans and more mobile fauna including crabs, and further attracting fishes and other marine invertebrates. Effects associated with creation of artificial habitat may include increased biological productivity and increased diversity of habitats. Overall, the pile structures may result in potential positive effect on marine ecological resources of the waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site.

7.6.5.3 Maintenance dredging might be required during operation within the area of proposed marine facilities and the scope of maintenance dredging would be to maintain the seabed level within the area of proposed marine facilities at about the current level. Potential impacts to water quality from sediment release due to marine works are described in the water quality impact assessment in Sections 5.8.2-5.8.5. The water quality modelling results indicated that all the assessed water quality parameters, including suspended solids (SS), dissolved oxygen (DO), nutrients (total inorganic nitrogen and ammonia), sediment-bounded contaminants (heavy metals), complied with the relevant assessment criterion and no unacceptable water quality impacts would be expected at marine ecological sensitive receivers during maintenance dredging works. With the implementation of mitigation measures proposed in the water quality impact assessment in Section 5.9, such as the control of dredging rate, use of silt curtains and good site practice, potential impacts to marine ecological resources would be further reduced. As such, unacceptable impacts from maintenance dredging on benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats are not expected to occur.

7.6.5.4 Overall, given that the potential impacts constitute a permanent loss of only a very small area of benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats with low ecological importance, unacceptable impacts to these marine ecological resources are not anticipated. The pile structures may result in potential positive effect on marine ecological resources of the waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site.

7.6.6 Habitat Loss and Loss of Prey Resources to Chinese White Dolphins

7.6.6.1 As discussed in Section 7.6.3, the likelihood of the areas within and in the vicinity of the Project site as important habitat for CWDs is low and are not considered as unique and important habitats for CWDs. In the context of the extent of CWD habitat in North Lantau waters, the size of the area occupied by the proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct would be small and represents only a very small portion of the available habitat for CWDs and a very minor portion of the animal’s movement range. As mentioned in Section 7.6.5.1, permanent loss of <0.01ha of seabed and habitat disturbance of approximately 8.33ha of water column and intertidal habitat within the proposed marine facilities would occur during operation. It would be of minor significance and no unacceptable impacts to CWD are anticipated.

7.6.6.2 While the habitat loss would represent a small loss of foraging area, this loss is not expected to reduce the foraging success or availability of prey resources (i.e. mainly fishes) for CWD which is an opportunistic feeder. Given the very small habitat loss and the Project area is not identified as unique and important habitats for CWD and fisheries resources, no adverse impacts to loss of prey resources are predicted. Overall, given that the potential impacts constitute a permanent loss of only a very small area of low ecological importance CWD habitat with little, if any, secondary impacts, no unacceptable impacts on CWD would be expected. No significant long-term change in CWD distribution, abundance and usage pattern in the wider Hong Kong waters is expected.

7.6.6.3 Maintenance dredging at the proposed marine facilities may be required to maintain the seabed level within the area of proposed marine facilities at about the current level. In the context of the size of the range of CWDs, the size of the area where maintenance dredging may be needed would be small, which will be confined to the area within the proposed marine facilities and will not encroach into the BMP or proposed NLMP. Considering the infrequent and temporary nature of the disturbance, unacceptable impacts on CWD are not expected.

7.6.6.4 Elevation of SS and depletion of DO do not appear to have a direct impact on CWD since these animals are air breathing and therefore SS in the water column as a result of maintenance dredging has no effect on their respiratory surfaces. Also CWDs have evolved to inhabit areas near river mouths and estuarine-influenced coastal waters and are therefore well-adapted for hunting in turbid waters, owing to their use of echolocation, in addition to visual information.

7.6.6.5 With reference to the water quality modelling results (Section 5.8), fisheries resources are not predicted to be adversely affected, as the SS and nutrient elevations and DO depletion are localised to the areas of active works area of the Project. It should be noted that CWDs and their prey species are naturally exposed to high levels of SS in the Pearl River Estuary. Therefore, impacts to CWDs through loss of localised feeding habitat (fisheries resources) are not predicted to occur. It is thus expected that adverse impacts to CWDs arising from potential change in water quality due to maintenance dredging will not occur.

