To Protect Bird Habitats, Court Halts Lianyungang's Blue Bay Project (AI Translation)
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- The Blue Bay project in Lianyungang, aimed at 'coastal ecological protection and restoration,' was halted by a court for lacking legal approval and posing real risks of ecological damage, particularly to bird habitats like that of the endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
- The project's construction had altered mudflat ecosystems crucial for migratory birds, leading to public interest litigation by Friends of Nature against the developer and the environmental assessment agency for failing to evaluate impacts on bird species adequately.
- Despite claims of ecological restoration, concerns remain about the long-term effects on bird populations, with the court ruling holding both the developer and the environmental assessment agency jointly responsible for potential habitat damage.
文｜财新周刊 康佳
By Caixin Weekly's Kang Jia
从卫星地图上看，海州湾像是一个面朝黄海敞开的大大的字母C，北抵山东日照市，南达江苏连云港市连云区，受黄河泥沙淤积影响，海底地形单一、平缓，淤泥质的浅滩宽阔，为众多迁徙的水鸟提供了觅食地。
From satellite maps, Haizhou Bay resembles a large letter C open towards the Yellow Sea, stretching from Rizhao City in Shandong to the Lianyun District of Lianyungang City in Jiangsu. Influenced by the sediment deposition from the Yellow River, the seabed is uniform and gentle, with wide muddy flats that provide feeding grounds for numerous migratory waterbirds.
“C”的左下角是临洪河入海口。从2019年开始，这里逐渐形成一个“鼓包”，那是连云新城蓝色海湾项目（下称“蓝色海湾项目”）的基础工程部分——半圆形潜堤。该项目是当地一个“海岸带生态保护和修复”工程，2018年后三个子项目相继开工建设。
At the bottom left corner of the letter "C" is the estuary where the Hong River meets the sea. Since 2019, a bulge has gradually formed in this area, marking the foundational engineering segment of the Lianyun New City Blue Bay project (hereafter referred to as "Blue Bay Project")—a semi-circular submerged breakwater. This project is part of a local initiative for "coastal ecological protection and restoration," with three sub-projects commencing construction successively after 2018.
临洪河口也是国家二级保护动物半蹼鹬及其他多种湿地水鸟的停歇地。每年春秋，多种迁徙水鸟到此处觅食、补给。因认为蓝色海湾项目施工建设破坏了临洪河口滨海湿地，2021年5月，环保公益机构“自然之友”向南京市中级法院提起公益诉讼，将项目建设单位连云港金海岸开发建设有限公司（下称“金海岸公司”）与环评机构南京师范大学环境科技研究院有限公司（下称“南师大环科院”）告上法庭，诉求包括蓝色海湾项目停止施工建设，对未破坏区域调整优化方案，对已破坏区域生态修复，赔偿生态服务功能损失，被告方公开赔礼道歉及承担调查等相关费用。
The estuary of the Linhong River also serves as a stopover for the national second-class protected species, the Spotted Redshank, and various other wetland waterbirds. Every spring and autumn, numerous migratory waterbirds come here to forage and replenish their resources. In May 2021, the environmental NGO "Friends of Nature" filed a public interest lawsuit with the Nanjing Intermediate Court against Lianyungang Golden Coast Development and Construction Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Golden Coast Company") and the Environmental Science and Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. of Nanjing Normal University (hereinafter referred to as "NNU Environmental Institute"), alleging that the construction of the Blue Bay project had damaged the coastal wetlands at the Linhong River estuary. The lawsuit's demands included halting construction on the Blue Bay project, adjusting and optimizing plans for areas not yet damaged, ecological restoration for areas that were damaged, compensation for loss of ecological services, a public apology from the defendants, and covering related expenses for investigations.
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