Content

7.0....... ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT.. 7-1

7.1 Requirements of EIA Study Brief

. 7-1

7.2 Project Boundary and Assessment Area. 7-1

7.3 Legislation, Standards and Guidelines. 7-2

7.4 Ecological Baseline Information. 7-4

7.5 Ecological Baseline Condition

. 7-9

7.6 Evaluation of Habitats and Species of Conservation Importance. 7-16

7.7 Impact Identification and Evaluation. 7-24

7.8 Mitigation Measures. 7-31

7.9 Potential Cumulative Impacts. 7-34

7.10 Residual Impacts. 7-39

7.11 Environmental Monitoring and Audit 7-39

7.12 Conclusion. 7-40

FIGURES

Figure 7.1 Assessment Area and Ecological Baseline Survey Locations

Figure 7.2 Habitat Map

Figure 7.3 Photos of Habitats and Plant Species of Conservation Importance Recorded within the Assessment Area

APPENDICES

Appendix 7.1 Plant Species and Relative Abundance Recorded in the Assessment Area

Appendix 7.2 Bird Species Recorded in the Assessment Area

Appendix 7.3 Butterfly Species Recorded in the Assessment Area

Appendix 7.4 Dragonfly Species Recorded in the Assessment Area

Appendix 7.5 Herpetofauna Species Recorded in the Assessment Area

Appendix 7.6 Mammal Species Recorded in the Assessment Area

Appendix 7.7 Aquatic Species Recorded in the Assessment Area

7.0 ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

7.

7.1 Requirements of EIA Study Brief

7.1.1 Technical requirements for ecological impact assessment (EcoIA) are stipulated in the EIA Study Brief (ESB-310/2018), including Section 3.4.9 and Appendix G. The aim of the EcoIA shall be to protect, maintain or rehabilitate the natural environment, in particular, to avoid or minimize impacts on recognized sites of conservation importance, conservation areas and other ecologically sensitive areas.

7.1.2 The EIA Study Brief stated that investigation and description of the existing wildlife uses of the various habitats with special attention to those wildlife groups and habitats with conservation importance, including but not limited to the following:

(a) Woodlands and plantations

(b) Watercourses especially natural streams and associated riparian habitats

(c) Avifauna including raptors

(d) Mammals

(e) Herpetofauna

(f) Insects (e.g. butterflies, odonates)

(g) Fish and crustaceans

(h) Any other habitats and wildlife groups identified as having special conservation importance

7.1.3 As stated in Section 1.2 of the EIA Study Brief, the Project is to upgrade the remaining sections of Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road to a standard single two-lane carriageway, with the associated improvement of pedestrian facilities, public transport laybys and right-turning lanes at major junctions.

7.2 Project Boundary and Assessment Area

7.2.1 The location of the Project is shown in Figure 7.1. The assessment area for the purpose of the terrestrial ecological impact assessment included areas within 500m from the boundary of the Project and any other areas likely to be impacted by the Project. For aquatic ecology, the assessment area shall be the same as the water quality impact assessment (i.e. included 500m from the boundary of the Project and covered the Deep Bay Water Control Zone).

7.3 Legislation, Standards and Guidelines

7.3.1 Ordinances and regulations that are relevant to this Ecological Impact Assessment (EcoIA) include the followings:

Ÿ Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96) and its subsidiary legislation, the Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96A);

Ÿ Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170);

Ÿ Country Parks Ordinance (Cap. 208) and its subsidiary legislation;

Ÿ Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (Cap. 499) and the associated TM; and

Ÿ Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) and its subsidiary legislation.

7.3.2 This EcoIA also makes reference to the following guidelines and standards:

Ÿ Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG) Chapter 10, "Conservation";

Ÿ PELB Technical Circular 1/97 / Works Branch Technical Circular 4/97, "Guidelines for Implementing the Policy on Off-site Ecological Mitigation Measures";

Ÿ EIAO Guidance Note No. 3/2010 ¡V Flexibility and Enforceability of Mitigation Measures Proposed in an EIA Report;

Ÿ EIAO Guidance Note No. 6/2010 - Some Observations on Ecological Assessment from the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance Perspective;

Ÿ EIAO Guidance Note No. 7/2010 ¡V Ecological Baseline Survey for Ecological Assessment; and

Ÿ EIAO Guidance Note No. 10/2010 ¡V Methodologies for Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecological Baseline Surveys.

7.3.3 This EcoIA also makes reference to the following Mainland legislation:

Ÿ List of State Protected Wild Animals, promulgated by the State Council °ê®a«ÂI«OÅ@³¥¥Í°Êª«¦W¿ý; and

Ÿ List of Wild Plants under State Protection °ê®a«ÂI«OÅ@³¥¥Í´Óª«¦W¿ý.

7.3.4 Other international conventions and guidelines that are relevant to this EcoIA include the following:

Ÿ 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 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).

Ÿ IUCN. The World Conservation Union maintains, through its Species Survival Commission, a ¡§Red List¡¨ of globally threatened species of wild plants and animals (see http://www.iucnredlist.org). The Red List 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.

Ÿ 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 5^th January 1993. The HKSAR Government has stated that it is "committed to meeting the environmental objectives" of the Convention (PELB 1996).

Ÿ Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (the Bonn Convention), which requires parties to protect listed threatened or endangered migratory species occurring within their boundaries.

Criteria of Evaluating Species of Conservation Importance

7.3.5 Species listed under local legislation and international conventions for conservation of flora and fauna were given special attention. In accordance with Table 3, Annex 8 of the EIAO-TM, the ecological value of species should be assessed in terms of protection status, species distribution, and rarity. For fauna species, criteria relating to these three aspects were considered, such as being protected under Cap. 170 (except birds), Cap. 586, and/or regional/global legislation/conventions (i.e. the protection status), whether they are an endemic species (i.e. species distribution and being considered rare or restricted, and highlighted in publications such as Fellowes et al. (2002) (i.e. rarity). References were also made to those protected by law in China. Flora species are considered of conservation importance when it is protected/listed under the regional/global legislation/conventions (e.g. listed under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586); Forestry Regulations; Category I or II protected species in mainland China; listed by IUCN (2016) or CITES), and concerns due to species distribution and rarity (e.g. considered rare by Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) (2003, 2007); Xing et al. (2000); Wu and Lee (2000); or Siu (2000). Specifically speaking, flora or fauna species protected by the following laws/regulations or listed under the following conventions/publications were considered to be species of conservation importance. However this excludes exotic weeds, escaped cultivars or captive species, vagrants and introduced species which have lower ecological value. Species which are classified by IUCN as Least Concern (LC), Data Deficient (DD), or Not Evaluated (NE), and not covered by any other laws/regulations/conventions are not considered of conservation importance in the present EcoIA.

Ÿ Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96A) which are subsidiary legislation of the Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96);

Ÿ Considered ¡¥Rare¡¦ or ¡¥Very Rare¡¦ plant species listed in in AFCD (2003, 2007), Xing et al. (2000), Wu and Lee (2000), or Siu (2000);

Ÿ Category I or II protected species in mainland China;

Ÿ Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170);

Ÿ Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586);

Ÿ PRC Wild Animal Protection Law;

Ÿ China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals;

Ÿ China Plant Red Data Book;

Ÿ China Species Red List;

Ÿ The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species;

Ÿ The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); and

Ÿ Fauna species considered of concern in Fellowes et al. (2002).

7.3.6 The species identified as having conservation importance are further categorized in accordance with their relevancy with the identified impacts, and the potential impacts on them were assessed in accordance with the EIAO-TM criteria.

7.4 Ecological Baseline Information

Literature Review Methodology

7.4.1 A baseline review for ecology was conducted. Relevant literature was reviewed and information was extracted to establish a preliminary ecological baseline of the assessment area.

7.4.2 Ecological conditions of different parts of the assessment area were variously covered by previous EIA studies. A list of the EIAs, investigation studies and surveys considered during establishing the ecological baseline condition are given below:

Ÿ Hong Kong Biodiversity ¡V Newsletter of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department

(AFCD);

Ÿ Publications of AFCD;

Ÿ Data from AFCD Territory-wide Monitoring Survey (2002 ¡V 2018);

Ÿ Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest;

Ÿ Annual report and other publications of The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society;

Ÿ Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) 2005 Fauna Checklist;

Ÿ Fauna species recorded at KFBG up to 2008.

Ÿ Memoirs of Hong Kong Natural History Society;

Ÿ Porcupine! Newsletter of Ecology & Biodiversity, The School of Biological Sciences, The

University of Hong Kong;

Ÿ The Preliminary Ecological Impact Assessment conducted for Land Use Review for Kam Tin

South and Pat Heung (2014);

Ÿ Report on Preliminary Environmental Review for Agreement No. CE 61/2012(HY),

Improvement Fan Kam Road Investigation (2017); and

Ÿ Relevant EIA reports (e.g. AEIAR-139/2009 Upgrading of Remaining Sections of Kam Tin Road

and Lam Kam Road; AEIAR-143/2009 Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou ¡V Shenzhen ¡V Hong Kong Express Rail Link).

7.4.3 Species of conservation importance recorded in these previous studies were screened under the criteria mentioned in the previous sections, e.g. excluding non-native or cultivated plant species.