7.6.6.6 Another potential impact on CWD associated with the operation activities of the Project is the potential bioaccumulation of released contaminants from contaminated sediments. The potential for release of contaminants from disturbed sediments has been assessed in Section 5.8.5. It is concluded that there will be no significant release of heavy metals and organic contaminants and the levels of these contaminants are predicted to be below the corresponding proposed assessment criteria. As the release of heavy metals and micro-organic pollutants from the sediment when disturbed and subsequently disposed of are expected to be of short duration and at low levels, impacts on CWDs due to bioaccumulation of released contaminants from dredged sediments are not expected to occur.

7.6.6.7 Overall, with the implementation of standard site management practices and water quality mitigation measures, no unacceptable impacts to CWDs are expected due to habitat loss or loss of prey resources during operation of the Project.

7.6.7 Change in Marine Traffic Volume and Increase in Underwater Sound

7.6.7.1 During Project operation, there will be an increase of marine traffic mainly at the proposed marine facilities (i.e. 30 trips/day and 45 trips/day for SKYCITY Pier and berthing facilities, respectively), while areas near the marine viaduct will have no significant change in marine traffic. Marine vessels (mainly the pleasure vessels for leisure and tourism) at the proposed marine facilities are expected for the day-to-day operation and they would pass through the proposed NLMP and BMP unavoidably for transit from and to the proposed marine facilities. All the marine vessels will strictly follow the 10-knot vessel speed limit of the Marine Parks and Reserves Regulations (Cap. 476A) and any anchoring/ anchor spread requirements will avoid encroachment into the existing and proposed marine parks. In addition, slow-moving dredgers, tugs and supporting vessels would also be required during maintenance dredging for a short period of time. Considering the slow speed of these vessels, the very low abundance of CWDs in the vicinity of the Project site, and the projected daily average movement of ~ 810 nos. of marine traffic (including about 160 nos. of high-speed ferries and other non-high speed ferry vessels, such as rivertrade vessels, barges, ocean going vessels and small crafts) in North Lantau waters in Year 2030 ^([31]),comparedto <80 trips per day of slow-moving marine traffic during Project operation,marine traffic due to the Project would represent a minor increase in marine traffic volume in the area, and therefore it is not expected to result in significant risk of vessel movement on CWDs. With the implementation of speed restriction to 10 knots and avoidance of anchoring within existing and proposed marine parks, unacceptable impacts on the functionality of the existing and proposed marine parks (i.e. BMP and proposed NLMP) are not anticipated. Other specific mitigation measures are not required.

7.6.7.2 As discussed in Section 7.6.4, vessel movements are expected for the day-to-day operation of the proposed marine facilities, and the underwater sound characteristics of the vessels involved (i.e. pleasure vessels) are very much similar to those in the area at present from current marine traffic (e.g. small crafts). Intermittent sounds, which might occur during maintenance dredging may have an impact on CWDs. However, as the maintenance dredging works will be temporary and infrequent and that underwater sound generated by these works generally result in low frequency noise, typically in the range of 0.02 to 1kHZ⁽[32]⁾, which is below the good hearing range of 8 – 90 kHz for CWDs^([33]). CWDs in these waters are habituated to the high background level of underwater sound in the vicinity of the Project site, including underwater sound generated from vessel operation near SkyPier. During Project operation, it is expected that there will be an increase of <80 trips per day at and around the Project area. Compared to the estimated number of ~540-810 nos. of marine traffic during year 2011-2030 in North Lantau waters, it is considered that the increase in slow moving vessel activity and maintenance dredging works associated with the operation of this Project is small and unacceptable adverse impacts on CWDs and the functionality of BMP and the proposed NLMP are not anticipated. Specific mitigation measures are not required.

7.6.8 Change in Water Quality / Hydrodynamics Properties to Marine Parks

7.6.8.1 The proposed marine facilities will be constructed over water to allow water exchanges with the marine environment. The change in water quality due to the operation of the Project is expected to be minimal with proper implementation of water quality mitigation measures as discussed in Section 5.9. The water quality impact assessment (Section 5) also indicated that no unacceptable changes in hydrodynamics will occur. Consequently, unacceptable impacts from changes to the hydrodynamic regime and water quality and consequential impacts to BMP and the proposed NLMP are therefore not expected to occur.

