ENG3415 Sustainability

and Green Life

Lecture 4 – Natural Heritage
Protection in Hong
Kong

Lesson Intended Learning

Outcome and Learning Content
 Lesson Intended Learning Outcome
 identify and explain the characteristics of different
groups of ecological habitats and biodiversity of
Hong Kong
 Learning Content
 Habitat diversity in Hong Kong
 Species diversity in Hong Kong
 Conservation of Biodiversity

2
Definition of Heritage

Heritage

Culture Natural
Heritage Heritage

Source: UNESCO

Natural Heritage
 natural features consisting of physical and biological
formations or groups of such formations, which are of
outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or
scientific point of view;
 geological and physiographical formations 地理構造
and precisely delineated areas which constitute the
habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of
science or conservation;
 natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of
science, conservation or natural beauty.

Source: UNESCO
 Do you think that Hong Kong has a rich Natural Heritage?

THINK ABOUT IT…

Hong Kong Environment

 Land
 The total land area of Hong Kong is 1,100 km2,
over 60 km2 is the result of recent land
reclamation, but about 75% of total is open
countryside
 Topography is extremely rugged 崎嶇 and there is
little natural flat land
 Highest point is at Tai Mo Shan (957m), followed
by Lantau Peak (934m)
 Because of rugged terrain 地形 , around 95% of
population live and work in <20% of land while the
remaining 80% is relatively undeveloped 6
Hong Kong Environment
 Geology
 Around 90% of Hong Kong is underlain by igneous rocks
火成岩 (formed from molten rock) 由熔岩组成
 Volcanic rocks 火山岩 underlie about half of Hong Kong.
 Granites 花崗岩 are the second commonest rock type
cover about ¼ of Hong Kong
 Both volcanic and granites rocks from liquid magma 液
體岩漿 but volcanics cooled rapidly at surface and fine-
grained 細粒度 , granites cooled slowly underground
have large crystals
 Volcanic rocks from higher and sharper peaks, while
granite hills are lower, rounded and covered by boulders
巨石 7

 Sedimentary rocks 沉積岩 underlie small areas in

Hong Kong (~10%) e.g. Tung Ping Island

Hong Kong Environment

 Climate
 Hong Kong's climate is subtropical 亞熱帶 but half the
year is temperate 適度的
 Monsoon climate 季風氣候 dominated by seasonal
alternation of wind direction and resulting in major contrast
in weather between winter and summer
 Between summer and winter there are shorter periods of
transitional weather 過渡性天氣
 Mean annual temperature is 22.8 oC (1961-1990), 23.6 oC
in the year of 2016
 Mean annual rainfall is 2,214 mm, 3026.8mm in 2016
 Characteristic and ecologically significant feather of Hong
Kong winters is sudden arrivals of cold polar air 寒冷的極地
that cause a sharp drop in temperature 8
Geology in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Environment
 Climate
 Winter is the dry season
 Summer is wet season, with 77% of total annual
rainfall between May and September
 Climatic seasonality leads to seasonality in hill
fires, common in late December
 Large differences between years in terms of
amount and timing of rainfall (901 mm in 1963
and 3,343 mm in 1997)

Habitat in Hong Kong -

Overview
 Natural vegetation of Hong Kong was sub-
tropical semi-evergreen rain forest 亞熱帶 ,
半常綠雨林
 Would supported tigers, leopards, elephants…
which no longer occur in Hong Kong
 Chinese settlement in last 900-1000 year
 Forest cleared for agriculture, from rice in Pinus massoniana
lowlands to tea on Tai Mo Shan
 First European visitors (16th -17th century),
forest and forest-dependent animals were gone
 British arrived in 1840, forest preserved only as
fung shui woods 風水樹林 behinds villages
 Plantation of native pine 松樹種植 , Pinus
massoniana 馬尾松 , but were cut after Japanese
Occupation (1940-1946)
 Planting increased again after the war and
establishment of Country Parks
10

Source: http://en.Wikipedia.org
Habitat in Hong Kong -
Overview
 Most flat areas were cultivated 耕地 and
most hillsides were grassland
 Terrestrial habitats 陸地棲息地 we see today
have largely been derived from grassland or
cropland by natural process of ecological
succession (directional changes in the
structure and species composition of a
community)
 End point of succession in Hong Kong would
be a forest, but this process will take
several centuries at least
11

Habitat in Hong Kong -

Terrestrial habitats 陸地棲息地
 Grassland
 Shrubland 灌木林
 Secondary forest
 Fung shui woods 風水樹林
 Plantations 種植園
 Freshwater wetlands 淡水濕地
 Urban areas

12
Grassland
 Vegetation dominated by grasses
 Covers ~16% of Hong Kong
 Occurs only as a temporary stage on abandoned
廢棄 cultivated areas, and more extensively in
areas which are regularly burned
 They recover quickly from fire
 Also dominate in areas which are regularly grazed
by cattle or cut for fuel
 Grassland is the ecologically-poorest vegetation
type in Hong Kong and supports the fewest species
of plants and animals

