Farmers Push Back Against Development of Hong Kong's Wetlands

TaiwanPlus News

Farmers and environmentalists in Hong Kong are pushing back against a massive government-led development project on wetlands near the border with neighboring Shenzhen City. Conservationists say it's important to preserve one of Hong Kong’s last remaining areas of undeveloped land.

Transcript

00:00Right on the doorstep of mainland China,

00:02Hong Kong's deep bay wetland is the city's largest and most important marsh.

00:07Just across the border is the towering skyline of the megacity of Shenzhen.

00:12Hong Kong's government has been eyeing this 300-square-kilometer tract of undeveloped land

00:16for a massive development project that would push out the area's villagers and farmers.

00:22But locals say they are holding out for as long as possible.

00:25Even if the government forces us to move in, we have no choice but to give it to them.

00:31But if they force us to stay here, what can we do?

00:35Even if they force us to move in, we will continue to live here.

00:40Aquafarmer Chang Kwok Soon has been managing his fishponds here for nearly four decades.

00:45But the government's ambitious proposal, known as the Northern Metropolis Project,

00:50would greenlight an unprecedented scale of development,

00:54one that would see Chang's farm filled in, along with the surrounding wetlands,

00:58wetlands that conservationists say should be preserved.

01:18Conservationists say Hong Kong has the largest and most intact piece of coastal wetland

01:23in South China's Greater Bay Area,

01:25hosting crucial habitats for numerous species of migratory birds.

01:29The Hong Kong government says their urbanization plan

01:32would deepen integration with mainland China and create housing for around 2.5 million people.

01:38But local authorities argue the development goals

01:41would come at the expense of those who live there now.

01:53Construction has already begun here for the Hong Kong Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park,

02:04which, when completed, will be the city's largest tech industry hub.

02:08Although local officials and villagers say it's unlikely the city government will budge,

02:13they continue to appeal to keep their village from being torn down,

02:17fighting for their right to stay on this sought-after plot of land.

02:20Kama Xu and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.

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