7.7 Impact Evaluation

From the information presented above, the terrestrial and marine ecological impacts associated with the Project are not considered to be significant. Impact evaluation according to Annex 9 of the EIAO-TM is presented in Table 7.26.

Table 7.26 Significance of Terrestrial and Marine Ecological Impacts Associated with the Construction and Operation of the Project Evaluated in accordance with EIAO-TM

Potential Impact	Source	Receiver	Nature of Impact						Overall Impact Significance	Mitigation / Precautionary Measures Required
Potential Impact	Source	Receiver	Habitat Quality	Species Affected	Size	Duration	Reversibility	Magnitude	Overall Impact Significance	Mitigation / Precautionary Measures Required
Terrestrial Ecology
Construction Phase
Habitat Loss	Temporary construction activities of the Project works	Developed Area	Low	Common and widespread species, no species of conservation importance recorded within the Project site	~12.82ha	Temporary	Reversible	Small	Minor	No
Habitat Loss	Temporary construction activities of the Project works	Mixed Woodland	Low to Moderate		~0.31ha	Permanent	Irreversible	Small	Minor	No
Potential Direct Impacts on Flora and Fauna Species of Conservation Importance	Temporary construction activities of the Project works	Species of conservation importance	N/A	No species of conservation importance recorded within the Project site	Along the proposed ATCL and marine facilities	N/A	N/A	Negligible	Negligible	No
Indirect Disturbances to Surrounding Habitats and Associated Wildlife	Temporary construction activities of the Project works	Surrounding Habitats and Associated Wildlife	Low to Moderate	Wildlife inhabited in the vicinity of the Project site	Along the proposed ATCL and marine facilities	Temporary	Reversible	Small	Minor	No; mitigation measures of good site practice would further reduce impacts.
Other Indirect Impacts (i.e. Site runoff)	Temporary construction activities of the Project works	Watercourse adjacent to the Project Site	Low to moderate	Wildlife supported by the watercourse	341 m	Temporary	Reversible	Negligible	Negligible	No; mitigation measures of water quality would further reduce impacts.
Operation Phase
Habitat Loss	Formation of ATCL	Mixed Woodland	Low to moderate	Common and widespread species, no species of conservation importance recorded within the Project site	~0.31ha	Permanent	Irreversible	Small Mixed Woodland is widely distributed in Hong Kong and not considered as regional significant.	Minor	No
Indirect Disturbances/Impacts to Surrounding Habitats and Associated Wildlife	Operation of ATCL and associated facilities	Surrounding Habitats and Associated Wildlife	Low to Moderate	Wildlife inhabited in the vicinity of the Project site	Along the proposed ATCL and marine facilities	Permanent	Reversible	Small Surrounding habitats and associated wildlife are common and widespread in Hong Kong, and thus not regarded as regional significant.	Minor	No; mitigation measures of good site practice would further reduce impacts.
Marine Ecology
Construction Phase
Habitat loss and disturbance	Temporary construction activities	Benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project site	Low	Common and widespread benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal fauna	Temporary disturbance of ~9.00ha of the Project site and areas in the vicinity	Temporary	Reversible	Small	Minor	Mitigation measures of water quality would further reduce impacts
Habitat loss and loss of prey resources for CWD	Temporary construction activities	Marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site, as well as BMP and proposed NLMP	Low for marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site; High for BMP; Moderate for proposed NLMP	CWD and common fish species	Temporary disturbance of ~9.00ha of the Project site and nearby water areas affected	Temporary	Reversible	Small	Minor	Mitigation measures of water quality would further reduce impacts
Change in marine traffic volume and underwater sound from marine construction activities and marine vessels	Small number of works vessels and piling activities	Marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site (including the BMP and NLMP)	Low	CWD and common fish species	Localised to works area and vessel transit routes	Temporary	Reversible	Small	Minor	Use of bored piling instead of impact piling; Use of designated fairways
Operation phase
Permanent habitat loss and disturbance	Permanent habitat loss from the installed pile structures at the proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct Long-term habitat disturbance from the floating pontoons at the proposed marine facilities Maintenance dredging within the area of proposed marine facilities	Benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats within and in the vicinity of the Project site	Low	Common and widespread benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal fauna	<0.01ha of habitat loss for pile structures ~8.33ha of habitat disturbance for proposed marine facilities	Permanent	Not reversible for the installed pile structures Reversible for the installation of floating pontoons	Small	Minor	Mitigation measures of water quality (e.g. control of dredging rate, use of silt curtains and good site practice) would further reduce impacts
Habitat loss and loss of prey resources for CWD	Permanent habitat loss from the installed pile structures at the proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct Long-term habitat disturbance from the floating pontoons at the proposed marine facilities Maintenance dredging within the area of proposed marine facilities	Marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site, as well as BMP and proposed NLMP	Low for marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site; High for BMP; Moderate for proposed NLMP	CWD and common fish species	<0.01ha of habitat loss for pile structures ~8.33ha of habitat disturbance for proposed marine facilities	Permanent	Not reversible for the installed pile structures Reversible for the installation of floating pontoons	Small	Minor	Mitigation measures of water quality (e.g. control of dredging rate, use of silt curtains and good site practice) would further reduce impacts
Change in marine traffic volume and underwater sound from marine construction activities and marine vessels	Small number of vessels during operation of marine facilities	Marine waters within and in the vicinity of the Project site (including the BMP and NLMP)	Low	CWD and common fish species	Localised to Project site and vessel transit routes	Long term throughout operation phase	Reversible	Small	Minor	No
Changes in water quality / hydrodynamics properties	Presence of structures from proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct	Marine waters within and in vicinity of the proposed marine facilities (including the BMP and NLMP)	Low	CWD, common and widespread benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal fauna	Localised to Project site	Long term throughout operation phase	Reversible	Small	Minor	Mitigation measures of water quality would further reduce impacts

