A critical evaluation of habitat compensation ratios in Hong Kong EIA system

Abstract

Hong Kong is a city with small land resource and rich diversity of habitats, laying a foundation of biodiversity. Habitat compensation is one of the mechanisms of habitat protection in ecological impact assessment (EcoIA) under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) in Hong Kong. However, there is no comprehensive review of habitat compensation especially in relation to compensation ratio in Hong Kong. The dissertation thus gives an overview of habitat compensatory measures under EIAO, focusing on compensation ratios, in order to find out deficiencies and/or shortcomings, and seek for possible suggestions learned from foreign experiences. Therefore, firstly, literature reviews of both academic researches and techniques from foreign countries were carried out, and some factors that need attention in proposing a ratio were found, including “no net loss” principle, classification of compensation methods, time-related issues (i.e. time-lag and duration), uncertainty, and so on. All of 73 EIA reports involving compensatory measures between April 1998 and March 2017 were reviewed afterwards. The information collected in survey includes general information, values of compensation ratios, considerations in proposing a ratio such as threshold, time-related factors, uncertainty and risk, on-site and off-site, in-kind and out-of-kind, as well as data in EM&A records. Several problems in relation to compensation ratios have been found in Hong Kong. Firstly, there is no clear stipulation of equivalent compensatory ecological value in EIAO; secondly, inadequate protective range of “no net loss” principle is inadequate; thirdly, no clear classification of compensation methods so that no quantified procedures to determine a proper ratio; fourthly, the ratios are often proposed too small to provide adequate ecological value; and, lastly, underestimation of compensation ratios due to ignorance of time-related issue and negative effects from uncertainty/risk, off-site and out-of-kind compensations; data missing in EM&A records so that actual ratios are difficult to be tracked. Correspondingly, some suggestions were given that are based on foreign experiences presenting in literature review.