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The natural resources capital stock provided by the availability and characteristics of Hong Kong's land resources includes a diverse range of developed areas, natural and managed habitats and urban open space. These natural resource features not only provide valuable areas for expansion of the human built environment, but also constitute the foundation of many ecological, assimilative capacity, heritage, landscape and recreational values in Hong Kong. When managing land supply and land use it is essential to appreciate the multiple benefits that particular areas, and the land resources as a whole, may embody.
Consideration of land use issues is often dominated by the provision of land for development. Given the growing population of Hong Kong, its demand for development, and the finite land resources suitable for development in the SAR, it is apparent that the demands cannot continue to be sustained at current rates without significant erosion of the natural resources capital stock as a whole. These pressures and conflicts will continue to test the strength of designated protection for land conservation areas. For these reasons, it is essential to value the true worth of protected areas, through scientific research and public education, and to ensure that all critically important areas are adequately protected under the existing planning and policy frameworks. Where land is approved for development it is crucial that on-site and off-site impacts are minimised through such means as efficient use of space, provision of environmentally sensitive features and proper attention to works control and monitoring.
Without the above measures it is likely that additional valuable natural resource features will be lost unless alternatives can be found to ease development pressures by substituting other areas for development. Alternatives to development of natural land include reclamation or urban renewal, although neither option is without drawbacks. Another alternative would involve explicit or tacit diversion of development into the regional hinterland (ie Guangdong Province). However, this option would likely have important implications for Hong Kong's economy and society and would require close liaison with the Mainland's authorities. These issues will be addressed by the next Territorial Development Strategy, the review of which has recently begun.
In the meantime, the stock of available land resources can be maximised by environmentally sensitive planning, wise use of existing land resources to promote re-development, and avoidance of uses which permanently damage or degrade lands. Weighing the importance of conserving an area against the benefits of developing it should be based on a holistic valuation of all capital stock functions (ie natural resource, ecological, assimilative capacity and heritage) provided by land resources.
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