7.8 Cumulative Impacts

Terrestrial Ecology

7.8.1.1 Based on the concurrent projects listed in Section 2.9, they are either located far from the Project site or to be constructed at the developed area with low ecological value. Furthermore, as assessed in previous sections, the ecological impacts raised from this Project is expected to have limited ecological impacts given that the surroundings areas of the Project site are degraded in nature and associated with existing human disturbance. Therefore, cumulative impacts to the terrestrial ecological resources are not expected during both construction and operational phases.

Marine Ecology

7.8.1.2 The marine ecological impact assessment has considered the cumulative effects of different activities of this Project on marine ecological resources. The cumulative impacts of the various construction and operation activities of this Project and other relevant concurrent projects have been demonstrated in Section 5.10 as not causing unacceptable impacts to water quality. Consequently, unacceptable cumulative impacts to marine ecological resources are not predicted to occur.

7.8.1.3 Key concurrent projects that may coincide with the construction/ implementation programmes of this Project are discussed in Section 2.9. Potential cumulative impacts were evaluated with other planned major development in Northern Lantau waters, in particular the development of airport-related supporting uses at HKP Island located within a few kilometers from the Project. Outcomes of this evaluation are summarised as follows:

· Habitat Loss and Disturbance: the extent of disturbance of the Project is expected to be very small and confined to localised works areas at the Project area (~9.00ha). A cumulative permanent loss of ~1,384ha of marine habitat (including seabed losses) ⁽[34]⁾is expected from all concurrent / planned projects in the North Lantau waters, including Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System, Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge: Hong Kong Link Road (HKLR), Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge: Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF), Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link (TM-CLKL), Tung Chung New Town Extension. The Project would only be a very small contributor among all concurrent / planned projects. The severity of such cumulative habitat loss is expected to be significantly reduced to acceptable levels by mitigation measures proposed as part of the EIAs for the Expansion of Hong Kong Airport into a Three-Runway System (3RS). Unacceptable cumulative effect is not expected.

· Underwater Sound: Given the similarity in underwater acoustic profiles generated by marine vessels of this Project and other projects (e.g. vessel operation, the use of construction vessels generating low-frequency sound), as well as the gradual completion of marine works for 3RS, cumulative effects of marine vessel operational sound, if any, are anticipated to be negligible.

