In the movie The Blues Brothers, an enthusiastic live music bar owner is asked about the kinds of music played. “Oh we got both kinds of music,” he replies. “Country … and western.”
And after my recent first visit to Long Valley Nature Park, after it opened following perhaps four years of work on supposedly upgrading the habitats, that rather reflects my impressions. The park website says:
Through habitat management and eco-friendly farming practice, Long Valley provides home for diverse wildlife. Long Valley Nature Park has opened in November 2024. Come and experience this unique wetland habitat and appreciate its biodiversity.
長谷自然公園
Yet instead of “biodiversity”, I found a remarkable lack of diversity in habitats – mostly rice fields, plus a lot of ponds that were mostly too deep for the sandpipers and snipe that formerly occurred in numbers, instead supporting many longer-legged, Black-winged Stilts. [Yes, there are some ponds suiting sandpipers and snipe; but a handful only, so these birds are concentrated into these areas, with their shallow muddy margins, small islands.]
I sent this email to the park website:
Yesterday, my first visit since the renovation and reopening. While not as bad as some of us feared, rather struck me there’s more monodiversity than biodiversity now: great if you like eating rice seeds; or you’re a Black-winged Stilt.
Tougher if you’re a Yellow Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit, Wood Sandpiper, or even a bulbul or starling.
Too bad no birders etc involved in the project!And there’s a nice new birdwatching hide, looking at nothing much in particular; like an olde style English folly.
[a friend just joked, with other birders laughing at this, “The hide is for watching feral pigeons”]Overall then, years of work, maybe millions spent, and Long Valley value for biodiversity decreased.
Even grass cutting alongside paths is detrimental; reduces foraging habitat etc.
If you’d like ideas for improvements, I’m sure many people would be happy to recommend some.
Here is the reply:
Thank you for your email providing us your views regarding the Long Valley Nature Park (LVNP).
The development of the LVNP aims to mitigate the ecological impacts arising from the development of the Kwu Tung North and Fanling North New Development Areas as well as to conserve and enhance the ecological value of the wetland. Our general strategy on habitat management in the LVNP is to maintain a mosaic of wet and dry agricultural land that support a diversity of wildlife. As at now, some 90 plant species were planted in creating about 15 kinds of wetland and dry agricultural land habitats. The habitats are also managed in a way that they would be rotated spatially and temporally according to management and conservation needs.
Planting of paddy rice is a key conservation measure in the LVNP for providing food resources for the critically endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting and other granivorous birds (e.g. various bunting species, munias and doves). Waterbirds, e.g. Greater Painted-snipes and Wood Sandpiper, also make use of this habitat for roosting, foraging and even breeding when the water level is suitable for them. Paddy field also serves as foraging and nursery grounds for amphibians and other wetland-associated species. Other kinds of habitats, e.g. marsh, shallow water habitat and wet agricultural fields, are also maintained to attract different wildlife.
As part of the habitat management measures, grass cutting is conducted in the fields and along field bunds as and when necessary to control the growth of invasive alien species (e.g. Para Grass and Narrow-leaved Cat-Tail). Grass cutting is performed regularly along major footpaths in the LVNP, but is kept to a minimum in most areas of the LVNP in particular within the Biodiversity Zone for providing shelters for wildlife.
Concerned non-governmental organisations and experts such as the Conservancy Association, the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society and Green Power, etc. were engaged in the design, planning and construction stages of the LVNP. We treasure their professional advice, knowledge and experience on the management of the LVNP, and would certainly continue our collaboration with these organisations.
Should you have other suggestions, you are most welcome to contact me.
from Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
I posted this to a HK birding whatsapp group, after also making comments as above a few days earlier. This was a reply:
I’m not sure what you expect Martin? And to be honest, your endless complaints are rather dull.
Paul Leader, director and co-founder, Asia Ecological Consultants
我回答了：
Well. I did support conservation of Long Valley way back, which may have been dull, but I believe worthwhile.
And now I believe improvements are possible, even if I don’t expect them.
Though I didn’t note here, Paul Leader did not support conservation of Long Valley way back; quite the contrary, when his company was engaged as a consultant for the KCRC as it planned a viaduct/viaducts across Long Valley, for the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau spur line, and argued in favour of the project, as noted here: https://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/english/content/files/appealboard_2000.html. This contrasted with most members of the Hong Kong birding community, who strongly opposed the highly controversial project; their opposition was crucial in eventually leading to the KCR building the spur line with a tunnel under Long Valley [I did write in support of efforts to protect Long Valley; a small voice, but didn’t just sit back].
See 這裡, say, for Hong Kong Birdwatching Society response to the Environmental Impact Assessment.
Anyhoo, along with my purportedly dull endless complaints, I do also make attempts to suggest changes for the better, and emailed AFCD:
Of course, I’m aware of much of the info in your email.
Sadly, larger area of rice has not led to sizeable numbers of Yellow-breasted Buntings; or individual buntings overall.
Does seem the area suiting paintedsnipe and Wood Sandpipers is really small as a proportion of the overall site.
But perhaps much of design was by engineers, with not too much input from green groups?
As to suggestions:
– Main one is to create more areas of shallow muddy water, suiting sandpipers; I saw too many ponds that were suitable for stilts, but not shorter legged sandpipers, snipe etc.
I don’t know how easy such changes would be; don’t have to be all at once.
– Ideally, towards the northeast, consider demolishing some of the bunds to create larger ponds, with small islands with muddy shorelines.
These could benefit a range of birds; better for those sandpipers and snipe, but could attract ducks, even spoonbills… [With places they could be further away from humans strolling along the paths.]
Could aim “higher” in terms of bird diversity. See what fishponds, for instance, attract…
– Less manicured. Are those invasive grasses really worse than having bare sides to paths?
As you’ll know, Long Valley previously had areas of rather wild vegetation; rank grass, small shrubs and more. Bluethroats, warblers and other birds in these.
And beyond advice from employees of ngos, there is expertise in the birding community, say, that could be drawn upon.
Might even have a site visit with some who are interested; perhaps including experience in managing wetland habitats…
After all, when Long Valley was saved from the MTR viaduct project, it was largely due to quite many local birdwatchers, not just a few individuals who put the case for conservation together.
Nor would having more birds simply benefit hardcore birders and bird photographers; I noticed several local visitors who had come to look, and who could also enjoy having more highly visible birds like egrets, herons, ducks and kingfishers to see.
– even create a nice pool outside the “birdwatching hide”, so there are birds for people to watch from it, instead of it being more a place to shelter from sun and rain!
Again, not with any real hope of substantial change.
While, here are some other photos from my recent visit; there are birds to be seen, some of them very close as used to visitors, but just not as much variety as possible by any means.