Ecological Survey Methodology

7.4.4 The methodology of the ecological surveys made reference to the technical guidelines of ecological assessment in Annex 16 of EIAO-TM and the relevant EIAO Guidance Notes (GN 7/2010 and GN 10/2010); and met the requirements of the Ecological Impact Assessment (Terrestrial and Aquatic) as stipulated in Appendix G of the EIA Study Brief (ESB-310/2018).

7.4.5 Ecological field surveys were carried out to verify the preliminary ecological baseline established from reviewed literature, updated baseline information, and filled identified information gaps to facilitate the establishment of a complete ecological baseline of the assessment area and to facilitate the ecological assessment.

7.4.6 The ecological survey programme covered terrestrial and aquatic habitats and important habitats within the assessment area during wet and dry seasons. The ecological surveys included habitat and vegetation, terrestrial mammal, birds, herpetofauna, dragonflies and butterflies, and aquatic fauna. Details of the survey methodology are discussed in the following paragraphs.

7.4.7 The objectives of the baseline ecological surveys are as follows:

Ÿ to identify sensitive receivers (i.e. important ecological resources) present within the

assessment area;

Ÿ to establish an update general ecological baseline of the assessment area in particular areas

likely to be affected by the Project and describe the characteristics of each habitat and assemblage found;

Ÿ to update the distribution of flora/fauna of conservation importance identified from reviewed

literature; and

Ÿ to provide baseline ecological conditions for assessment of potential environmental impacts

caused by the Project activities and recommendation of mitigation measures to mitigate such impacts.

Survey Period

7.4.8 According to the Clause 2 (iii) in Appendix G of the EIA Study Brief, ecological surveys should be carried out with a duration of at least 6 months covering both wet and dry seasons. A nine-month ecological survey was conducted and summarized in below Table 7.1.

Table 7.1 Ecological survey programme

Month	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Calendar month	Sep 18	Oct 18	Nov 18	Dec 18	Jan 19	Feb 19	Mar 19	Apr 19	May 19
Habitat and Vegetation	Ö				Ö
Avifauna Survey (Day)	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö
Avifauna Survey (Night)	Ö					Ö
Butterfly and Dragonfly Survey	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö
Herpetofauna Survey (Day)	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö
Herpetofauna Survey (Night)	Ö		Ö				Ö	Ö	Ö
Mammal Survey (Day)	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö
Mammal Survey (Night)	Ö		Ö					Ö
Freshwater Communities Survey		Ö		Ö			Ö	Ö	Ö

7.4.9 Habitat and Vegetation Survey: Habitat mapping was based on basemap and latest aerial photos, and verified by field ground-truthing conducted in September 2018 and January 2019. For minor watercourses on basemap, if found during ground-truthing that they were shallow and small in size, and only had at most transient flow, or were concrete urban drains or u-channels, their ecological function as watercourse habitat would be limited and thus might be incorporated into the surrounding habitats during mapping. Plant species within each habitat type of the works area and immediately adjacent to the Project Boundary as well as the assessment area, were identified and their relative abundances were recorded with special attention to rare or protected species. As the proposed works may affect the vegetation clearance along the proposed alignment, the present vegetation survey was conducted to investigate any plant species of conservation importance along the proposed alignment and in the vicinity. Nomenclature and protection of the plant species followed those documented in the AFCD¡¦s biodiversity database. Similar to the criteria used in literature review, plant species recorded during the survey are considered of conservation importance when it is 1) listed under Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96A) in Hong Kong, 2) listed under Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap.586) in Hong Kong or CITES, 3) considered rare by AFCD (2003, 2007), Xing et al. (2000), Wu and Lee (2000), or Siu (2000), 4) Category I or II protected species in mainland China, or 5) listed as ¡§vulnerable, threatened, endangered, or critically endangered¡¨ by IUCN (2017), excluding non-native species or cultivated species.

7.4.10 Habitat map of the assessment area was produced at the suitable scale using Geographic Information System (GIS) software.

7.4.11 Terrestrial Mammal: Mammals within the assessment area were surveyed qualitatively during both day and night time. Daytime mammal surveys were carried out monthly between September 2018 and February 2019 while nighttime mammal surveys were conducted in September 2018, November 2018 and April 2019. All sightings, tracks, and signs of mammals found were recorded. Nomenclature of mammal follows Shek (2006). Particular attention was paid to any roosting sites of bats during the survey. Bat detector (Wildlife Acoustics EM3+) was used to detect the presence of bats.

7.4.12 Bird: Bird surveys were conducted monthly in early morning between September 2018 and February 2019. Birds within the assessment area were surveyed quantitatively using both transect and point count methods. Survey transects and sampling locations are shown in Figure 7.1. All birds seen or heard were identified and their abundance recorded. Signs of breeding (e.g. nests, recently fledged juveniles) were also recorded. As some birds (e.g. owls, nightjars) are nocturnal, night surveys were conducted in September 2018 and February 2019. Nocturnal birds were identified by active searching using spot-light and by their calls. Nomenclature of the bird species followed the latest version of List of Hong Kong Birds by Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS).

7.4.13 Herpetofauna: Herpetofauna within the assessment area were surveyed qualitatively during both day and night time. Daytime surveys were conducted monthly from September 2018 to February 2019. All reptiles and amphibians sighted were recorded. Nomenclature of amphibian followed Chan et al. (2005) and reptile follows Karsen et al. (1998). As herpetofauna are mostly nocturnal and more active during wet season, night surveys were carried out in September and November 2018 as well as March to May 2019. Potential microhabitats of herpetofauna such as wall, fallen logs, litter, channel/nullah, underneath of stones or other materials, artificial container (e.g. pots) were searched during surveys to locate cryptic or secretive herpetofauna species. Amphibians were also identified by their calls during night surveys.

7.4.14 Dragonfly and Butterfly: Dragonflies and butterflies within the assessment area were surveyed monthly between September and December 2018 using quantitative transect count method. Survey transects are shown in Figure 7.1. Dragonflies and butterflies observed were identified and recorded. Nomenclature of dragonfly followed Tam et al. (2011) and nomenclature of butterfly followed Chan et al. (2011).

7.4.15 Freshwater Community: Aquatic fauna, including freshwater macro-invertebrates (e.g. freshwater crabs, shrimps, molluscs and aquatic insect larvae) and fishes were surveyed in October and December 2018 as well as March to May 2019 in the watercourses (Figure 7.1) near the works areas by direct observation and active searching, during dry and wet seasons. Organisms were recorded and identified to the lowest possible taxon, and their relative abundances were reported. Nomenclature for fish followed Lee et al. (2004), while those for the macro-invertebrates followed Dudgeon and Corlett (1994).

7.5 Ecological Baseline Condition

Literature Review

7.5.1 The Project is located at Kam Tin Road section between Tung Wui Road and Lam Kam Road; and Lam Kam Road section between Kam Tin Road and Kadoorie Farm. The works area is mainly located on developed road, but the proposed upgrading works marginally encroach upon Conservation Areas.

Recognized Sites of Conservation Importance

7.5.2 Conservation Area ¡V The CA zones adjacent to Lam Tsuen Country Park and Tai Mo Shan Country Park were established to give added protection to the country parks area. Part of the present Project will encroach these CA zones (Figure 2.1). While the CA adjacent to Kam Tin By-pass alignment (within the assessment area of the current Project) was zoned to reflect the presence of the reconstructed wetland to compensate the loss of ecological sensitive areas from development of Kam Tin By-pass. The created wetland was constructed to provide habitat for the Greater Painted-snipe. According to the EIA study ¡§AEIAR-143/2009 Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou ¡V Shenzhen ¡V Hong Kong Express Rail Link¡¨, results of radio-tracking monitoring for the Greater Painted-snipe from 2005 to 2008 revealed that juveniles were recorded from wetland habitats, such as the School Marsh, Buffalo Field, wet grassland, inactive agricultural land and drainage channel, within the Shek Kong and Kam Tin Area around the breeding season (April to July). This suggests the possible breeding activities of this species in these wetland habitats. Exact locations of these records were not presented in the EIA report. Nevertheless, the current Project will not encroach this part of CA.

7.5.3 Lam Tsuen Country Park ¡V This country park is situated in the Northern New Territories with a total area of 1,520ha that spans over Tai Po, Fanling and Yuen Long. The local plantations within the country park are home to a host of wild animals, such as Chinese Porcupine, Chinese Ferret Badger, Chinese Pangolin and Chinese Leopard Cat. Birds and butterflies occurring here include Chinese Bulbul, Crested Bulbul, White-backed Munia and Common Mormon, Eurema, Red Helen, Great Orange Tip, Rustic, Great Mormon, Lemon Emigrant and Peacock Pansy. The woodlands also support diverse dragonflies and insects, as well as many trees of elegant forms. Small area of the country park is within the 500m assessment area, located in the north-eastern side about 300m from the Project (Figure 7.1). Due to the nature of construction works and distance from the country park, potential impacts to the country park are not anticipated. Hence, no ecological surveys were carried out in the country park. The habitats of the country park were mapped based on aerial photo and ground-truthing within the assessment area.

7.5.4 Pat Heung Temple Fung Shui Woodland (FSW) is situated about 150 m from the Project Boundary (Figure 7.1). This FSW is approximately 0.1 ha in size and supports 21 species of flora (Yip et al. 2006). Information about the species composition is available from the reviewed literature. However, direct impacts resulting from the construction works of the Project are not anticipated.