· Marine Traffic: this Project is located at sufficient distance from other projects in the vicinity. It is expected to involve use of low-moving works vessels within the work area, and the frequency/ trip of vessel would also be low. Given the waters of Northern Lantau have some levels of existing marine traffic with average daily movement of ~540-810 nos. of marine traffic during year 2011-2030 (including Skypier ferries, high-speed ferries in the area, the construction vessels from the nearby projects e.g. 3RS, TCNTE etc. and other ferries services), as well as the gradual completion of marine works for 3RS, the cumulative effects of marine traffic disturbance to the nearby marine ecological resources, if any, are anticipated to be negligible.

7.8.1.4 Other projects, such as 11 SKIES, and Tung Chung Line Extension (TCLE) either do not have a marine element or are at more than a few kilometers from this Project, and therefore no unacceptable cumulative impact on disturbance to marine ecology, including benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats, CWDs, BMP and proposed NLMP, is expected.

7.9 Mitigation Measures

7.9.1.1 To summarise, this terrestrial and marine ecological impact assessment demonstrates that potential impacts will largely be avoided and/ or minimised during the construction and operation of the Project, particularly to the key ecological sensitive receivers, through the following measures:

· Avoid Direct and Indirect Impacts to Ecologically Sensitive Habitats: The Project site has been selected based on environmental and other considerations (refer to Section 2). Potential impacts to the known breeding site of Romer’s Tree Frog at Scenic Hill have been avoided to the maximum extent practicable by adopting suitable Project’s alignment. The proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct have been selected to avoid key areas of CWD habitats at NWL waters around SCLKCMP which is at some distance away from the Project site. The Project site has also avoided encroaching onto existing and proposed marine parks, SSSIs and other ecologically sensitive receivers.

· Minimise Direct Habitat Loss: Unavoidable impacts to natural terrestrial habitats have been minimised by taking appropriate and practicable measures such as confining works in specific area during daytime hours. The non-reclamation option was used for this Project by locating the ATCL alignment mostly on existing land mass with the construction of marine viaduct. Reclamation could lead to the change of hydrodynamic regime, sediment loss and contaminant release due to dredging works, contributing to water quality and ecological impacts which could be minimised with the non-reclamation option adopted for this Project.

· Minimise the Generation of Construction and Demolition (C&D) Materials On-site: The use of prefabricated / precasted construction materials is considered for the Project, including the components of floating pontoons for proposed marine facilities, temporary working platforms for the construction of marine viaduct, etc. These prefabricated/ precasted materials would be transported to the site for assembly, resulting in shorter period of construction required and less C&D materials generated on-site, potential adverse impact on marine ecology within and in the vicinity of the Project site will therefore be minimised.

· Adoption of Environmentally Friendly Design of Berthing Facilities: The selected design option of the proposed marine facilities has the least number of marine vessels that will be present at the site, accommodating mainly medium-sized vessels which allow the facilities to be best utilised during Project operation. With fewer marine vessels present, the generation of underwater sound that might affect behavioural activities of marine mammals and the risk of vessel collision with marine mammals will be reduced, impact on marine ecological resources will therefore be minimised.

· Adoption of Construction Methods with Less Disturbance to Marine Mammals: The use of hydraulic vibrator and/ or drill rig with oscillator machine are proposed for the installation of piles at the proposed marine facilities, while bored piling method is proposed for the installation of piles for marine viaduct. In-situ bored piles founded on bedrock will also be used for constructing the marine viaduct’s foundation. These methods are considered to produce less underwater sound compared to other impact piling methods, such as hydraulic hammering and percussive piling. Silt curtains will also be deployed before the piling works to as a preventative measure to contain and minimise sediment plume spread to the surrounding marine environment.

Measures for Terrestrial Ecological Resources

7.9.1.2 Overall, the terrestrial ecological impacts raised from this Project is expected to be limited, and therefore, no particular mitigation measures will be required. However, precautionary measures to further avoid and minimise potential disturbances to the surrounding habitats and associated wildlife during construction phase are recommended as follows.

