About 15 million plants will be planted across Hong Kong, with two-thirds in urban areas, in 2003-04.

Briefing Legislative Councillors today, Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao said a high-level Steering Committee on Greening has been set up to oversee the strategy and the implementation of greening programmes.

The Government will also enlist community support for environmental activities and work with private organisations in promoting greening programmes in urban areas.

She said a new mechanism will also be implemented for more objective assessments of a site's ecological value.

The system will be set up under new measures to protect our ecological sites.

"We are setting up a system under which more objective means will be employed to assess the ecological value of different sites," Dr Liao said.

"In order to protect the ecologically important habitats in Hong Kong more effectively, we are now reviewing our existing nature conservation policy and measures with a view to identifying areas for improvement and practicable ways to enhance protection of sites with high ecological value, especially those under private ownership."

In the new financial year, the Government will consult the public on the review in order to devise a more comprehensive nature conservation policy.

Dr Liao urged members to support the policies and measures to protect the environment and conserve ecological resources, which will further improve our living environment.

She was briefing members on environmental protection and conservation estimates for the coming financial year. She said other major objectives and initiatives include:

* The introduction of legislative amendments in the middle of the year requiring the installation of particulate traps and catalytic converters on all pre-Euro light and heavy diesel vehicles, and work with Guangdong authorities to reduce by 2010 the emissions of four major air pollutants in the Pearl River Delta Region by up to 55%;

* Establish a Recovery Park and provide funds for community organisations and green groups to carry out community waste recovery projects. Implement a landfill-charging scheme for construction waste;

* Review sewage charges, taking into account the polluter pays principle, with a view to attaining a more equitable sharing of costs; and,

* Formulate a policy for the development of renewable energy, and identify suitable sites to develop wind power by collecting data on wind force at various locations.