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Towards the end of June, some of us present in the Ecology Lab. at HKU were dismayed by Eddie Chan's news that he had stumbled upon suspicious clearance work of the marsh at Sham Chung, the remote, unspoiled and lovely village near Sai Kung. Workmen at the site told Eddie that they were working for Sun Hung Kai (which owns the land) and that the plan was to build another golf course. The thought that even this village was already being targeted for development came as quite a shock to me - but probably not to others who have seen this happen before. Surely the lack of vehicular access offered some kind of protection, even if zoning, government ordinances and legislation did not? At the time of writing, Sun Hung Kai claimed that it had no immediate plans for development at Sham Chung, according to its 'development list'. By the time you read this, perhaps things will have become clearer. So, what's my point? Just this (and I hope it doesn't sound patronising) - I am leaving Hong Kong, so really can do very little to help protect Sham Chung (and many would argue that I could do very little even if I stayed!). All I can say is keep up the good work, both individually and as a department, in doing what you can to protect Sham Chung and places like it. I think that you can, and do, make a difference. Maggie Verrall |
The
Hong Kong Lepidoptera Group invites people with an interest in
Lepidoptera natural history and/or recording to attend an informal meeting
on 16 August 1997. For details, please contact: James Young (tel. 2598
0023; tax 2519 9675), Kent Li (fax 2478 8942) or Roger Kendrick (fax 2488
5285) by 14 August.