13

Shrubland 灌木林

 10-15 years without fire results in replacement of grassland by

shrubland
 Grasses shaded-out by shrubs
 Most shrubs are evergreen, so much less dead fuel in winter
and fires become rare
 Many shrub species can recover if fire occurs
 Multiple fires will kill all woody plants and return the site to
grassland
 Covers 16% of Hong Kong’s area and support many species
of birds, mammals and other animals
 Most important habitat for migratory birds 候鳥
 If not burned or cut for 10-25 years, young trees will grow up
and shade-out the shrubs

14
Secondary Forest
 Trees form a continuous closed canopy, i.e. forest
 Called ‘secondary’ because it has grown up after the
original, or ‘primary’ forest was destroyed
 Most secondary forest in Hong Kong <50 years old
 10-20 m tall and much simpler in structure that the
primary forest
 Covers ~7% of Hong Kong’s land area
 Most important habitat for many Hong Kong’s resident
birds and mammals 哺乳動物
 Lowland forest 低地森林 , below ~400 m above
sea-level, dominated by tropical plant families
and species
 Montane forest 山地森林 (>400 m) dominated by non- 15

tropical plants because of low minimum

temperature

Fung Shui Woods

 Fung shui woods
behind villages in the
New territories are
much older (300 or
more years)
 Have a tall (15-25 m)
canopy and more Lai Chi Wo fung shui wood

complex structure,
more similar to
original forest 16
Freshwater Wetlands
 Flat, lowland areas used for rice cultivation until
1970s are often poorly-drained and liable to flooding
after abandoned
 Formation of a ‘hard pan’ 粘土層 (an almost
concrete-like watertight later under the field as a
result of repeated plowing 耕作 to the same
depth)
 If left abandoned, the hard pan left intact 原封不動
formed ‘freshwater wetlands’ dominated by
grasses and sedges 莎草科植物 and become
important habitat for birds, frogs, dragonflies
17
and other insects

Urban Areas
 Completely unnatural and only a few wild
species have been able to adapt
 Spread with people, e.g. sparrows 麻雀 , urban
rats, cockroaches

18
Habitat in Hong Kong
-Freshwater Habitat Mosquito fish
Source: http://en.Wikipedia.org

 Hong Kong has no natural lakes or real rivers

 Many streams and several artificial reservoirs
 >70% of freshwater from China, rest from rainfall
in Hong Kong
 1/3 of Hong Kong’s total area used as water
catchment 集水區
 Upper stream: mostly steep, fast-flowing,
unpolluted and occupied by native species
 Lowland stream: slower-flowing, mostly
badly-
polluted, often channelized (concrete channel),
support many exotic species 外來物種 (e.g.
Mosquito fish)
19

Habitat in Hong Kong -

Coastal Habitat 沿海棲息地
 Region influenced by rise and fall of tides is called
inter-tidal 潮間帶
 Combination of waves and tides makes inter-tidal
zone one of the harshest 最惡劣 environment on
earth
 Hong Kong’s inter-tidal region is diverse:
 Rocky shores
 Boulder shores
 Sandy and muddy shores
 Mudflats 泥灘
 Mangroves 紅樹林
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Rocky Shores
 80% of Hong Kong’s coastline composed of solid
rock
 Vary in the degree of exposure to wave action they
receive and puts a strong influence on the species
occur
 Strong vertical zonation, based on the length of time
that organisms out of water
 Splash zone 浪濺區 above height of the highest
tides, only wetted by sea spray at high tide and in
stormy weather
 Sub-tidal zone  below the height of the lowest tide,
never exposed to air
 Inter-tidal zone  in between splash zone and sub-
tidal zone 21

Rocky Shores 岩石海岸

 Hong Kong’s highly seasonal environment has a big

influence on rocky shore ecology
 Inter-tidal organisms 潮汐生物 e.g. Mangroves 紅樹林
 are exposed to much greater variation in air
temperatures, as well as solar radiation and rain,
when exposed
 Winter: mild season on shore, but periods of
extreme cold can kill crabs and other animals on
shore
 Summer: harsh season, tides are lower and early
afternoon low tides may expose organisms to rock
temperatures reach >50 oC, non-mobile species e.g.
large algae drying off, and mobile species retreating
lower down the shore 22
Boulder Shores, Sandy and
Muddy Shores
 Boulder shores
 Between exposed rocky shores and sheltered
beaches, there are often shores dominated by
boulders
 These add a third dimension of complexity to the
basically two-dimensional rocky shore, and
biologically more diverse
 Sandy and muddy shores 泥濘的海岸
 Coarse sandy beaches are the most hostile
environment 惡劣的環境 for life because the
substrate is continually shifting 移位
23