Other Ecological Resources

7.5.5 The Preliminary Ecological Impact Assessment for Land Use Review for Kam Tin South and Pat Heung has been conducted in 2014 to examine the development potential of the Kam Tin South and Pat Heung Areas. Flora species of conservation importance included Rhododendron simsii, fauna species included Japanese Pipistrelle, Short-nosed Fruit Bat, Leopard Cat, Chinese Bullfrog, Chinese Cobra, Common Rat Snake, Imperial Eagle, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Grey-faced Buzzard, Crested Goshawk, Collared Scops Owl, Greater Coucal and Lesser Coucal, were found within the assessment area of that Study. However, only Black Kite and Collared Scops Owl were recorded within the assessment area of the current Project (Figure 7.2a).

7.5.6 A Preliminary Environmental Review (PER) for Improvement to Fan Kam Road ¡V Investigation, was conducted in 2017 to review the proposed improvement work of Fan Kam Road. Flora species of conservation importance included Aquilaria sinensis, fauna species of conservation importance included Greater Coucal, Black Kite, Little Egret, Chinese Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Red-throated Pipit, Little Ringed Plover, Comma, Hong Kong Newt and Short-nosed Fruit Bat, were recorded within the assessment area of that PER. Only Little Ringed Plover and Short-nosed Fruit Bat were recorded within the assessment area of the current Project (Figure 7.2b).

7.5.7 According to the EIA study ¡§AEIAR-139/2009 Upgrading of Remaining Sections of Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road¡¨, two tree individuals of Aquilaria sinensis, regarded as species of conservation importance, were recorded within the current Project Boundary (Figure 7.2d & Figure 7.2e).

7.5.8 According to the abovementioned EIA study, three bird species (Crested Goshawk, Orange-bellied Leafbird and Rufous-capped Babbler), one amphibian species (Hong Kong Newt), two butterfly species (Golden Birdwing and Plain Hedge Blue) and one mammal species (Short-nosed Fruit Bat), of conservation importance, were recorded within the 500m assessment area of that Project but outside the Project Boundary of the current Project. Exact locations of these fauna species of conservation importance were not provided.

7.5.9 According to the EIA study ¡§AEIAR-143/2009 Hong Kong Section of Guangzhou ¡V Shenzhen ¡V Hong Kong Express Rail Link¡¨ (XRL Study), the assessment area of Shek Kong and Kam Tin Area covered part of the assessment area of the current Project. Twelve bird species of conservation importance were recorded in the XRL Study and two of them (Chinese Pond Heron and Wood Sandpiper) fell within the assessment area of the current Project (Figure 7.2b). The study stated that the watercourses within the Shek Kong and Kam Tin Area which fall within the assessment area of the current Project were of typically low water quality, with domestic effluent and pollution. The species encountered in these waters are typified as pollution tolerant species (Chironomidae and Oligochaeta) and a locally common waterbird (Chinese Pond Heron). The mitigation wetlands for the Kam Tin Bypass projects were of higher quality, these mitigation wetlands were especially important for the use of Greater Painted-snipe. However, the Greater Painted-snipe was recorded in the XRL Study but outside the assessment area of the current Project.

7.5.10 According to the data collected in the territory-wide long-term monitoring survey on major taxon groups undertaken by AFCD from 2002 to 2018, a total of 61 species including 11 mammals, 29 birds, 8 amphibians, 6 reptiles, 1 butterfly, 2 dragonflies, and 4 fish were recorded within the 500m assessment area of the current Project. Although some of them are considered species of conservation importance, such as Short-nosed Fruit Bat, East Asian Porcupine, Small-toothed Ferret Badger, Red Muntjac, Chinese Noctule, Masked Palm Civet and Leopard Cat, they are not likely recorded within the present Project Boundary which is highly disturbed. While some of the herpetofauna of conservation importance such as Hong Kong Cascade Frog, Chinese Bullfrog, Brown Wood Frog, Big-headed Frog, Short-legged Toad, Hong Kong Newt and Mountain Water Snake recorded by AFCD inhabit in or in the vicinity of the natural watercourses within the current assessment area, but exact locations of these species of conservation importance were not provided. Bird species of conservation importance including Greater Painted-snipe, Chinese Grosbeak and Grey-chinned Minivet were recorded within the assessment area of the current Project by AFCD, but their exact locations were not provided.

7.5.11 According to the recorded in KFBG, a total of 177 bird species were recorded from 1995 to 2005, of which only 53 species were recorded in the lower part of KFBG located at the eastern end of the current Project Boundary. Among the 53 species, most of them are resident species and are abundant in KFBG, and a few records of common winter visitors and common passage migrants. However, some scarce visitor bird species, such as Eurasian Woodcock were also recorded in the lower part of KFBG. Their exact locations were not provided.

7.5.12 Fifty-six species of herpetofauna were recorded in KFBG from 1995 to 2005, some of them are of conservation importance such as Hong Kong Newt, Hong Kong Cascade Frog, Romer¡¦s Tree Frog Big-headed Terrapin, Chinese Cobra, King Cobra and Banded Krait. Most of them were found in the middle or upper part of KFBG which is far from the Project Boundary. Mountain wolf snake and Chinese water snake were found in the lower part of KFBG from 2005 to 2006.

7.5.13 There were 23 mammal species recorded from 1995 to 2005 in KFBG, some of them are of conservation importance including Leopard cat, bats, primates, Chinese Pangolin, porcupine, squirrels, mongooses, civet and Reeves¡¦ Muntjac. Species richness was found highest in the middle part of KFBG which is away from the Project Boundary. A camera trapping and droppings study conducted from 2007 to mid 2008 in KFBG suggests that mammals in larger size including East Asia Porcupine, Masked Palm Civet, Small Indian Civet, Leopard Car, Rhesus Macaque, Eurasian Wild Pig and Red Muntjac occur at the upper level of KFBG which is far away from the Project Boundary. Besides, a rare Yellow-bellied weasel was recorded near KFBG lower stream area in 2006. Exact locations of these species of conservation importance were not provided.

Ecological Survey Results

7.5.14 Habitat and Vegetation: Habitats within the assessment area included shrubland/grassland, secondary woodland, artificial wetland, agricultural land, urbanized/disturbed area (including roadside plantation) and watercourse (Figure 7.2 and Table 7.2). Photos of habitats are shown in Figure 7.3.

Table 7.2 Habitats recorded within the assessment area

	500m Assessment Area		Within Project Boundary
Habitat	Size (ha)	Percentage (%)	Size (ha)
Shrubland/Grassland	59.9	9.2	Nil
Secondary woodland	155.1	24	5.44
Artificial wetland	0.83	0.1	Nil
Agricultural land	51.2	7.9	0.596
Urbanized / disturbed area (including roadside plantation)	364.3	56.3	6.2
Watercourse	16 (14,100 m in length)	2.5	0.187 (310m in length)

Vegetation

7.5.15 A total of 183 plant species were recorded within the assessment area, 75 of which were native species (Appendix 7.1). Among the plant 183 plant species, 92 of them were recorded within the Project Boundary. Two species of conservation importance were recorded: Aquilaria sinensis, Cibotium barometz (Figure 7.3). Aquilaria sinensis was recorded in secondary woodland inside (i.e. few seedlings and a sapling) and outside (i.e. tree) the Project Boundary, while Cibotium barometz was recorded in the secondary woodland outside the Project Boundary. (Figure 7.2). Summary of their conservation information are presented in Table 7.9.

7.5.16 As most of the works area was within urbanized /disturbed area, plants recorded were mainly roadside trees and ruderal vegetation, including weeds and some exotic species. The most common plant species were plantation tree Acacia confusa, Ficus microcarpa, Macaranga tanarius var. tomentosa, and Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. Cumingiana. However, the two individuals of Aquilaria sinensis recorded from EIA study AEIAR-139/2009 were not found in the current ecological survey.

Habitat

7.5.17 Shrubland/grassland, especially on the high ground of nearby mountains located in the north-eastern part of the assessment area. Species recorded were typical of its kind including Bidens alba, Microstegium ciliatum, Pueraria phaseoloides. No flora species of conservation importance were recorded in shrubland/grassland.

7.5.18 Secondary woodlands were mostly located in the hillside of the eastern part of assessment area, mainly composed of native trees including Bambusa textilis and Bridelia tomentosa. Species of conservation importance included Cibotium barometz and Aquilaria sinensis were recorded in the secondary woodland (Figure 7.2). A few seedlings and a sapling of Aquilaria sinensis were recorded in the secondary woodland within the Project Boundary (Figure 7.2). Evaluation of the conservation importance is shown in Table 7.9.

7.5.19 A small area of the assessment area located along the northern boundary of the Kam Tin Bypass alignment belongs to artificial wetland. It serves as ecological compensation for the Kam Tin Bypass project. The wetland consisted of some ornamental roadside tree plantings and common weedy herbaceous species such as Bidens alba and Panicum maximum.

7.5.20 Agricultural land was scattered in the assessment area. The agricultural land was dominated by remnants of orchards and small-scale gardens interspersed with village houses. Dominant vegetation types on cultivated land generally include fruit tree species Clausena lansium, Dimocarpus longan, Litchi chinensis and Mangifera indica and ornamental tree species such as Michelia x alba adjacent to village houses and alongside footpaths.

