Ecological Impact
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HZMB – HKBCF & HKLR EIA Report Contents Page 10 ECOLOGICAL IMPACT 1 10.1 Legislation and Standards 1 10.2 Assessment Area 2 10.3 Methodology for Baseline Establishment 4 10.4 Baseline Conditions 14 10.5 Assessment Methodology 66 10.6 Impact Identification and Evaluation 68 10.7 Mitigation of Adverse Impacts 111 10.8 Residual Impacts 122 10.9 Environmental Monitoring and Audit 123 10.10 Conclusions 124 10.11 References 126 Appendices Appendix 10A Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Section and North Lantau Highway Connection (now renamed as Hong Kong Link Road) – Final 9 Months Ecological Baseline Survey Report, Mouchel Parkman Asia Ltd. 2004 Appendix 10B Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Link Road – Verification Survey for Ecological Baseline Final Report, May 2009 Appendix 10C Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Link Road – Final Supplementary Ecological Survey Report, July 2009 Appendix 10D Results of HKBCF Ecological Survey Programme Figures Figure 10.1 Marine Ecological Assessment Area and Marine Ecological Sensitive Receivers Figure 10.2 Terrestrial Ecological Assessment Area and Sites of Conservation Importance for Terrestrial and Intertidal Ecology Figure 10.3 Survey Coverage and Sampling Locations in the Various Survey Programmes under HKLR and HKBCF Figure 10.4a Habitat Map for Terrestrial Ecological Assessment Area of HKLR (Airport Channel and North Lantau) Figure 10.4b Habitat Map for Terrestrial Ecological Assessment Area of HKLR (Airport Channel and North Lantau) Figure 10.4c Habitat Map for Terrestrial Ecological Assessment Area of HKLR (Airport Island) Figure 10.5 Photographs of Habitats presented within the Study Area Figure 10.6 Locations of Species of Conservation Importance within Terrestrial Ecological Assessment Area of HKLR Figure 10.7 Locations with gorgonian Echinomuricea and ahermatypic coral Balanophyllia and the CCPC benthic sampling station 18 Figure 10.8 Chinese White Dolphin DPSE 2002-2009 and the HKBCF & HKLR Project Sites Figure 10.9 Chinese White Dolphin Unspotted Calf Sightings 2002-2008 and the HKBCF & HKLR Project Sites 25308-REP-040-03 Page 10 / i Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd July 2009 HZMB – HKBCF & HKLR EIA Report Figure 10.10 Chinese White Dolphin Unspotted Juvenile Sightings 2002-2008 and the HKBCF & HKLR Project Sites Figure 10.11 Chinese White Dolphin Juvenile/Calf Sightings and Feeding/Socializing Activities 2008-2009 and the HKBCF & HKLR Project Sites Figure 10.12 2011 Dry & Wet Season Predicted Maximum Sediment Plumes and CWD density distribution in North Lantau Waters (Mitigated Scenario) Figure 10.13 Artificial Reefs in Airport Marine Exclusion Zone 3 and the HKBCF & HKLR Project Sites Figure 10.14 Pre-construction Dive Survey for Corals 25308-REP-040-03 Page 10 / ii Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd July 2009 HZMB – HKBCF & HKLR EIA Report 10 ECOLOGICAL IMPACT 10.0.1 As discussed in Section 3, various options and combinations of options for the HKBCF and HKLR have been previously investigated, evaluated, assessed and ranked, and the selected option has also been further revised and refined. The ecological impact assessment for the HKBCF and HKLR was based upon the latest layout of the preferred option. 10.1 Legislation and Standards 10.1.1 Ordinances and regulations that are relevant to this study include the following: • Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96) and its subsidiary legislation, the Forestry Regulations; • Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170); • Country Parks Ordinance (Cap. 208) and its subsidiary legislation; • Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap. 476); • Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499) and the associated TM; and • Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) and its subsidiary legislation. 10.1.2 This assessment also makes reference to the following guidelines and standards: • Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) Chapter 10, "Conservation"; • PELB Technical Circular 1/97 / Works Branch Technical Circular 4/97, "Guidelines for Implementing the Policy on Off-site Ecological Mitigation Measures"; • EIAO Guidance Note No. 6/2002 - Some Observations on Ecological Assessment from the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance Perspective; • EIAO Guidance Note No. 7/2002 – Ecological Baseline Survey for Ecological Assessment; • EIAO Guidance Note No. 10/2004 – Methodologies for Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecological Baseline Surveys; and • EIAO Guidance Note No. 11/2004 – Methodologies for Marine Ecological Baseline Surveys. 