Measures for Indirect Disturbances to Surrounding Habitats and Associated Wildlife

· The boundary of the Project site will be clearly marked by temporary fence. The works area boundaries will be regularly checked to ensure that they are not breached and that no damage occurs to surrounding habitat;

· Construction activities will be carried out in daytime hours, as much as appropriate;

· Adopt appropriate measures including controlled wastewater discharge to the nearby water bodies, in accordance with the guidelines stipulated in Environmental Protection Department (EPD)’s Practice Note for Professional Persons on Construction Site Drainage (ProPECC PN1/94) during the construction works to properly control site run-off and drainage and to minimise potential water quality impacts;

· In the event of rain or at any time when rainstorms are likely to happen, exposed surfaces within the works area should be covered by tarpaulin or by other means;

· Avoid any damage and disturbance, particularly those caused by filling and illegal dumping to the surrounding natural habitats;

· Prohibit and prevent open fires within the works area boundary during construction and provide temporary firefighting equipment in the work areas;

· Adopt good site practice following the Best Practice Guide which focusing on the construction related environmental issues and providing the practical mitigation measures will be enforced to reduce environmental impacts; and

· In view of Scenic hill supporting the remnant population of Romer’s Tree Frog in Chek Lap Kok, introducing invasive species (i.e. Greenhouse Frog) which may pose potential negative impacts to the native species, should be avoided. Screening for Greenhouse Frog, including adults and eggs, in soil and landscape materials should be carried out before being used for backfilling/ landscaping purpose.

Measures for Marine Ecological Resources

7.9.1.3 In general, the impacts of the Project to marine ecological resources are considered minor. With the proper planning of the Project (e.g. optimised construction methods for the proposed marine facilities, use of bored piling instead of impact piling) and the control over marine transportation (e.g. use of designated fairways, speed restriction when approaching existing and proposed marine parks, avoidance of anchoring within existing and proposed marine parks), unacceptable impacts to marine ecological resources are not anticipated. Water quality mitigation measures proposed in Section 5.9 will be sufficient to mitigate the impact on marine ecological resources (e.g. control of dredging rate for maintenance dredging, deployment of cage-type silt curtain during construction and maintenance dredging, good site practice).

7.10 Residual Impacts

7.10.1.1 Taking into consideration the impact assessments in the previous sections and with effective implementation of the proposed mitigation measures, the significance of residual impacts on marine ecology and terrestrial ecology, including sensitive receivers such as the CWD habitats and coral communities are minor and acceptable (Table 7.26). The residual impact as a result of the proposed Project includes the 9.00ha and 8.33ha sea areas during construction and operation phases, respectively, of disturbance to marine ecological habitat with low ecological value in general. The affected areas are considered to be small in the context of similar marine habitats present elsewhere in Hong Kong. In terms of terrestrial ecology, the mixed woodland to be lost is small in scale (0.31ha) and its nature is disturbed. No watercourse will be directly affected. Potential impacts to the recorded breeding site of Romer's Tree Frog at Scenic Hill, which is located at some distance to the Project Site at another side of the hill, have been avoided. No unacceptable residual marine and terrestrial ecological impacts during the construction and operation of the Project are therefore anticipated.

7.11 Environmental Monitoring and Audit

7.11.1.1 As no unacceptable impacts have been predicted to occur during construction and operation of the Project, monitoring of marine ecological resources during these construction and operation activities is not considered necessary.

7.11.1.2 Monitoring activities designed to detect and mitigate impacts to water quality during construction and operation activities are also expected to serve to protect against impacts to ecology. The details of the water quality monitoring programme will be presented in the EM&A Manual.

7.12 Conclusion

Terrestrial Ecological Resources

7.12.1.1 The main terrestrial ecological resources recorded within the Assessment Area comprised of mixed woodland, developed area, shrubland, watercourse and their associated wildlife, where the Project site will be largely restricted to developed area (~12.82ha) with a small patch of mixed woodland edge at Scenic Hill (~0.31ha). Majority of the habitat to be directly affected by the Project is considered to be anthropogenic with frequent disturbance from the adjacent traffic (Figure 7.1 a&b). The ecological value of the habitats for the Project site is considered to be Low for developed area; and Low to Moderate for mixed woodland.

7.12.1.2 The developed area to be affected within the Project site supported a low diversity of flora and fauna species with high level of human disturbance. No flora and fauna species of conservation importance is found within the Project area and would be affected. In addition, the affected size of mixed woodland fringe is small and suffered certain degree of human disturbance. The impact significance for temporary loss of developed area (~12.82ha) and permanent loss of mixed woodland (0.31ha) is considered to be Minor. The potential indirect disturbances to surrounding habitat and associated wildlife is considered to be of Minor significance, and other indirect impacts is considered to be Minor.