7.5.21 Much of the agricultural land on the north-western side within the assessment area was dominated by abandoned fields / cultivation interspersed within remnants of open storage. Vegetation of these abandoned fields is dominated by weedy herbaceous species.

7.5.22 Urbanized / disturbed area (including roadside plantation) consisted mainly of roads, parks, village houses, open storage, construction sites and wasteland. Dominant vegetation types include common weedy species in wasteland and along roadside, ornamental plantings adjacent to village houses and alongside Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road. The most common roadside tree plantings include the native tree Celtis sinensis, and exotic tree species Casuarina equisetifolia and Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. cumingiana, Acacia confusa. All the roadside planting species within the assessment area are widely planted locally.

7.5.23 Watercourse sections near the urban area were channelized or culverted (i.e. F2 and F4), and some of them (i.e. F3 and F5) were semi-natural but with poor water quality as there were sewerage directly discharged from the villages nearby, some landscape species such as Duranta repens ¡¥Variegata¡¦, Ixora chinensis and Murraya paniculata were recorded along the bank. The semi-natural watercourse near F1 is a meander for the Main Drainage Channels for Ngau Tam Mei, Yuen Long and Kam Tin. The watercourse for sampling point F6 was a seasonal semi-natural watercourse, which dried up in the dry season. There are some squatter structures adjacent to the watercourse which may affect the water quality of the watercourse. The watercourse section located uphill (i.e. F7 of aquatic sampling location shown in Figure 7.1) was semi-natural and undisturbed except at the junction to catchwater where the channel sections were paved.

Wildlife

7.5.24 Bird: Thirty seven species of bird were recorded within the assessment area, only eleven of them were recorded within the Project Boundary (Appendix 7.2). Among the 37 species, nine of them are of conservation importance, including Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Black Kite Milvus migrans, Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus, Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus, Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius, Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia and White-shouldered Starling Sturnia sinensis. Most of the species were recorded outside the Project Boundary except Chinese Pond Heron, Little Egret and Little Ringed Plover (Figure 7.2b). Summary of their conservation information are presented in Table 7.10. No nocturnal birds such as owls and nightjars were recorded during the night survey.

7.5.25 Butterfly: Twenty one butterfly species were recorded within the assessment area, only three of them were recorded within the Project Boundary (Appendix 7.3). Apart from Small Cabbage White Pieris rapae, none of the recorded species was considered of conservation importance. Small Cabbage White was recorded in the shrubland/ grassland outside the Project Boundary. Summary of the conservation information are presented in Table 7.10.

7.5.26 Dragonfly: Six dragonfly species were recorded within the assessment area, only one of them was recorded within the Project Boundary (Appendix 7.4). None of the recorded species was considered of conservation importance.

7.5.27 Herpetofauna: Five species of reptile were recorded within the assessment area during day-time survey, none of them was recorded within the Project Boundary (Appendix 7.5). Among the five species of reptiles, three of them were recorded in the watercourse. None of the recorded species was considered of conservation importance.

7.5.28 Eleven species of amphibian were recorded within the assessment area, and most were recorded during the night survey in the watercourses, no amphibian was recorded within the Project Boundary (Appendix 7.5). Among the recorded amphibians, Hong Kong Cascade Frog Amolops hongkongensis (Figure 7.3), Brown Wood Frog Rana latouchii, Chinese Bullfrog Hoplobatrachus chinensis (Figure 7.3) and Hong Kong Newt Paramesotriton hongkongensis (Figure 7.3) are of conservation importance. These four species were recorded at the same semi-natural watercourse (i.e. sampling point F7) outside the Project Boundary (Figure 7.2e). Summary of their conservation information are presented in Table 7.10. Short-legged Toad, a species of conservation importance, was recorded in the watercourse for sampling point F6 by AFCD in 2019 (unpublished data) but its exact location was not provided. Summary of their conservation information are presented in Table 7.10.

7.5.29 Terrestrial Mammal: Five mammal species were recorded within the assessment area but none was recorded within the Project Boundary (Appendix 7.6). Among them, Japanese Pipistrelle Pipistrellus abramus, Short-nosed Fruit Bat Cynopterus sphinx and Pallas¡¦s Squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus are of conservation importance. All these species were recorded outside the Project Boundary (Figure 7.2). Summary of their conservation information are presented in Table 7.10.

7.5.30 Freshwater Community: A total of 16 freshwater fauna were recorded within the 7 sampling locations (F1 to F7) of the assessment area (Appendix 7.7). They included fish, mollusk, crustaceans and insects. Diversity of freshwater fauna was low in all the sampling locations. All species recorded in the surveys are common and widespread in Hong Kong No species of conservation importance was recorded.

7.6 Evaluation of Habitats and Species of Conservation Importance

Evaluation of Habitats

7.6.1 The ecological importance of the habitats within the assessment area was evaluated in accordance with the criteria stipulated in Annex 8 of EIAO-TM (Tables 7.3 to 7.8).

Table 7.3 Evaluation of shrubland/grassland within the assessment area

Criterion	Description
Naturalness	Fairly natural
Size	59.9 ha
Diversity	Very low flora diversity. Low diversity of bird and butterfly.
Rarity	None for flora Fauna species of conservation importance include Chinese Pond Heron, Small Cabbage White and Japanese Pipistrelle
Re-creatability	Easy to recreate
Fragmentation	Not fragmented
Ecological linkage	Linked to woodland habitats
Potential value	Limited
Nursery/breeding ground	Not observed. Can provide breeding habitats for birds, butterflies and reptiles
Age	N/A
Abundance/richness of wildlife	Low abundance of bird and butterfly.
Overall ecological value	Low

Table 7.4 Evaluation of secondary woodland within the assessment area

Criterion	Description
Naturalness	Semi-natural habitat, consisting of a mixture of native tree species, exotic and/or orchard species. Part of the secondary woodland are within Lam Tsuen Country Park.
Size	155.1 ha
Diversity	Low to moderate diversity for plants. Low diversity of bird and butterfly. Secondary woodland of the Lam Tsuen Country Park supports diverse birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects.
Rarity	Secondary woodland outside the Lam Tsuen Country Park: Flora species of conservation importance include Aquilaria sinensis and Cibotium barometz. Fauna species of conservation importance include Black Kite and Eastern Buzzard. Species of conservation importance like Chinese Pangolin, Chinese Ferret Badger and Chinese Leopard Cat in Lam Tsuen Country Park.
Re-creatability	Feasible, but the more mature the woodland, the longer time required for compensation/re-creation.
Fragmentation	Isolated stands along ravine, catchwater and foothills
Ecological linkage	Linked to the secondary woodland of Lam Tsuen Country Park and Tai Mo Shan Country Park
Potential value	Moderate if protected from anthropogenic disturbance or destruction
Nursery/breeding ground	Not observed. Can provide breeding habitats for mammals, birds, reptiles and butterfly.
Age	Mature
Abundance/richness of wildlife	Low abundance of bird and butterfly.
Overall ecological value	Moderate for secondary woodland outside the Lam Tsuen Country Park Moderate to high for the secondary woodland within the Lam Tsuen Country Park

Table 7.5 Evaluation of artificial wetland within the assessment area

Criterion	Description
Naturalness	Man-made
Size	0.83 ha
Diversity	Low diversity for plants. Low diversity of bird and butterfly.
Rarity	None for flora. Fauna species of conservation importance include Chinese Pond Heron, Grey Heron and Little Egret.
Re-creatability	Feasible
Fragmentation	Linked to Kam Tin River channels of relatively low species diversity
Ecological linkage	Linked to Kam Tin River channels of relatively low species diversity
Potential value	Potential for habitat enhancement through habitat management
Nursery/breeding ground	Not observed. Can provide nursery/breeding habitats for birds, dragonflies and herpetofauna.
Age	~20 years
Abundance/richness of wildlife	Low abundance of fauna.
Overall ecological value	Low to moderate

Table 7.6 Evaluation of agricultural land within the assessment area

Criterion	Description
Naturalness	Man-made
Size	51.2 ha
Diversity	Low flora diversity Very low diversity of bird and butterfly.
Rarity	None for flora and fauna
Re-creatability	Easy to re-create
Fragmentation	Fragmented, subject to abandonment
Ecological linkage	Not functionally linked to habitats of conservation importance.
Potential value	Might develop into semi-natural habitats if given enough time, but limited by small size, fragmentation and disturbance
Nursery/breeding ground	Not observed
Age	N/A
Abundance/richness of wildlife	Low abundance of bird and butterfly.
Overall ecological value	Low

Table 7.7 Evaluation of urbanized/disturbed area (including roadside plantation) within the assessment area

Criterion	Description
Naturalness	Man-made
Size	364.3 ha
Diversity	Low to moderate flora diversity Low diversity of bird and very low diversity of butterfly.
Rarity	Flora species of conservation importance include Aquilaria sinensis (from literature review) Fauna species of conservation importance include Black Kite (soaring), Grey Heron, White-shouldered Starling, Japanese Pipistrelle, Short-nosed Fruit Bat and Pallas¡¦s Squirrel.
Re-creatability	Easy to re-create
Fragmentation	N/A
Ecological linkage	Not functionally linked to habitats of conservation importance.
Potential value	Very low
Nursery/breeding ground	Not observed
Age	N/A
Abundance/richness of wildlife	Low abundance of bird and butterfly.
Overall ecological value	Low

