2nd Post-transplantation Monitoring and Audit Report (9th December 2022)

Northeast New Territories Landfill Extension (NENTX) | Contract No. EP/SP/77/15

0092/22/ED/0296 02 | 3 February 2023

Formal Submission

Veolia Environmental Services Hong Kong Limited

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Document Information

Project Title	Northeast New Territories Landfill Extension (NENTX)
Document Title	2nd Post-transplantation Monitoring and Audit Report (9th December 2022)
Fugro Project No.	0092-22
Fugro Document No.	0092/22/ED/0296
Issue Number	02
Issue Status	Formal Submission
Fugro Legal Entity	Fugro Technical Services Limited
Issuing Office Address	13/F, Fugro House – KCC2, 1 Kwai On Rd, Kwai Chung, NT, Hong Kong

Client Information

Client	Veolia Environmental Services Hong Kong Limited
Client Address	40/F., One Taikoo Place, Taikoo Place, 979 King's Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Client Contact	Mr. William Wan
Client Document No.	NENTX-FUG-RP-E-ZZ-002-I01

Document History

Issue	Date	Status	Comments on Content	Prepared By	Checked By	Approved By
01	03 Feb 2023	Draft	Awaiting client’s comments	Various	FN	FN
02	03 Feb 2023	Formal Submission	For ET’s certification and IEC’s verification	Various	FN	FN

Project Team

Initials	Name	Role
CY	Colin Yung	Project Manager
FN	Fenelyn Nabuab	Ecologist/ ISA Certified Arborist HK1821A/TRAQ
RL	Ray Li	Environmental Consultant/ ISA Certified Arborist HK1838A/TRAQ
JT	Jhomar Tillo	Ecologist
AY	Andy Yuen	Assistant Environmental Consultant

Contents

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1. INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the Project 1

1.2 Purpose of this Document 2

1.3 Structure of this Document 2

2. MONITORING RESULTS 3

2.1 Condition of the Transplanted Individuals 3

2.2 Key Maintenance Activities Conducted in The Reporting Month 3

2.3 Recommendation on Post-Transplantation Maintenance 4

3. POST-TRANSPLANTATION MONITORING SCHEDULE 4

4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 4

Appendices

Appendix A Conditions of Transplanted Plant Species of Conservation Importance

Appendix B Photographic Records of Transplanted Plant Species

B.1 Incense Tree Aquilaria sinensis

B.2 Lamb of Tartary Cibotium barometz

B.3 Bottlebrush Orchid Goodyera procera

1. INTRODUCTION

1.3 Structure of this Document

Succeeding this introductory section, the remainder of this Report is presented as follows:

n Section 2 details the monitoring results, including the key maintenance activities conducted this reporting month;

n Section 3 presents the succeeding post-transplantation monitoring schedule; and

n Section 4 summarizes the findings of the post-transplantation monitoring and way forward.

2. MONITORING RESULTS

Following the transplantation works on 10 November 2022, the 2^nd post-transplantation monitoring and audit was carried out on 9 December 2022 to check the condition of the transplanted plant individuals.

2.1 Condition of the Transplanted Individuals

2.1.1 The transplanted individuals of the 19 clusters of Bottlebrush Orchid Goodyera procera were all in fair to good condition with minor health issues observed in some individuals, i.e., slightly chlorotic leaves and presences of holes in the leaves. The Lamb of Tartary Cibotium barometz, however, exhibited further discoloration and wilting of leaves following the last monitoring period. Its stems also showed some decay but its roots were still in fair condition. Moreover, one of the two saplings of the Incense Tree Aquilaria sinensis (AS-03) demonstrated fair health condition while the other individual (AS-02) showed poor health conditions with die back and drying and falling leaves.

2.1.2 Albeit strict compliance of the transplantation works and post-transplantation maintenance to the approved Transplantation Proposal, transplanted individuals would require time to adapt and establish in the new environment/substrate of the recipient site. Hence, signs of leaf discoloration and/or wilting, dehydration, and even die-off are expected. Thus, succeeding post-transplantation maintenance and monitoring and audit are crucial to assess the progress of recovery and establishment of transplanted individuals in the recipient site.

