Organised by ”Save Our Country Parks” and “Friends of Hoi Ha”, click on the following image to get more information from Facebook.

Basic itinerary can be found on the “Save our country parks” facebook page, please click on the image above to see more details.

Itinerary
1) Tai Tan Tour
10:00 am Meet at Tai Tan Village bus stop
Tai Tan Village tour and 3-mile hike to Hoi Ha
Contact persons:
English- 9088 7003;
Chinese- 9466 8167

2) Hoi Ha Tour
12:00 am Meet at Hoi Ha barbecue site, near the public toilets
Hoi Ha Tour and briefing
Contact persons:
English- 2791 6449 / 9720 4142;
Chinese – 2987 6253 / 9466 8167
[Please note that there is limited mobile phone reception at Hoi Ha]

The post 步走救海下Walk to Save Hoi Ha appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.

Living Seas Hong Kong is concerned; we all should be, about the threat to country parks and specifically the immediate threat to Hoi Ha Wan marine park.

As a reminder, Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park has amongst the highest coral coverage and is beautiful above and below water:

 Marine life @ Hoi Ha Wan marine park

The problem, is that the Hong Kong Government, through the Town Planning Board has put together an Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) that effectively sets a large expansion of the village area into country surrounding the existing village, right next to the marine park. The Town Planning board has accepted a plan that “and to make provision for future Small House development for the indigenous village of Hoi Ha.”

So what is happening is that we are moving from a village area, that looks like this:

To something that looks like this:

The huge problem here is the large brown area, zoned as “V”illage type development, is

1. Mostly owned by developers and not villagers (see Paul Zimmerman’s post on this subject here (http://thehousenews.com/nature/land-zoned-for-small-houses-in-hoi-ha-already-sold-to-developers/), and will be uncontrolled.
2. “V”illage type developments are “exempted from planning controls, site formation, sewerage, drainage, and lack formal access. Both the construction and habitation of small houses severely impacts surrounding country and marine parks and is incompatible with the ecologically sensitive environment and high landscape value of enclaves, and Hoi Ha and the marine park specifically.”

This is a really huge issue.   Infrastructure is not there to support a large development and there are effectively no controls.  From a marine conservation perspective this spells disaster for the Marine Park and the fragile marine ecology that it aims to protect.

It should be noted that the Town Planning Board has also gazetted and “Outline Zoning Plan” for two other Country Park Enclaves, at Pak Lap (also in Sai Kung Country Park) and So Lo Pun (in Plover Cove Country Park)

The public still has a chance to overturn and correct these crazy decisions.

We suggest that you keep informed and be ready to take action, join and watch the following websites and Facebook groups:

• Save Hoi Ha Facebook group
• 香港郊野公園是我的呼吸空間 Hong Kong Country Parks, my breathing space: 
• Save Our Country Parks 保衛郊野公園

The details, for those that are interested as follows:

Press released from the govt, related to the gazetting of the OZP for Hoi Ha Wan : http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201309/27/P201309260298.htm

Detailed zoning plan for Hoi Ha Wan Village: http://www.ozp.tpb.gov.hk/pdf/S_NE-HH_1_e.pdf

The post Hoi Ha Wan marine park is under direct threat appeared first on Living Seas Hong Kong.