Table 7.8 Evaluation of watercourse within the assessment area

Criterion	Description
Naturalness	Some were channelized/culverted in urban area (i.e. F2 and F4) and some were semi-natural but with poor water quality (i.e. F3 and F5). The semi-natural watercourse near F1 is a meander for the Main Drainage Channels for Ngau Tam Mei, Yuen Long and Kam Tin. Watercourse of F6 was semi-natural with fair water quality while watercourse of F7 was semi-natural and undisturbed.
Size	16 ha (14,100m in length)
Diversity	Low diversity of plant. Low diversity for bird, dragonfly and aquatic fauna, very low diversity for butterfly, and low to moderate for amphibians.
Rarity	None for flora. Fauna species of conservation importance included Chinese Pond Heron, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Northern Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper (from literature review), Hong Kong Cascade Frog, Brown Wood Frog, Chinese Bullfrog and Hong Kong Newt and Short-legged Toad (AFCD¡¦s unpublished data).
Re-creatability	Semi-natural section difficult to re-create, channelized sections easy to recreate
Fragmentation	Stream habitat fragmented by the channelized section and the underground culvert, but the watercourse at uphill sections are mostly not fragmented.
Ecological linkage	Uphill sections of watercourse linked to secondary woodland
Potential value	Low for channelized/culverted and semi-natural sections, high for the uphill sections
Nursery/breeding ground	Nursery/breeding ground for aquatic life such as native fish, herpetofauna and invertebrate species
Age	N/A
Abundance/richness of wildlife	Low for aquatic fauna and dragonfly for all natural, semi-natural and channelized/culverted sections.
Overall ecological value	Low for channelized/culverted (F4) and semi-natural sections with poor water quality(F3 & F5); low to moderate for channelized F2 and semi-natural F1, F6 and F7

Evaluation of Species of Conservation Importance

7.6.2 In accordance with Table 3, Annex 8 of the EIAO-TM, the ecological value of species was assessed in terms of protection status (e.g. fauna protected under the Wild Animal Protection Ordinance (WAPO) (Cap. 170) (except birds), and flora and fauna protected under regional/global legislation/conventions), species distribution (e.g. endemic), and rarity (e.g. rare or restricted). Flora and fauna of conservation importance recorded within the assessment area are evaluated according to the EIAO-TM in Table 7.9 and Table 7.10, respectively.

Table 7.9 Evaluation of flora species of conservation importance

Species	Protection/ China Red Data Book	Locations/ Habitats Recorded in Assessment Area	Rarity/HK Status (Corlett et al. 2000)
Aquilaria sinensis (Incense Tree)	Cap. 586; Listed in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong (Status in China: Near Threatened); Listed in China Plant Red Data Book; Category II protected species in China	Secondary woodland inside and outside Project Boundary; two more individuals were recorded within the Project Boundary (urbanized/disturbed area) from reviewed literature	Common in lowland forest and fung shui woods
Cibotium barometz (Lamb of Tartary)	Cap. 586; Listed in Rare and Precious Plants of Hong Kong (Status in China: Vulnerable); Category II protected species in China	Secondary woodland outside the Project Boundary	Very common in forest and shrubland

Table 7.10 Evaluation of fauna species of conservation importance

Common names	Locations Recorded in Assessment Area	Protection status	Distribution	Rarity
Bird
Chinese Pond Heron	Shrubland / grassland, artificial wetland, watercourse inside and outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): PRC,(RC)	Common resident. Widely distributed in Hong Kong	Common resident
Grey Heron	Artificial wetland, watercourse, urbanized / disturbed outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): PRC	Found in Deep Bay area, Starling Inlet, Kowloon Park, Cape D'Aguilar.	Common Winter Visitor
Little Egret	Artificial wetland, watercourse inside and outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): PRC	Widely distributed in coastal area throughout Hong Kong	Common resident
Black Kite	Secondary woodland, urbanized / disturbed outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Class 2 Protected Animal of China; Fellowes et al. (2002): RC; Appendix 2 of CITES	Widely distributed in Hong Kong	Common resident and winter visitor
Eastern Buzzard	Secondary woodland outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Class 2 Protected Animal of China; Appendix 2 of CITES	Widely distributed in Hong Kong	Common winter visitor
Northern Lapwing	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): LC IUCN Red List: Near Threaten	Found in Mai Po, Long Valley, Chek Lap Kok, Ho Chung, Tai Long Wan, Tai Po, Castle Peak coast.	Scarce Winter Visitor
Little Ringed Plover	Watercourse inside and outside (from literature review) the Project Boundary	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): LC	Widely distributed in freshwater areas throughout Hong Kong.	Common Winter Visitor and Passage Migrant
Common Greenshank	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): RC	Found in Deep Bay Area	Abundant Passage Migrant and Winter Visitor
Wood Sandpiper	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary (from literature review)	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): RC	Widely distributed in wetland area throughout Hong Kong.	Common passage migrant and winter visitor.
White- shouldered Starling	Urbanized / disturbed outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): LC	Found in Kam Tin, Deep Bay Area, Po Toi Island, Long Valley, Victoria Park, Ho Chung, Ma Tso Lung, Mui Wo, Lam Tsuen Valley.	Common Passage Migrant
Butterfly
Small Cabbage White	Shrubland / grassland outside the Project Boundary	Not protected	Shep Mun Kap, Fan Lau, Ngong Ping, Kam Tin, Ho Chung, Luk Keng, Tuen Mun Ash Lagoon.	Rare
Amphibian
Hong Kong Cascade Frog	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary	Protected under WAPO; Fellowes et al. (2002): PGC; IUCN: Endangered	Found in the New Territories and Hong Kong Island but absent on Lantau Island and outlying islands.	Widely distributed in mountain streams in Hong Kong
Brown Wood Frog	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary	Fellowes et al. (2002): LC	Distributed in woodlands in Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve, Shing Mun Country Park, Tai Mo Shan Country Park, Sai Kung West Country Park and Clear Water Bay Peninsula.	Locally common within several protected areas in the New Territories
Chinese Bullfrog	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary	Class 2 Protected Animal of China; Fellowes et al. (2002): PRC	Recorded from many localities in the New Territories and Lantau Island.	Widely distributed in Lantau Island and the New Territories
Hong Kong Newt	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary	Protected under WAPO; ranked as ¡§near-threatened¡¨ in IUCN and considered of ¡§potential global concern¡¨ by Fellowes et al. (2002).	Common in the Central, Eastern and Northern New Territories.	Widely distributed in mountain streams throughout the New Territories, Lantau Island and Hong Kong Island
Short-legged Toad	Watercourse outside the Project Boundary (AFCD¡¦s unpublished data)	Fellowes et al. (2002): PGC IUCN Red List: Endangered	Common and widespread on Hong Kong Island. Also reported from a few localities in the New Territories such as Lam Tsuen and Ho Chung, as well as Ngong Ping and Sunset Peak on Lautau Island.	Widely distributed in upland forest streams throughout Hong Kong.
Mammal
Japanese Pipistrelle	Shrubland / grassland, Urbanized / disturbed outside the Project Boundary	WAPO	Widely distributed throughout Hong Kong.	Very common
Short-nosed Fruit Bat	Urbanized / disturbed outside the Project Boundary	WAPO; China Red Data Book: Indeterminate	Widely distributed in urban and forested areas throughout Hong Kong.	Very common
Pallas¡¦s Squirrel	Urbanized / disturbed outside the Project Boundary	WAPO	Widely distributed in Hong Kong	Common

Level of concern: LC = local concern, PRC = potential regional concern, RC = regional concern, PGC = potential global concern, GC = global concern; Letters in parentheses indicate that the assessment is on the basis of restrictedness in breeding and/or roosting sites rather than in general occurrence (Fellowes et al.2002)

7.7 Impact Identification and Evaluation

7.7.1 Construction activities for the Project may include the following works elements:

(a) Site Clearance & Utility Diversion;

(b) Road Upgrading Works (Backfill and reinstatement works);

(c) Street Furniture & Soft Landscape Works;

(d) Excavation and Lateral Support (ELS) Works (Sheet piling and excavation works);

(e) Foundation and Substructure Works (Rebar fixing and concreting works);

(f) Geotechnical Works (Soil nail works); and

(g) Construction of Superstructure Works (Noise mitigation works), if necessary.