2.1.3 The numbers, measurements, and health conditions of the transplanted plant species of conservation importance during the current monitoring period are shown in Appendix A.

2.1.4 The photographic records of the transplanted plant species of conservation importance during the current monitoring period are shown in Appendix B.

2.2 Key Maintenance Activities Conducted in The Reporting Month

2.2.1 The key maintenance activities carried out for the current reporting month are the following:

n Watering frequency of the two Incense Tree saplings increased to 3 times per week following the recommendation from the previous monitoring period. The watering dates were 25 Nov, 28 Nov, 30 Nov, 2 Dec, 5 Dec, 7 Dec, 9 Dec.

n The watering frequency of the cluster of Lamb of Tartary reduced from 2-3 times a week to once a week according to the recommendation from the previous monitoring period. The watering dates were 28 Nov, 5 Dec.

n Once a week watering of Bottlebrush Orchid. The watering dates were 28 Nov, 5 Dec.

n Manual removal of weeds when observed during watering activities; and

n Checking of insect attacks and/or fungal infestation during watering activities.

n Prevention of human disturbance by fencing off area around the two Incense Tree saplings.

2.3 Recommendation on Post-Transplantation Maintenance

Immediately after the monitoring and audit activity, the following post-transplantation maintenance was discussed with the Contractor for their prompt implementation:

n The watering frequency for the two saplings of Incense Tree should be maintained at 2-3 times a week. Improve/place organic mulch around the two saplings of Incense Tree to retain soil moisture, protect damaged roots against extreme temperatures, and improve soil quality.

n The watering frequency of the cluster of Lamb of Tartary should be reduced to once a week.

n The watering frequency for all 19 clusters of Bottlebrush Orchid should remain the same. During watering activities, the surrounding weeds and decaying leaves should be removed.

3. POST-TRANSPLANTATION MONITORING SCHEDULE

3.1.1 As per Section 10.3 and Table 10.1 of the EM&A Manual, the survival and growth of the transplanted species will be monitored by a qualified ecologist or botanist at least twice a month during the first three months after transplantation and once a month in the following nine months.

3.1.2 As only one monitoring activity was conducted in November, the forthcoming monitoring and audit activities will be conducted twice a month for December, January and February. Then, the monitoring activities will be conducted monthly until October 2023.

3.1.3 The need for any further monitoring will be reviewed and determined according to the monitoring results of the 12-month monitoring.

4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

4.1.1 The health of the transplanted individuals of Bottlebrush Orchid were all in fair to good condition but with minor health issues on some individuals but overall these deficiencies did not have a large impact on their health. The two individuals of Incense Tree saplings were in poor (AS-02) and fair (AS-03) conditions. The individual AS-02 had dieback and dried, curled and falling leaves. This could be due to transplantation shock brought about by the changes in the environment and the individual has not acclimated to these changes yet. Lastly, the transplanted cluster of Lamb of Tartary was also under poor health condition with more of its leaves have wilted and showed discoloration. As aforementioned, it takes time for newly transplanted plants to grow accustomed to the new environment of the recipient site. Therefore, signs of leaf discoloration and/or wilting, dehydration, and even die-off are expected.

4.1.2 The health of the transplanted individuals of Bottlebrush Orchid were all in fair to good condition but with minor health issues on some individuals but overall these deficiencies did not have a large impact on their health. The two individuals of Incense Tree saplings were in poor (AS-02) and fair (AS-03) conditions. The individual AS-02 had dieback and dried, curled and falling leaves. This could be due to transplantation shock brought about by the changes in the environment and the individual has not acclimated to these changes yet. Lastly, the transplanted cluster of Lamb of Tartary was also under poor health condition with more of its leaves have wilted and showed discoloration. As aforementioned, it takes time for newly transplanted plants to grow accustomed to the new environment of the recipient site. Therefore, signs of leaf discoloration and/or wilting, dehydration, and even die-off are expected.

4.1.3 It is recommended to pay additional attention to the health conditions of the Lamb of Tartary cluster and the Incense Tree saplings. Moreover, should there be drastic change in the heath conditions of these individuals observed during post-transplantation maintenance activities, the Contractor is advised to immediately advise the ecologist to discuss possible remedial actions.