Table 7.2b Ecological Value of Woodland and Active Agriculture (Dry & Wet) Habitats in the Assessment Area.

Criteria	Woodland	Active Agriculture (Dry & Wet)
Naturalness	Habitat is largely natural, although secondary in nature.	Habitats are man-made.
Size	Habitat covers large areas of hillside surrounding Mui Wo Valley.	Habitats are small in size.
Diversity	Secondary Woodland: Moderate. Open Woodland: Low-moderate.	Low.
Rarity	Two plant species of conservation interest, Aquilaria sinensis and Diospyros vacciniodes recorded from secondary woodland. One Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) recorded from open woodland habitat adjacent to TTT River. Previous records of Romer’s Tree Frog (Philautus romeri) from woodland areas in Mui Wo.	Single records of Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus) and White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) from active dry agricultural land.
Re-creatability	Moderate, although the habitat would take several decades to mature.	Habitat readily created on suitable areas of low-lying land.
Fragmentation	The habitat is largely unfragmented.	Moderate-high.
Ecological linkage	Falls partially within Conservation Area and Country Park. Woodland habitat is linked with streams and adjacent areas of marsh.	The habitats are adjacent to areas woodland, marsh and streams/rivers of conservation interest.
Potential value	Moderate.	Low-moderate.
Nursery ground	Woodland habitats provide potential breeding habitat for Romer’s Tree Frog.	No significant records.
Age	Woodland is several decades old.	N/a
Abundance/Richness of Wildlife	Secondary Woodland: Moderate. Open Woodland: Low-moderate.	Low.
Ecological value	Secondary Woodland: Moderate-High. Open Woodland: Low-moderate.	Low.