Environmental Impact Assessment for the Mai Po visitor centre 米埔遊客中心的環境影響評估

Please register your interest to get a regular update on project progress and the sustainable features of the new community facilities by registering your contact details at [email protected]

The protection of the Inner deep bay wetlands is WWF mission. As a well managed Ramsar site of international importance on the East Asia Australasian Flyway we look to provide learning and training and infrastructure , facilities being upgraded to today’s building standards and that will support the understanding of biodiversity in our community with EDB funded schools visits , youth and university science and researchers that use the Peter Scott centre before / after heading out onto the nature reserve overseen by AFCD and managed by WWF. The sustainable design will represent improvements to reflect WWF belief in providing leadership in building design in its location and include sewerage treatment technology replacing the current septic tank approach.

WWF has held two rounds of stakeholder briefings / meetings during concept design and will hold a further round of meetings / information sharing on the sustainable features and designs after Chinese New Year. Register for information by sending your details to [email protected]

WWF Peter Scott visitor centre facilities design will be to the highest standards with no environmental impact or pollution to wetlands of Inner Deep Bay. Sustainable design features will include sewerage treatment with up to date learning and training facilities to benefit the schools , citizen science , birdwatchers and other visitors who head to the nearby reserve. The detailed design and arrangements for visitors during construction will be made available to stakeholders in the coming weeks and Peter Scott remains open to April and will not impact visitors to the end of this bird migration season. After the typhoon last year the EIA report has been delayed for a further tree survey to complete this month. In the EIA report the facilities planned to be built inside Mai Po nature reserve starting April 2020 include a renovation of exusting concrete AFCD path to a universal accessible boardwalk and two tower hides. Peter Scott Field Studies Centre is a concurrent project which will as necessary be mentioned in the EIA submission. The submissions will be open to the public.

Be open and honest and accountable. It's easy.

The news is that Peter Scott Field Studies Centre and its carpark will not need to close in February after the Big Bird Race as we initially thought. The reason for this is some slippage in the programme. As things currently stand, this closure is not expected to happen until April or May and as such users should be able to enjoy parking this year up until the end of the Bird Season. WWF Hong Kong remains committed to giving stakeholders at least two months’ notice of the actual closure and the alternative arrangements. The team is finalising design details and will provide visitors this information in February 2019. We are also happy to brief all stakeholders on developments of the Project as a whole just after CNY. On the subject of the EIA there are two elements of the Upgrade Project that are subject to an EIA under the EIAO as advised by EPD and those are the proposed footpath renovation, planned to run from April –October 2020 and the proposed construction of two new Tower Hides planned to run from April –October 2020 and April-October 2021. As a result of the typhoon last year a further tree survey at Mai Po nature reserve as a part of the EIA process has been necessary and will be included in the report which will be made public once submitted to EPD. WWF of course recognizes that Peter Scott Demolition and Construction should be recorded as a concurrent project in this EIA report and we are committed to providing detail on sewerage treatment and other elements of the design, including the extensive use of noise barriers and dust prevention measures. WWF are currently in the process of finalizing the major components of Detailed Design such as the Foundations and Superstructure and when we are sure of this we can update the PSFSC Concurrent Project and submit the EIA. If you requiring information to be included in stakeholder updates you can register interest by sending your contract details to the WWF team [email protected]

Let us not forget the debacle over the WWF Marine Life Centre at Hoi Ha which also slipped through a loophole and required no EIA, despite being built in a protected Marine Park, SSSI.

Can hardly believe I’m petitioning a body that should be exhibiting exemplary behaviour. EIA please

Completely unnecessary

This is a wonderful site and so important to the biodiversity of Hong Kong.

While I believe the WWF have the protection of flora and faina at the heart of their mission, full disclosure as described in petition would allow for public comment on impacts their in-house staff may not have considered.

I agree entirely with this petition and particularly that an EIA is essential before this proposed demolition and reconstruction can go ahead.

There should be no exception. The facility HKU has at Cape D'Aguilar is a good example of how these building could completely destroy environment

Honesty is the best way to prevent a mistake from turning into a failure.

Please do the right thing and ensure you adhere to the principles of what WWF is suppose to be.

Reputation is hard won and easily lost ...

I am disappointed that WWF is not conducting an EIA or being open and sharing their plans. Enhanced facilities may benefit Mai Po in the future but this approach may lead to more damage to the Deep Bay area, as developers can model their approach on WWF's lax standards.

They need to practice what the preach, be transparent with what they do!

Why is WWF being so secretive about this?

Mai Po is a highly sensitive site. Planning new developments without first commissioning an EIA is a dereliction of duty on the part of the site manager.