7.12.1.3 As all the potential ecological impacts are of Low or Negligible significance, no mitigation measures are required. However, precautionary measures are recommended with respect to water quality control and disturbance to adjacent wildlife in order to further reduce the impacts. Residual ecological impacts of the Project is not anticipated.

Marine Ecological Resources

7.12.1.4 A review of baseline information on marine ecological resources surrounding the waters of the proposed Project from available literature has been undertaken, covering recognised sites of conservation importance (including existing and proposed marine parks), benthic communities, intertidal and subtidal habitats and CWDs. Results from the review and field surveys indicated that marine ecological resources within and in the vicinity of the Project site are generally regarded as of low ecological values, apart from the moderate ecological importance of the proposed NLMP located at ~0.9 km away from the Project. Other sensitive receivers of ecological values such as corals and CWD habitats around BMP are distant from the Project site. There were also minimal CWD acoustic detection recorded in the vicinity of the Project site.

7.12.1.5 During construction activities of the Project, impacts arising from the proposed construction of the marine viaduct and the proposed marine facilities include temporary habitat loss and disturbance to marine ecological habitats (approximately 9.00ha) within the Project area. Considering the temporary nature of the construction works, the small extent of area affected, and low ecological importance found within and in the vicinity of the Project site and the implementation of standard site management practices and water quality mitigation measures, impacts from habitat loss and disturbance of the Project are considered to be of minor significance and unacceptable impacts on the benthic communities, subtidal and intertidal habitats, as well as CWDs and functionality of BMP and proposed NLMP due to the construction of the Project are not anticipated. Impact of increased marine traffic and elevated levels of underwater sound as a result of construction activities are considered acceptable considering the use of bored piling instead of impact piling and the background underwater sound level in the vicinity. With the slow-moving works vessels involved for the Project and the control over marine transportation (e.g. use of designated fairways, speed restriction when approaching existing and proposed marine parks, avoidance of anchoring within existing and proposed marine parks), potential risk of vessel collision with CWDs and impact to CWD due to the increase in underwater sound are not anticipated.

7.12.1.6 During operation of the proposed marine facilities and marine viaduct, permanent loss of <0.01ha of benthic habitat and disturbance of approximately 8.33ha of marine ecological habitat are expected. However, the affected area is considered to very small compared to the availability of similar marine habitat elsewhere in Northern Lantau waters, such as CWD and intertidal habitats. Hence, unacceptable impacts on marine ecological resources are not expected. Underwater sound due to vessel operation is considered to be insignificant to marine ecological resources which are habituated to a relatively high background level of underwater sound. With the control over marine transportation (e.g. use of designated fairways, speed restriction when approaching existing and proposed marine parks, avoidance of anchoring within existing and proposed marine parks), the potential risk of vessel collision with CWDs and impact to CWD due to the increase in underwater sound during operation of the proposed marine facilities is not anticipated. Indirect impacts to marine ecological resources, including prey resources of CWDs in the vicinity of the Project site, the change in water quality from maintenance dredging and the change in hydrodynamic properties due to the Project are expected to be minor.

7.12.1.7 The construction and operation of the Project have been designed to reduce potential impacts on water quality which will, in turn, reduce impacts on marine ecological resources. Precautionary measures for CWDs are required during construction and operation and with the implementation of these measures, no unacceptable residual impacts to marine ecological resources and species of conservation importance are expected to occur. All of the potential construction and operational marine ecological impacts identified are deemed acceptable.

([1]) ARUP (2009) Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Link Road. Op. Cit.

([2]) ARUP (2009) Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities – Investigation. Op. Cit.

([4]) Mott MacDonald (2014) Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System (EIA-223/2014). Prepared for the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

([6]) DeVantier LM, De’Ath G, Done TJ, Turak E (1998) Ecological assessment of a complex natural system: A case study from the Great Barrier Reef. Ecological Applications 8: 480-496.

([7]) Fabricius KE, McCorry D (2006) Changes in octcoral communities and benthic cover along a water quality gradient in reefs of Hong Kong. Marine Pollution Bulletin 52: 22-33.

([8]) Concerns about positional errors must be weighed against the aims of the survey. Horizontal accuracies to within a few metres are acceptable distance.