Construction Phase ¡V Direct Impact

Habitat loss

7.7.2 The majority of the proposed works under the Project will be located in the existing roads and the surrounding roadside plantation, hence resulting in only limited areas of habitat loss, arising from the works areas of the Project. However, the construction works would unavoidably result in permanent loss of some areas of watercourses, secondary woodland, agricultural land and urbanized / disturbed area including roadside plantation. Temporary works area of the Project will result in temporary loss of the abovementioned habitats (Table 7.11). Urbanized / disturbed area with roadside plantation will be the major habitat to be lost due to the proposed works. Some works including rehabilitation of gabion wall (near sampling point F1), and extension of existing box culvert will be conducted in two watercourses within the Project Boundary (i.e. near sampling points F5 and F6) (see Chapter 2). The watercourse for sampling point F5 was semi-natural with poor water quality and of low ecological value. The seasonal semi-natural watercourse for sampling point F6 is ranked as low to moderate ecological value. Loss of small sections of the above two watercourses is unavoidable. Rehabilitation of gabion wall will be carried out at the meander near sampling point F1, but will not encroach into the existing river bed of the meander. Some riparian vegetation near the old gabion wall will be affected. Given that only a small section of semi-natural watercourses (i.e. 90m) and some riparian vegetation of the meander would be affected and permanently lost, the impact due to loss of watercourses is considered as minor. Considering the agricultural land is man-made and with low ecological value, the direct impact due to habitat loss is considered insignificant. Direct impact due to habitat loss of urbanized/disturbed area (including roadside plantation) is considered as minor. Although the secondary woodland is of moderate ecological value, only a small area of woodland edge (i.e. 3,840 m²) will be permanently lost. As such, the direct habitat loss of secondary woodland is considered as minor. A summary of habitat loss is provided in Table 7.11. Temporary works area is shown in Figure 7.2.

Table 7.11 Estimated habitat loss

Area (m^2)	Temporary	Permanent
Watercourse	69 (17 m in length)	804 (90 m in length)
Secondary woodland	360	3,840
Agricultural land	420	600
Urbanized / disturbed area (including roadside plantation)	99,200	8,800
Total	100,049	14,044

Fragmentation of natural habitats

7.7.3 Loss of habitats would arise from the construction of the proposed works. However, due to the nature of works along the existing roads, no adverse ecological impact is anticipated from habitat fragmentation upon the proposed works.

7.7.4 It is anticipated that there will be no diversion and fragmentation of the watercourses as only gabion wall will be rehabilitated in one of the watercourses, connectivity of the watercourse will not be affected. Hence, no fragmentation of watercourses is expected.

Recognized sites of conservation importance

7.7.5 Recognized sites of conservation importance within the assessment area include Conservation Areas, Lam Tsuen Country Park and Pat Heung Temple FSW. Given the distance between Lam Tsuen Country Park (about 300m uphill), FSW (about 150m separated by agricultural land and urbanized/disturbed area) and the Project, the country park and the FSW will not be affected directly.

7.7.6 However, four areas that of the Conservation Area will be encroached upon by the proposed works (Figure 2.1). Detailed information of the works within the Conservation Area are stated in Chapter 2. In gist, the works include construction of retaining wall, reconstruction and widening of existing footpath and carriageway, geotechnical works such as soil nailing of existing slopes after cut-back, extension of box culvert, and filling of slope.

7.7.7 The reconstruction and widening of existing footpath and carriageway are not arising from change of road alignment, and the existing slopes will be cut-back for reconstruction and widening of existing footpath and carriageway. Besides, the potential encroachment to Conservation Area due to the proposed works will be limited only to shotcreted slopes with common roadside tress, mixed woodland edge and slopes covered with herbaceous plants with a few common trees and shrubs, which have relatively low ecological values. Hence, the ecological impacts to the Conservation Area are regarded as minor.

Species of conservation importance

7.7.8 Although some flora and fauna species of conservation importance were recorded within the assessment area, most of them were not recorded within the Project Boundary, except a few seedlings and a sapling of Aquilaria sinensis recorded from the current Project and the two individuals of Aquilaria sinensis from reviewed literature (but not recorded in the current Project), as well as some bird species of conservation importance (i.e. Chinese Pond Heron, Little Egret and Little Ringed Plover) recorded in the watercourse within the Project Boundary. In fact, the bird species of conservation importance recorded in the watercourse within the Project Boundary are mobile species, direct impacts to them are not expected. Given that protection measures shall be implemented to avoid any possible construction impacts upon the Aquilaria sinensis located next to the existing road during construction works, direct impacts to the Aquilaria sinensis are considered minor.

Construction Phase ¡V Indirect Impact

Disturbance from construction activities

7.7.9 Indirect impacts on the habitats and associated fauna would arise from the increase in human disturbance during the construction phase. Construction activities would increase human activities and noise disturbance from traffic and construction machinery, and would bring about indirect impacts to nearby habitats and their associated fauna. Potential impacts include decrease of animal usage in habitats in the vicinity of the works areas, and subsequent decrease in wildlife density.

7.7.10 Sites of conservation importance identified within the assessment area include Conservation Area, Lam Tsuen Country Park and Pat Heung Temple FSW. Given Lam Tsuen Country Park and the FSW are located about 300m and 150m from the proposed works respectively , no significant disturbance impacts to the country park and the FSW are anticipated.

7.7.11 While indirect impacts to the Conservation Area may arise from the air quality impact (dust generated from construction), increase in human disturbance such as noise and glare/lighting (but no construction activities will be conducted at night-time). The parts of Conservation Area being affected are situated next to existing vehicle roads, the organisms there are already habituated to the disturbed environment. Hence, the indirect impacts to the Conservation Area are considered as minor.

Impact on water quality of watercourse

7.7.12 Potential water quality impacts induced from the proposed works are identified in the Water Quality Impact Assessment (Chapter 5). Key water pollution sources include:

• Surface runoff from rainfall and wind erosion of exposed surface areas, and material stockpiles and vehicle wheel washing facilities;

• Wash water from dust suppression measures;

• Spillage of chemicals, lubrication oils, solvent and petroleum products; and

• Sewage from the construction workforce.

7.7.13 During the construction phase, watercourses near the works areas would potentially be impacted by surface runoff, especially during rainstorm. The surface runoff might be polluted by soil and debris from exposed earth and stockpiles, wash water from dust suppression sprays and wheel washing facilities, chemicals spillage such as lubrication oils, solvents and petroleum products from maintenance of construction machinery and equipment, and sewage from the construction workforce.

7.7.14 Elevated suspended solids levels caused by site runoff could increase the suspended solids load in the water bodies, and could decrease dissolved oxygen levels. A lower oxygen level would affect stationary species, whilst mobile species would tend to temporarily avoid the area. The result could be a temporary reduction in aquatic life abundance and/or change in distribution. Except the watercourses near F1, F2 and F6 are of low to moderate ecological value, the watercourses across or near the Project Boundary are mostly channelized or semi-natural with poor water quality and are ranked as low ecological value, and low diversity and abundance of aquatic life were found. The section of watercourse in the uphill (i.e. near F7) would not be affected. The potential impacts due to runoff to watercourse are considered minor if no specific mitigation measures are provided to the watercourses near the Project Boundary.

Evaluation of Ecological Impacts

7.7.15 Potential ecological impacts (unmitigated) to habitats in the assessment area resulting from the Project during construction phase have been evaluated in accordance with Table 1 of Annex 8 of the EIAO-TM, and are summarized in Table 7.12 to Table 7.17.

Table 7.12 Evaluation of unmitigated ecological impacts to shrubland/grassland during construction phase

Criteria / Habitat	Shrubland/grassland
Habitat quality	Low
Species	Very low flora diversity. Low diversity of bird and butterfly. Fauna species of conservation importance include Chinese Pond Heron, Small Cabbage White and Japanese Pipistrelle.
Size/abundance	No direct impact to shrubland/grassland. Indirect impact to nearby shrubland/grassland due to disturbance from construction activities and increased human activities.
Duration	Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be temporary.
Reversibility	Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be reversible.
Magnitude	No direct impact. Low disturbance impact during construction phase.
Overall Impact Evaluation	Insignificant

Table 7.13 Evaluation of unmitigated ecological impacts to secondary woodland during construction phase

Criteria / Habitat	Secondary woodland
Habitat quality	Moderate for secondary woodland outside the Lam Tsuen Country Park Moderate to high for the secondary woodland within the Lam Tsuen Country Park
Species	Secondary woodland outside the Lam Tsuen Country Park: Low to moderate diversity of flora and low diversity of bird and butterfly. Flora species of conservation importance include Aquilaria sinensis and Cibotium barometz. Fauna species of conservation importance include Black Kite and Eastern Buzzard. Secondary woodland of the Lam Tsuen Country Park supports diverse birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects including species of conservation importance like Chinese Pangolin, Chinese Ferret Badger and Chinese Leopard Cat.
Size/abundance	Temporary habitat loss of 360 m^2 and permanent habitat loss of 3840 m^2. Indirect impact to nearby secondary woodland due to disturbance from construction activities and increased human activities.
Duration	Direct habitat loss of secondary woodland would be permanent while construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be temporary.
Reversibility	Habitat loss within the upgrading section would be irreversible. Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increase human activities would be reversible.
Magnitude	Low disturbance impact during construction phase.
Overall Impact Evaluation	Both direct and indirect impacts are minor as it is small in size and located in the woodland edge.

