Despite the Macao territory government's statement about planting 19 thousand trees over the past five years as part of various initiatives, ecologist Joe Chan believes that Macau's green zones have not undergone significant improvements.
Joe Chan emphasized that while environmentalists certainly support tree planting, greening in Macau depends not only on the number of planted trees but also on the actual percentage of green coverage.
He explained that the green space coverage in Macau is lower than in neighboring developed cities. Furthermore, the method of calculating green coverage in the region is unique: even if there are no trees on an area, for example, almost deforested land, this area is fully counted as green space.
As an example, Tap Seac Square was cited, where, despite having only a few trees on an area of 13 thousand square meters, the entire area is classified as green space.
Chan stated that 'Macau still has significant room for improvement' in terms of natural spaces, and advised the government to increase the actual green coverage, strengthen the preservation of old trees and existing settlements, and support young and recently planted trees.
In response to questions from Deputy Lai Ching Yi, the Institute of Municipal Affairs (IAM) reported that 'over 19 thousand mango trees' have been planted, which are species adapted to coastal transition zones between sea and land, between 2021 and 2025.
Despite high urbanization, Macau has mangrove swamps along approximately 4 kilometers of coastline in the Taipa-Coloane area, in the Cotai Ecological Zone. This local ecosystem consists of only seven species but plays a vital role in coastal protection, water filtration, and migratory bird conservation.
The institute also added that from 2020 to 2025, the area of green zones and the number of urban trees increased by approximately 10.3% and 8.1%, respectively. IAM mentioned that in 2023, it invited experts from mainland China to provide technical support in Macau, who gave recommendations on assessing the health of old trees and their restoration.
IAM's plans for the period from 2026 to 2030 include continuing to increase and optimize at least 200 thousand square meters of green areas across Macau, as well as planting about 3 thousand trees in parks, gardens, and recreational areas. The plan also includes adding green elements to pedestrian crossings and overpasses, developing three-dimensional greenery, and 'optimizing planning' and placement of green and recreational areas in urban districts.