([9]) AFCD (2021) Monitoring of Marine Mammals in Hong Kong Waters (2020 -2021). Prepared by Hong Kong Cetacean Research Project.

([10]) Chelonia Limited Wildlife Acoustic Monitoring (2021) F-Pod. Available at:

https://www.chelonia.co.uk/fpod_home_page.htm [Accessed on 25-10-2021].

[11] Shek, C.T. (2006). A Field Guide to the Terrestrial Mammals of Hong Kong. AFCD.

[12] Fellowes, J.R., Lau, M.W.N., Dudgeon, D., Reels, G.T., Ades, G.W.J., Carey,G.J., Chan, B.P.L., Kendrick, R.C., Lee, K.S., Leven, M.R., Wilson, K.D.P. and Yu, Y.T. (2002). Wild Animals to Watch: Terrestrial and Freshwater Fauna of Conservation Concern in Hong Kong. Memoirs of the Hong Kong Natural History Society, 25, 123-160.

[13] AFCD (2022) Hong Kong Biodiversity Information Hub. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. HKSAR. Retrieved from http:// https://bih.gov.hk/en/species-database/index.html [31^st August 2022]

[14] AFCD (2011), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Newsletter, Hong Kong Biodiversity, Issue no. 21

^([15]) AFCD (2021). Designated Marine Parks and Marine Reserve.

^([16])Planning Department (2021) Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

^{(^[17])}AFCD (2022) Monitoring of Marine Mammals in Hong Kong Waters (2021 -2022). Prepared by Hong Kong Cetacean Research Project.

^{(^[18])}AFCD (2022) Monitoring of Marine Mammals in Hong Kong Waters (2021 -2022). Op. cit.

^([19]) Mott MacDonald (2014) EIA Report for Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System (Register No.: AEIAR-185/2014)

^([23]) Treweek, J. (1999). Ecological Impact Assessment. Blackwell Science, Oxford

^([25]) Parsons ECM, Jefferson TA (2000) Post-mortem investigations on stranded dolphins and porpoises from Hong Kong waters. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 36: 342-356

^([26]) Jefferson TA, Curry BE, Kinoshita R (2002) Mortality and morbidity of Hong Kong finless porpoises, with special emphasis on the role of environmental contaminants. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology (Supplement) 10: 161- 171

^([27]) OPCFHK (2021). Local Marine Life Stranding Investigation.

^([28]) Mott MacDonald (2014) EIA Report for Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System (Register No.: AEIAR-185/2014) – Appendix 13.13 Marine Traffic Impact Assessment.

^([29]) Popper AN, Hawkins AD, Fay RR, Mann DA, Bartol S, Carlson TJ, Coombs S, Ellison WT, Gentry RL, Halvorsen MB, Løkkeborg ·S, Rogers PH, Southall BL, Zeddies DG, Tavolga WN (2014) Sound Exposure Guidelines for Fishes and Sea Turtles: A Technical Report prepared by ANSI-Accredited Standards Committee S3/SC1 and registered with ANSI.

^([31]) Mott MacDonald (2014) EIA Report for Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System (Register No.: AEIAR-185/2014) – Appendix 13.13 Marine Traffic Impact Assessment.

^([32]) Jones D, Marten K (2016) Dredging Sound Levels, Numberical Modelling and EIA. Terra et Aqua No. 144.

^([33]) Richardson WJ, Greene CR Jr., Malme CI, Thomson DH (1995) Op. cit.

^([34]) Mott MacDonald (2014) EIA Report for Expansion of Hong Kong International Airport into a Three-Runway System (Register No.: AEIAR-185/2014) – S13.15 Identification and Evaluation of Cumulative Impacts.

Figure 7.1a-b	Habitat Map and Species of Conservation Importance Recorded from Surveys
Figure 7.2	Survey Transect for Terrestrial Ecology
Figure 7.3	Assessment Area for Marine Ecological Impact Assessment
Figure 7.4	Marine Ecological Survey Location
Figure 7.5	Location for PAM Deployment
Figure 7.6	Habitat Photos and Species of Conservation Importance
Figure 7.7a-b	Representative Photos of Coral Surveys
Figure 7.8	Representative Photos of Intertidal Surveys