Proposed Coloane landfill to impact dolphin habitats: study

Landfill off the coast from Coloane will quite certainly jeopardize the habitats of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins living around Macau.

The proposed landfill will measure a total of 2.5 square kilometers. In contrast, New Urban Zone A measures 1.38 square kilometers, meaning the proposed landfill will be equivalent to approximately two Zones A located 1 km off the coast of Coloane.

A study commissioned by the former Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) – now the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) – and conducted by Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou has concluded that a protection zone measuring 36 square kilometers should be established to conserve the endangered species known as Chinese white dolphins, TDM reported.

The report has not been publicly released despite the conclusion of the study, and has been labelled by the government. The study commenced following Beijing’s extension of Macau’s jurisdiction over 85 square kilometers of waters in 2015.

The public broadcaster compared the proposed conservation zone and the proposed landfill location, identifying overlap. According to the university’s report, the activities associated with the proposed landfill will likely be disruptive to the dolphins.

Counting at least 144 dolphins in Macau waters, the university also reported (as cited by TDM English and Portuguese) that “investigations indicate that a large amount of wastewater with heavy metals, organic contaminants and antibiotics is discharged into the Pearl River Estuary, and these can enter the dolphins’ bodies through the skin and absorption of food.”

About a year ago, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo Rosário first disclosed the government’s intention to build a landfill near Macau’s waters. However, at that time, he said it was premature to disclose the specific location.

The location was then discretely included in a public consultation document on marine policies late last year.

The university noted that “the maritime area managed by Macau is the only overlapping area between two crucial habitats of the communities of dolphins residing in the Lingding Channel and the Muodaomen area. Therefore, it is the most important maritime area to guarantee the integrity of Chinese white dolphins in the Pearl River Estuary.”

To support its proposal, the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) has claimed that the species mainly reside and are active around the southern tip of the Macau International Airport runway.

It assured that the landfill will only take up 0.2% of the dolphins’ habitats.

Ever since, environmentalists within the Greater Bay Area have voiced opposition to the proposed landfill, citing various studies, reports and documentary evidence to prove that the dolphins need a wide space to survive, and that they roam around the area for food and as part of their normal activities.

The Sun Yat-sen University report, now publicized by TDM English and Portuguse, adds to this body of literature.

At a recent parliamentary interpellation, lawmaker Ron Lam requested the government provide sufficient evidence and data to support the proposed landfill.

In response, do Rosário made it clear that the decision to create a landfill – and if so, where and by what means – was not within the remit of local government. He said that all decisions were made based on mainland expert studies.

When Lam criticized the small size of the government-proposed marine conservatory, which will not meet UN requirements, Director for Marine and Water Susana Wong said that UN requirements are to be complied with on a national rather than regional scale.

Director for Environmental Protection Tam Wai Man attributed to lack of marine space to the necessity of supporting the proposed landfill’s location. He said that due to geographical and natural constraints, no further landfills can be built east of the city. Therefore, the proposed location is the only suitable option.

He assured the public that further studies would be conducted to assess the environmental impact.

There has been at least one instance of the government planting certain plant species in Macau that, according to environmentalists, jeopardized the city’s biodiversity.