Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Centre, Hong Kong

• Client: Hong Kong Jockey Club
• Components: Ecological baseline survey, environmental impact assessment, ecological monitoring

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of a 36 hole championship-standard golf course and golf training centre on the island of Kau Sai Chau, Eastern New Territories. Designed by the Gary Player Group, it is Hong Kong’s first public golf course. Ecosystems Ltd. provided ecological input to the EIA process. The EIA assessed the proposed golf course, irrigation supply, and facilities design, plus numerous environmental resources including mariculture sites, mangroves, and marine water quality. The assessment was based on a detailed ecological survey conducted by Ecosystems Ltd.

One of the major ecological concerns associated with the project was the loss of 0.5 ha of mangrove stands to dam construction to provide an irrigation reservoir for the course. The consultant developed mitigation proposals including sensitive design of the reservoir and dam to minimise mangrove area loss, and an extensive mangrove transplantation and establishment programme which was carried out by the consultant. Other issues of ecological concern were impacts to the stream habitat of Yaoshanicus arcus , a cyprinid fish thought to be of restricted distribution. Stream surveys conducted by Ecosystems staff on the island and elsewhere in Hong Kong showed that the species’ distribution was much broader than previously believed. Impacts to wetlands which provided dragonfly habitat were also of concern, and mitigation measures were designed to protect wetland areas. Impact mitigation and habitat restoration plans were developed for both mangroves and terrestrial sites.

A comprehensive ecological monitoring programme to evaluate impacts of project operation and the success of mitigation measures began in May 1995 and continues through 2000. Ecological monitoring covers mangroves, terrestrial vegetation, birds, mammals, wetland and intertidal invertebrates.

Kau Sai Chau Mangrove Transplantation, Hong Kong

• Client: Hong Kong Jockey Club
• Components: Habitat restoration and creation, ecological monitoring

The project was proposed as a compensation measure for the loss of 0.5 ha of mangroves to dam construction as part of the Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Centre project. New plantations of mangroves were established at suitable sites along the coast of Kau Sai Chau, using transplants, seedlings and propagules. All species used in mangrove re-establishment were previously recorded from Kau Sai Chau. Mangrove habitat restoration covered a 2-year period through end 1995. Monitoring of mangrove survival and growth at each restoration site continues through 2000. The restoration project has been highly successful, and as one of the first systematic mangrove restoration efforts in Hong Kong has garnered significant public, government and academic attention.

Kau Sai Chau Revegetation, Hong Kong

• Client: Hong Kong Jockey Club
• Components: Habitat restoration

Design for upland habitat restoration on and around Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Centre. The restoration plan focused on sites where native vegetation had been disturbed by construction or where the existing scrub vegetation could be enhanced ecologically and aesthetically. The island of Kau Sai Chau had been used for some decades as a firing and bombing practice range by police and armed forces, and severe erosion and hillfires resulting from this use had resulted in severe degradation of the vegetation; most areas on and around the project site were in early successional stages of grassland or shrubland.. Golf development offered an opportunity for significant landscape-level restoration of ecological value that would not have arisen had the project not proceeded. The restoration plan was designed to derive the maximum benefit from this unusual opportunity.

Areas covered in the design include the clubhouse grounds, areas between holes and surrounding tees, and the downslope face of the reservoir dam. Tree and shrub species recommended for use in revegetation were native species of high landscape value and recorded utility as forage or cover to wildlife.

Clearwater Bay Golf Course Habitat Restoration, Hong Kong

• Client: Clearwater Bay Country Club
• Components: Habitat restoration, ecological monitoring

Habitat restoration project to introduce native tree and shrub species onto areas of an existing golf course in Hong Kong, originally landscaped primarily with exotic tree species of little use to native wildlife. Primary objectives were to improve the landscape features of the site while enhancing its ecological value. Species for plantation were recommended on the basis of landscape and aesthetic qualities as well as ecological values. Many of the species used provide food and shelter for native bird and mammal species. Hardy pioneer species were chosen for use on areas of degraded or rocky soil. The project integrated new plantations carefully with existing vegetation to provide a harmonious and attractive whole.

Restoration of Shuen Wan and Jordan Valley Landfills, Hong Kong

• Client: Regional Services Department
• Lead consultant: Scott Wilson (Hong Kong) Ltd.
• Duration: January – December 1997
• Components: Ecological restoration

Development of plans for restoration and afteruse of closed landfills in urban fringe areas of Hong Kong. Ecosystems Ltd. worked in co-operation with project engineers and landscape designers to develop a practical but ecologically sound restoration and afteruse plan. Afteruses investigated included golf, urban parks, arboretums and nature-education facilities. The client was a Hong Kong government authority responsible for providing recreational and cultural facilities for the population.

Environmental concerns included the need for control of water usage on the sites, effects of afteruses upon leachate quantity and quality; potential for contamination of soil and nearby waterbodies; and geotechnical stability. Plans were developed for ecologically sensitive restoration of vegetation upon the landfill sites and surrounding hillslopes, in harmony with adjacent natural or less-impacted areas.

Nine-hole Golf Course and Driving Range, Hong Kong

• Client: Private
• Lead consultant: EHS Consultants Ltd.
• Components: Ecological baseline survey, environmental impact assessment, turfgrass management plan

A proposed residential and golf development near Tolo Harbour in northeast Hong Kong required a detailed 12-month study of ecological resources and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), to which Ecosystems Ltd. provided ecological input. Key issues for ecology included freshwater stream biota, woodlands, seasonal wetlands and coastal mangroves. The site included parts of a coastal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and was immediately adjacent to several other SSSIs, while woodland areas on-site constituted the largest contiguous area of lowland secondary woodland remaining in Hong Kong.

The consultants predicted potential impacts due to project construction and operation, and developed design and management measures to improve the environmental performance of the development and minimise negative impacts. Mitigation measures were developed for unavoidable impacts. The consultants also developed a turfgrass management plan for the golf course which minimised use of chemicals in course management through emphasis of mechanical and biological control of weeds and pests.

Lawn Bowling Green and Indoor Sports Area Development, Hong Kong

• Client: Hong Kong Cricket Club
• Lead consultant: Townland Consultants Ltd.
• Components: Ecological baseline survey, Ecological Impact Assessment

Ecological Impact Assessment of a small site proposed for recreational development adjacent to the existing grounds of the Hong Kong Cricket Club. Main issues of ecological concern were loss of mature woodland containing protected plant species, and loss of stream habitat harbouring amphibian species of restricted distribution. The consultants developed on-site and off-site mitigation measures, including stream habitat enhancement and hillside revegetation of nearby eroded areas, to address these impacts.