Table 7.14 Evaluation of unmitigated ecological impacts to artificial wetland during construction phase

Criteria / Habitat	Artificial wetland
Habitat quality	Low to moderate
Species	Low diversity for plants. Low diversity of bird and butterfly. Fauna species of conservation importance include Chinese Pond Heron, Grey Heron and Little Egret.
Size/abundance	No direct impact to artificial wetland. Indirect impact to artificial wetland due to disturbance from construction activities and increased human activities is not anticipated.
Duration	Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be temporary, if any.
Reversibility	Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be reversible, if any.
Magnitude	No direct impact. Insignificant disturbance impact during construction phase.
Overall Impact Evaluation	Insignificant

Table 7.15 Evaluation of unmitigated ecological impacts to agricultural land during construction phase

Criteria / Habitat	Agricultural land
Habitat quality	Low
Species	Low flora diversity and very low fauna diversity. No species of conservation importance was recorded.
Size/abundance	Temporary habitat loss of 420 m^2 and permanent habitat loss of 600 m^2. Indirect impact to nearby agricultural land due to disturbance from construction activities and increased human activities.
Duration	Habitat loss within the Project Boundary of the road upgrading section would be permanent; while the habitat loss due to temporary works would be temporary. Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be temporary.
Reversibility	Habitat loss within the upgrading section would be irreversible. Habitat loss due to temporary works would be reversible. Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be reversible.
Magnitude	Small area of agricultural land would be permanently lost. Low disturbance impacts during construction phase.
Overall Impact Evaluation	Insignificant as it is a man-made habitat with low ecological value, small in size and subject to high levels of disturbance

Table 7.16 Evaluation of unmitigated ecological impacts to urbanized/disturbed area (including roadside plantation) during construction phase

Criteria / Habitat	Urbanized/disturbed area (including roadside plantation)
Habitat quality	Low
Species	Low flora diversity and very low to low fauna diversity. Fauna species of conservation importance include Black Kite (soaring), Grey Heron, White-shouldered Starling, Japanese Pipistrelle, Short-nosed Fruit Bat and Pallas¡¦s Squirrel.
Size/abundance	Temporary habitat loss of 99200 m^2 and permanent habitat loss of 8800m^2. Indirect impact to nearby urbanized/disturbed area due to disturbance from construction activities and increased human activities.
Duration	Temporary habitat loss during construction phase, while permanent habitat loss will be permanent. Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be temporary.
Reversibility	Permanent habitat loss would be irreversible. Construction phase indirect impact due to disturbance and increased human activities would be reversible.
Magnitude	Low
Overall Impact Evaluation	Minor

Table 7.17 Evaluation of unmitigated ecological impacts to watercourse

Criteria / Habitat	Watercourse
Habitat quality	Low for channelized/culverted (F4) and semi-natural sections (F3 & F5) with poor water quality; low to moderate for channelized F2 and semi-natural sections (F1, F6 and F7)
Species	Low diversity of plant. Low diversity for bird and dragonfly, very low diversity for butterfly, and low to moderate for herpetofauna. Fauna species of conservation importance included Chinese Pond Heron, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Northern Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Hong Kong Cascade Frog, Brown Wood Frog, Chinese Bullfrog and Hong Kong Newt and Short-legged Toad.
Size/abundance	Temporary habitat loss of 69 m^2 (17m in length) and permanent habitat loss of 804 m^2 (90m in length). Indirect impact to watercourse due to surface runoff.
Duration	Construction phase indirect impact due to surface runoff would be temporary, while permanent habitat loss will be permanent.
Reversibility	Permanent habitat loss would be irreversible. Construction phase indirect impact due to surface runoff would be reversible.
Magnitude	Minor disturbance impact during construction phase.
Overall Impact Evaluation	Minor given the small sections of watercourses to be lost.

7.7.16 Due to the scale of the Project and the existing environment in the vicinity of the Project, the overall ecological impacts during construction phase are considered as minor.

Operation Phase ¡V Direct Impact

7.7.17 No additional land would be lost during operation phase. Hence, no further habitat loss is anticipated during the operation phase. As no increased traffic is expected during operation phase, no increased direct mortality of fauna due to road-kill is anticipated.

Operation Phase ¡V Indirect Impact

7.7.18 Operation phase disturbance impacts of the Project to terrestrial ecological resources would largely be restricted to noise and lighting from the upgraded roads. Road traffic is the noise source to wildlife during operation phase. Due to close proximity to existing road traffic and the existing level of disturbance along roadside, wildlife use preference is given in areas more remote from the roadside. Besides, traffic noise and light glare from the operation phase will not change significantly from existing conditions. Therefore, the operation phase indirect impact is considered as minor in scale, as the habitats recorded close to the proposed road alignment are mostly of low ecological value, except secondary woodland of moderate ecological value. As there will be no diversion and fragmentation of the watercourses, change in hydrology is not anticipated.

7.7.19 A total length of appropriately 847 m of noise barrier will be implanted. To reduce collision from birds, the design of noise barrier will avoid / minimise the use of transparent / reflective materials or adopt bird-friendly design on the surfaces. Given that the noise barriers of different lengths will be implanted at several locations along the carriageway, it is not envisaged there will be any barrier effect on mobile species.

7.7.20 Due to the scale of the Project and the existing environment in the vicinity of the Project, the overall ecological impacts during operation phase are considered insignificant.

7.8 Mitigation Measures

7.8.1 According to the EIAO-TM Annex 16 and EIAO Guidance Note 3/2010, ecological impacts on important habitats and the associated wildlife should be mitigated by, in order of priority, avoidance, minimization, and compensation approaches to the maximum practical extent.

Avoidance

7.8.2 Recognized sites of conservation importance within the assessment area include Conservation Area, Lam Tsuen Country Park and Pat Heung Temple FSW. Encroachment of Lam Tsuen Country Park and the FSW will not occur. However, part of the Conservation Area will be encroached due to the upgrading works which is inevitable. Encroachment on Conservation Area (s) / Ecologically Sensitive Areas have been avoided and/or minimized as far as practicable and possible during the initial design stage (see Chapter 2).

7.8.3 A few seedlings and a sapling of Aquilaria sinensis were recorded in the secondary woodland within the Project Boundary. Besides, two individuals of Aquilaria sinensis recorded from the reviewed literature were within the Project Boundary, but they were not found in the current Project. A detailed vegetation survey would be conducted within the proposed works areas as well as the Conservation Area before construction to identify any plant species of conservation importance, which should be properly protected from construction damages. If plant species of conservation importance are identified in the detailed vegetation survey, protection measures shall be implemented to avoid any possible construction impacts as far as practicable. For example, protection zone shall be implemented with adequate space and labels. No construction activities or storage shall be carried out inside the designated protection zone. A protection plan shall be prepared by an experienced botanist/ecologist to stipulate a detailed working method statement for the protection of plant species of conservation importance prior to undertaking any works. If the plant species of conservation importance cannot be avoided, transplantation should be conducted if appropriate. The plan shall be submitted before the commencement of construction works for approval.

7.8.4 With careful construction design and on-site plant protection measures, no adverse impact is anticipated on the flora species of conservation importance.

Minimization

General minimization measures

7.8.5 To minimize habitat loss to the nearby habitats and associated wildlife, the following mitigation measures should be implemented:

¡P Confining the works within the Project Boundary;

¡P Controlling access of site staff to avoid damage to the vegetation in surrounding areas;

¡P Placement of equipment or stockpile in the existing disturbed / urbanized area within the Project Boundary of the Project to minimize disturbance to vegetated areas

Reinstatement and enhancement of temporarily affected habitats

7.8.6 Minor ecological impacts may arise from the temporary loss of roadside plantation (urbanized /disturbed area), secondary woodland, agricultural land and watercourses during construction phase. In general, replanting would be implemented upon the completion of the construction works to reinstate the temporarily affected areas to condition similar to original status. Detailed number of trees loss and compensatory measures are stated in LVIA (Chapter 9). With the implementation of mitigation measure, no adverse ecological impact is anticipated from the temporary habitat loss.

Controlling of site runoff

7.8.7 During the construction phase, site runoff would need to pass through sand/silt removal facilities to reduce the concentration of suspended solid. In accordance with the Practice Note for Professional Persons on Construction Site Drainage, Environmental Protection Department, 1994 (ProPECC PN 1/94), best management practices should be implemented on site as far as practicable to control site runoff and drainage at all work sites during construction phase, so that the treated runoff will be discharged to public drainage system in compliance with the WPCO. Construction effluent, site run-off and sewage should be properly collected and/or treated. Wastewater from a construction site should be managed. Proper locations for discharge outlets of wastewater treatment facilities well away from the natural watercourses should be identified. Effluent monitoring should be incorporated to make sure that the discharged effluent from construction sites meets the effluent discharge guidelines. The best practices are detailed in the Water Quality Impact Assessment (Chapter 5). The practices outlined in ETWB TC (Works) No. 5/2005 ¡§Protection of natural streams/rivers from adverse impacts arising from construction works¡¨ should also be adopted where applicable to minimize the water quality impacts upon the channalized / semi-natural watercourses, in order to better protect the aquatic ecosystem. For example, construction works at and close to the water body should be carried out in dry season as far as practicable; the works inside or in the proximity of watercourses should be temporarily isolated by placing of cofferdam with silt curtain to prevent adverse impacts on the water quality. Detailed mitigation measures from the ETWB TC (Works) No. 5/2005 are listed in Chapter 5. The ecological impacts to the watercourses are considered insignificant with the implementation of the measures stated in WQIA (Chapter 5). However, as a precautionary measure, regular site inspection by an experienced ecologist will be conducted to make sure the aquatic ecology will not be affected by the proposed construction works.

