2. Ecology and Fisheries

Introduction

2.1 Main terrestrial ecological impact would not be significant in relation to low value habitat loss. About 60% of the total affected habitat loss area is developed area / wasteground. Mitigation measures such as ecologically friendly channel features to provide aquatic habitats for wildlife use and good construction site practices would be implemented.

2.2 There would also be limited marine ecological impact to sub-tidal and intertidal habitats with implementation of good construction site practices.

2.3 Limited fisheries impact is anticipated during the construction and operation phases with the implementation of good construction site practices.

2.4 A monitoring and audit programme would be in place to monitor the impacts from the Project on ecological and fisheries resources.

Mitigation Measures

Detailed Design Phase

2.5 During detailed design phase, an ecological habitat management plan and ecological friendly design of the proposed open channel in the SSS, should be developed.

Construction Phase

2.6 The ecological and fisheries mitigation measures recommended in the EIA report are outlined in the Implementation Schedule (IS) (Appendix A). In the event of receipt of complaint and/or observation on non-compliance or area of improvement during the construction phase, the Contractor should review the effectiveness of these mitigation measures and propose, design and implement alternative or additional measures as appropriate.

Operational Phase

2.7 The IS for the recommended mitigation measures is presented in Appendix A. These measures should be reviewed, and refined if necessary, by the MTRC during the detailed design phase to confirm that they are adequate for minimising potential operational impacts.

Monitoring Requirement

2.8 To detect changes and to monitor the effectiveness of the proposed mitigation measures, ecological monitoring should be conducted for any works where adverse ecological impacts (without mitigation measures in place) and any uncertainties are anticipated.

Ecological Impact Monitoring

2.9 Mitigation measures have been proposed under this Project to control any potential indirect impact to the avifauna utilizing areas of conservation interest which are sensitive to disturbance. Impact monitoring should therefore be conducted during construction phase to monitor the effectiveness of proposed mitigation measures and detect any unpredicted indirect ecological impacts arising from the proposed Project. Remedial actions can then be recommended, where appropriate, based on the impact monitoring results.

2.10 Ecological impact monitoring focusing on habitats and species of conservation interest should be conducted during the construction phase at the MPV, TPP, SSS / ERS, PHV, and TUW sites where a number of avifauna of conservation interest (e.g. overwintering bird, Greater Painted-snipe) and areas of conservation interest (e.g. country parks, conservation areas, and wetlands) were recorded.

2.11 Avifaunal communities should be surveyed quantitatively along transects. Birds heard or seen along the transects should be identified to species and counted. The nature of construction works within works area conducting during each impact monitoring visit should also be recorded. The quantitative monitoring results should be compared to pre-construction condition. The impact monitoring results should be undertaken by qualified ecologist(s) with relevant working experience. Should any unpredicted indirect ecological impacts arising from the proposed Project be detected, remedial measures should be developed and implemented by the Contractor. The implementation details of the impact monitoring programme should be described in ecological monitoring plan for Environmental Protection Department (EPD) approval before commencement of construction activities. The location, frequency and duration of construction impact monitoring are provided in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1 Requirement of Construction Impact Monitoring for Avifaunal Group

Works Area	Monitoring Location	Monitoring Frequency	Monitoring Duration
MPV	l Fishponds in Wetland Conservation Area (WCA) within 500 m from the boundary of MPV works area	Weekly	During erection of site hoarding
		Monthly	During construction phase of MPV works area
Access road leading to TPP	l The whole alignment of drainage channel KT5 l The section of drainage channel 95CD along the proposed alignment of access upgrading l The whole alignment of abandoned meander of conservation interest 43CD-1	Weekly	During erection of site hoarding
		Monthly	During upgrading and operation of access road for construction phase activities
Access road leading to SSS / ERS	l The section of drainage channel 95CD along the proposed alignment of access upgrading l The whole alignment of abandoned meanders of conservation interest 95CD-4 and 95CD-5	Weekly	During erection of site hoarding
		Monthly	During upgrading of and operation access road for construction phase activities
SSS / ERS	l Agricultural land within 500 m from the boundary of SSS / ERS works area	Monthly	During construction phase of SSS / ERS works area
TUW	l Agricultural land within 500 m from the boundary of TUW works area l Woodland in Conservation Area (CA) within 500 m from the boundary of TUW works area	Monthly	During construction phase of TUW works area
PHV	l Woodland in CA within 500 m from the boundary of PHV works area	Monthly	During construction phase of PHV works area

Monitoring of Mitigation Stream Habitats

2.12 Mitigation stream habitats will be provided within the scheme boundary of the SSS / ERS site in the operational phase. It is anticipated that the mitigation stream habitats would provide habitats of similar ecological value and function to the wildlife utilising the existing watercourse habitats. Prior to commencement of channel works, the ecological habitat management plan should be prepared to outline the operational phase ecological monitoring requirements for the mitigation stream habitats.

Monitoring of Impact from Groundwater Drawdown

2.13 Groundwater levels will be monitored along the whole Project alignment in pre-construction and construction stages as part of the comprehensive groundwater monitoring strategy (details refer to EIA Report Appendix 11.8B Hydrogeological Impact Assessment). A monitoring and emergency response plan (to be prepared by the Contractor), in relation to potential impacts due to groundwater drawdown, will form part of the EM&A requirement in this EM&A Manual subject to approval by EPD and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) before commencement of the tunnelling and MPV construction in Mai Po area. The plan should include, but not be limited to, details of monitoring locations and programme, a mechanism to monitor the implication from the works to the groundwater system and fish ponds including their water levels, action levels and emergency responses such as immediate action, remedial action and investigation.

Monitoring of Impact from Noise and Vibration

2.14 A monitoring and emergency response plan (to be prepared by the Contractor), in relation to potential impacts on fishponds in Mai Po Area due to noise / vibration, will form part of the EM&A requirement in the EM&A Manual subject to approval by EPD and AFCD before commencement of the tunnelling and MPV construction in Mai Po area.

Audit Requirements

2.15 To safeguard against adverse ecological and fisheries impacts from the construction of the Project, regular site inspections should be conducted to ensure proper implementation of the recommended mitigation measures. Section 12 of the Manual sets out inspection requirements and the programme for verifying the implementation and evaluating the effectiveness of the mitigation measures.