Sham Chung marsh, lying on the northeast coast of Three Fathoms Cove (Sai Kung peninsula), has been almost completely destroyed by earth-moving works conducted over the past few months. The extensive (9 ha) marsh, which was one of Hong Kong' most highly-rated freshwater wetlands, has been drained and denuded of vegetation. The land on which the marsh stood was purchased by a major property developer (Sun Hung Kai) a few years ago, apparently with the long-term aim of constructing a golf course (see Porcupine! 16: 48).
Sham Chung was previously regarded as one of the top five freshwater marshes in Hong Kong in terms of its conservation value (see Porcupine! 16: 1), and was rated second in terms of rare macroinvertebrates, and first in terms of fish species richness, in a recent survey of freshwater wetlands conducted for the Agriculture & Fisheries Department by staff of the DEB (Dudgeon, D. and Chan, E.W.C., 1996. Ecological Study of Freshwater Wetland Habitats in Hong Kong. AFD). Perhaps most notably,. Sham Chung was home to a large population of the rare Black Paradise Fish. Macropodus concolor. The marsh was also one of the few sites where the bog orchid Liparis ferruginea was known to be present.
On a small part of the former marsh, an 'organic' farm has been established by the Hong Kong Council of Early Childhood Education and Services. This organization previously farmed a patch of land also owned by Sun Hung Kai near Che Ha on the opposite side of Three Fathoms Cove. Sun Hung Kai recently resumed that land and apparently offered Sham Chung as an alternative site. A promotional video has been produced, espousing the supposed environmental benefits of the Sham Chung farm. However, the long-term viability of the farming practice is in question, and by far the largest part of the site remains despoiled and unused. This has fuelled speculation that the whole project is a cynical ploy by the developer to exploit a legal loophole and devalue the site prior to any future development application (see below).
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