Reducing Glare / Lighting

7.8.8 The overall reduction of glare during both construction and operation phases should be considered. A balance between lighting for safety, and avoiding excessive lighting can be achieved through the use of directional lighting to avoid light spill into sensitive areas (i.e. Conservation Area and secondary woodland).

Minimization of disturbance

7.8.9 Good site practice should be implemented to further minimize impacts from disturbance such as noise, air quality and water quality issues. The measures include:

Ÿ The use of quiet plant and EPD¡¦s Quality Powered Mechanical Equipment (QPME);

Ÿ The use of movable noise barrier;

Ÿ The use of temporary noise screening structures or purpose-built temporary noise barriers;

Ÿ Install site hoarding as temporary noise barrier where construction works are undertaken; and

Ÿ Mitigation measures stipulated in the ProPECC PN 1/94 ¡§Construction Site Drainage¡¨ should be complied to minimize water quality impact.

Need of compensation

7.8.10 Permanent loss of roadside plantation (urbanized/disturbed area), agricultural land and secondary woodland would arise from the construction works, which would include removal of vegetation at the proposed works area. Due to the small size of roadside plantation, agricultural land and secondary woodland to be encroached, as well as the species composition and ecological value of roadside plantation and the edge of secondary woodland, the severity of the loss is regarded as minor, and therefore compensation for the habitat will not be recommended.

7.8.11 Compensatory planting for the tree loss will be necessary from landscape and visual impact point of view. Detailed tree loss and compensatory planting is stated in LVIA (Chapter 9). It is recommended that native species are preferred for the purpose of compensatory planting, where list of species can be made reference to the native trees occurring in the existing similar habitat. At maturity, the compensatory planting areas would create a habitat with different layers (i.e. canopy, middle layer and understory), which promotes habitat complexity and in turn enhancing the ecological value.

7.9 Potential Cumulative Impacts

7.9.1 In order to assess the cumulative impacts, a review of best available information at the time of preparing this EcoIA to identify a number of other projects that are undergoing planning, design, construction and/or operation within the construction and/or operation period for this Study has been conducted. The potential occurrence of cumulative impacts would be mostly determined by the nature of the projects, the project scales, and the distance between the projects. The cumulative impacts were assessed based on Section 4.3.3 of the EIAO-TM.

7.9.2 The below Table 7.18 summarizes the relevancy of the concurrent projects.

Table 7.18 Potential Cumulative Ecological Impact from Concurrent Projects

Concurrent Projects	Project Proponent	Designated Project	Construction Programme	Potential Cumulative Impacts
				Construction Phase	Operation Phase
Development of Organic Resources Recovery Centre (ORRC) (Phase 3)	EPD	Yes	Tentatively scheduled to commence in 2023 and complete by 2026	Potential cumulative disturbance impacts to terrestrial habitats are anticipated. As the majority of the construction works will be constructed along the existing Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road, it would not cause significant cumulative impacts to the ecology, even the concurrent project overlaps with the boundary of the Project during construction phase.	Potential cumulative ecological impacts from road traffic are anticipated. Yet, due to the nature of existing usage of Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road, further road widening works of the Project would not cause significant impacts to the fauna during operation phase.
Site Formation and Infrastructure Works for Developments at Kam Tin South, Yuen Long - Advance Works	CEDD	No	Commenced in 2018 and tentatively scheduled to complete by 2021	No cumulative impact as only a works area of minor road junction improvement works located within 500m from the project, but the distance is around 300m away from the Project. No cumulative impacts as the overlapping period will be very short.	Potential cumulative ecological impacts from road traffic and increased human activities are anticipated. Yet, due to the nature of existing usage of Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road, further road widening works of the Project would not cause significant impacts to the fauna during operation phase.
Improvement to Fan Kam Road	HyD	No	The project is still under investigation stage and thus no construction programme is consolidated.	Potential cumulative disturbance impacts to terrestrial habitats are anticipated. As the majority of the construction works will be constructed along the existing Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road, it would not cause significant cumulative impacts to the ecology, even the concurrent project overlaps with the boundary of the Project.	Potential cumulative ecological impacts from road traffic and increased human activities are anticipated. Yet, due to the nature of existing usage of Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road, further road widening works of the Project would not cause significant impacts to the fauna during operation phase.
Kam Tin ¡V Pat Heung Sports Centre	LCSD	No	No Construction Programme available as LCSD has not engaged any parties to carry out the investigation for the project.	The cumulative impacts are not able to be taken into account as no detail information such as design, construction and operation details can be provided from the concurrent project. Nevertheless, according to ETWB TCW No. 13/2003, a PER study of this concurrent project will be conducted, and the cumulative impact will be assessed in the study.	Potential cumulative ecological impacts from road traffic and increased human activities are anticipated. Yet, due to the nature of existing usage of Kam Tin Road and Lam Kam Road, further road widening works of the Project would not cause significant impacts to the fauna during operation phase.

7.9.3 The Project only comprises of land-based construction works, land-based projects that would have their implementation/construction programmes overlapped with and close to the present Project only include Development of Organic Resources Recovery Centre (ORRC) (Phase 3) and Improvement to Fan Kam Road. The concurrent projects will pose potential cumulative disturbance impacts to terrestrial habitats during construction phase, but the present Project mainly situates on urbanized / disturbed habitat or at the edge of secondary woodland, the cumulative impacts from present project is considered as minor. While during operation phase, potential cumulative disturbance from road traffic and increased human activities is expected. Due to the nature of existing usage of the roads, further increased road traffic would not cause significant impacts to fauna during operation phase.

7.10 Residual Impacts

7.10.1 The residual ecological impacts of the Project will be the loss of habitats. The construction works would unavoidably result in permanent loss of some areas of watercourses, secondary woodland, agricultural land and urbanized / disturbed area including roadside plantation. In fact, the majority of the works area is urbanized / disturbed habitat, same habitat type (urbanized/disturbed habitat) will be recreated after construction. Hence, the residual impacts for the majority of the works area are temporary.

7.10.2 The concurrent projects will pose potential cumulative disturbance impacts to terrestrial habitats during construction phase, but the Project mainly situates on urbanized / disturbed area with roadside plantation, the cumulative impacts from Project is considered as minor. While during operation phase, potential cumulative disturbance from road traffic is expected. Due to the nature of existing usage of the roads, further widening of road would not cause significant impacts to ecology during operation phase.

7.10.3 Since the scale of the affected natural habitats is small and mostly the urbanized / disturbed area will be affected, and no species of conservation importance will be directly impacted (with the implementation of mitigation measures for plant species of conservation importance), the residual impact is considered acceptable.

7.11 Environmental Monitoring and Audit

7.11.1 As the direct impact due to habitat loss is considered minor, and there is no significant and adverse impact from disturbance to wildlife and indirect / induced impacts resulted from the proposed works during construction and operation phases, hence, no ecological monitoring is required. However, regular site inspection by an experienced ecologist is recommended to ensure adequate mitigation measures / best practice guidelines are implemented throughout construction of the Project, in particular the Conservation Area, secondary woodland and the nearby watercourses.

7.12 Conclusion

7.12.1 The Project is a Designated Project (DP) since part of the proposed upgrading works encroaches upon the Conservation Area (CA) zoning as defined on relevant Outline Zoning Plans of Shek Kong Outline Zoning Plan (Plan no.: S/YL-SK/9) and Pat Heung Outline Zoning Plan (Plan no.: S/YL-PH/11). There are four encroachment areas as below:

• CA at north of section between Chainage CHB 28+70 and CHB 30+10 of Kam Tin Road

• CA at south of section between Chainage CHB 44+30 to CHB 44+80 of Lam Kam Road

• CA at south of section between Chainage CHB 49+00 to CHB 52+30 of Lam Kam Road

• CA at north of section between Chainage CHB 50+20 to CHB 52+40 of Lam Kam Road

7.12.2 The Project layout had been adjusted to minimise encroaching into recognised sites of conservation importance (e.g. Conservation Aras) or ecologically sensitive areas. Habitats within the assessment area included shrubland/grassland, secondary woodland, artificial wetland, agricultural land, urbanized/disturbed area (including roadside plantation) and watercourse. A few species of conservation importance were recorded within the Project Boundary (e.g. Aquilaria sinensis, Chinese Pond Heron, etc) or in the vicinity. Besides, small proportion of woodland edge of the Conservation Areas will be encroached.

7.12.3 The construction works would unavoidably result in permanent loss of some areas of watercourses, secondary woodland, agricultural land and urbanized / disturbed area including roadside plantation which are of low / low to moderate ecological values. Constructing a new road and/or off-line realigning road will not be one of optimum and feasible options, especially constructing a new road, which would bring undesirable impacts to the environment during and after the new road construction. In fact, the majority of the works area is urbanized / disturbed area with roadside plantation, same habitat type will be recreated after construction.

7.12.4 The proposed development would cause minor ecological impacts to habitats, including secondary woodland, urbanized / disturbed area including roadside plantation and semi-natural watercourses. With implementation of on-site plant protection measures, no adverse impact is anticipated on the flora species of conservation importance. To minimize the impacts due to the proposed development, the proposed road alignment thus follows closely with the existing alignment. The proposed alignment is designed according to the principle of minimizing environmental impacts. Impact avoidance and minimization were considered. The residual ecological impacts are considered acceptable.