10.1.3 This assessment also makes reference to the following Mainland legislation: • List of State Protected Wild Animals, promulgated by the State Council 國家重 點保護野生動物名錄. 10.1.4 Other international conventions and guidelines that are relevant to this study include the following: • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ("CITES"). This Convention regulates international trade in animal and plant species considered to be at risk from such trade. Depending on the degree of threat posed by international trade, CITES classifies endangered species of animals and plants into three Appendices. Appendix I includes highly endangered species threatened with extinction. Commercial trade in specimens of these species is prohibited. Appendix II includes species which are not presently threatened with extinction but may become so unless trade is controlled. Their trade is allowed but subject to licensing controls. Appendix III 25308-REP-040-03 Page 10 - 1 Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd July 2009 HZMB – HKBCF & HKLR EIA Report species are species identified by any Party to CITES as requiring cooperation in controlling their trade. Their trade is subject to permits or certificates of origin. Hong Kong's obligations under this Convention are enforced via the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586). • IUCN - The World Conservation Union maintains, through its Species Survival Commission, a “Redlist” of globally threatened species of wild plants and animals (see http://www.iucnredlist.org/static/introduction). The Redlist is considered the authoritative publication to classify species into nine groups as Extinct (EX) - No individuals remaining; Extinct in the Wild (EW) - Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range; Critically Endangered (CR) - Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild; Endangered (EN) - Very high risk of extinction in the wild; Vulnerable (VU) - High risk of extinction in the wild; Near Threatened (NT) - Likely to become endangered in the near future; Least Concern (LC) - Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category; Data Deficient (DD) - Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction; Not Evaluated (NE) - Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria. • United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. This convention requires parties to regulate or manage biological resources important for the conservation of biological diversity whether within or outside protected areas, with a view to ensuring their conservation and sustainable use. It also requires parties to promote the protection of ecosystems, natural habitats and the maintenance of viable populations of species in natural surroundings. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity on 5th January 1993. The HKSAR Government has stated that it is "committed to meeting the environmental objectives" of the Convention (PELB 1996). • Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the "Ramsar Convention"), which requires parties to conserve and make wise use of wetlands, particularly those supporting waterfowl populations. The PRC ratified the Ramsar Convention on 31st July 1992, and various wetlands have since been listed as wetlands of international importance (i.e. Ramsar sites). One of these, Mai Po Marshes and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar site in Hong Kong SAR, was listed on 4 September 1995. 10.2 Assessment Area 10.2.1 For HKLR, the alignment covers both marine and terrestrial areas, and there are assessment areas for terrestrial ecology and marine ecology respectively. The assessment area for marine ecology (i.e. aquatic ecology in the EIA Study Brief) is the same as the water quality impact assessment area, i.e. including the following 7 Water Control Zones (WCZ) within HKSAR (Figure 10.1) as well as any areas likely to be impacted by the Project. • Deep Bay WCZ; • North Western WCZ; • North Western Supplementary WCZ; • Victoria Harbour WCZ; • Western Buffer WCZ; • Southern WCZ; and • Second Southern Supplementary WCZ. 10.2.2 The assessment area for terrestrial ecology in HKLR is defined as all areas within 500 m from the site boundary of the land based works areas or the areas likely to 25308-REP-040-03 Page 10 - 2 Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd July 2009 HZMB – HKBCF & HKLR EIA Report be impacted by the Project. Owing to the changes of the alignment, HKLR would go through limited existing land areas, and the terrestrial ecological assessment area (Figure 10.2) has significantly reduced in size when compared with the original Study Area during the early stage of the EIA study, which is larger to cover the two conceptual alignment options in the EIA Study Brief No. ESB-110/2003. 10.2.3 For HKBCF, as it is mainly a marine project on new reclamation except some minor connecting slip roads which would involve