Mudflats 泥灘

 Mudflats
 Occurs in very sheltered locations where there is
usually no wave action and the mud is simply
covered and uncovered by tides
 Largest inter-tidal mudflat is in Deep Bay, where
silt 淤泥 provided by Pearl River 珠江

24
Mangroves 紅樹林

 Develop on the upper part of sheltered shores in the

tropics and sub-tropics 亞熱帶
 Because of Hong Kong’s cold winters, only 8
mangrove plant species
 Extremely difficult environment for vascular plants
維管植物 , with high and fluctuating salinity 波動鹽度 and
unstable and anaerobic substrate (less oxygen areas)
 Mangrove fauna 紅樹林動物群 is extremely rich as a
result of the huge range of microhabitats 微生境帶 that
mangrove provides
 ~290 ha of mangrove in Hong Kong, with 115 ha at
Mai Po
 Part of the mangroves at Mai Po were converted
into inter-tidal shrimp ponds (gei wais) 潮間蝦塘（基圍 ) 25

 in 1940s, a very important habitat for water birds

Marine Habitat
 Hong Kong’s territorial waters 水域 cover a greater area (1800
km2) than the land (1100 km2) but are much less well-known,
ecologically
 Maximum water depth ~80 m but most areas are much more
shallow (30-40 m)
 Hong Kong waters are influenced by a seasonal alternation of
marine currents, driven by the alternation in wind directions
 Two basic divisions of marine environment: pelagic 上層 (the
water) and benthic 底層 (the bottom)
 Marine organisms adopt to one of the three major lifestyles:
 Plankton 浮游生物 (free-floating, drifting with
current, limited swimming ability)
 Nekton 自遊動物 (free-swimming)
 Benthos 底棲生物 (bottom- 26

dwelling)
Marine Habitat
 Hong Kong is on the eastern side of the Pearl River
estuary 江口 – the largest river in South China
 Western half of Hong Kong waters has an estuarine
environment 河口環境 , salinity falls almost to zero
after wet weather in summer
 Western waters are very turbid 很渾濁 because
of suspended sediments 懸浮沉積物 brought down
by the river
 Eastern waters are clear and oceanic, with a more
or less constant high salinity
27

Coral Reef 珊瑚礁

 Reefs 礁 are ridges below sea surface

 Add three-dimensional complexity to the two-
dimensional seabed 海床 , they provide more
microhabitats 微生境中 and support more
species
 Coral reefs are built up over a long time from
calcium carbonate skeletons 碳酸鈣骨架 of
reef-building corals (colonial animals like
small sea anemones 海葵 ) and other
animals, MOST SPECIES RICH marine
habitat
 Coral Reef 珊瑚礁

 Hong Kong has 50 species of reef-building corals,

they do not form true coral reefs here, they form
more simple structure than true coral reefs, but
supporting high diversity of animals, >300 fish
species
 Corals excluded from western Hong Kong waters by
low salinity and high turbidity
 Symbiotic unicellular algae 共生單細胞藻類 , they
need light and rarely grow < 10m depth in
Hong Kong waters
 Corals cannot survive exposure to cold air in
winter
 Coral community best developed in sheltered
waters, 29

e.g. Hoi Ha Wan and Yan Chau Tong 海下灣及印洲塘

Source: Dudgeon, D. & Corlett, R.T.

(1994). Hills & Streams: an Ecology
of Hong Kong. Hong Kong University 30

Press.
 Do you think that Hong Kong is a rich Biodiversity?

THINK ABOUT IT…

31

What is biodiversity?
 Biological diversity 生物多樣性 or biodiversity
is the variety of all life forms (plants,
animals and microorganisms) on Earth
 Biodiversity is a measure of the relative
diversity among organisms present in
different ecosystems.
 "Diversity" in this definition includes diversity
within a species and among species, and
comparative diversity 比較差異 among
ecosystems.
Healthy biodiversity should
included:

33

Species Diversity in Hong

Kong
 It is evident that Hong Kong is surprisingly
rich in biodiversity, although particular
locations that support many species of one
group are not necessarily rich in other
taxa 生物分類
 Current biological diversity in Hong Kong,
although high, is undoubtedly less that would
have been present in the past
 Many species lost as a result of deforestation
森林砍伐 34
Species Diversity in Hong
Kong
 Hong Kong is considered rich in number of
species
 The number of species of birds in Hong Kong
is one third of that in China while the number
of butterflies species is also one sixth of the
total butterfly species in China
 At least 20,000 terrestrial species in Hong
Kong, including >200 species of butterflies,
2100 species of vascular plants, 700 species
of vertebrates 脊椎動物 , excluding micro-
organisms
35

Example of Fauna in HK
Dolphins and Green Turtle
 Hong Kong waters supports two species of
resident marine mammals: the Chinese
White Dolphin, Sousa chinensis, and the
Finless Porpoise 無翅海豚 , Neophocaena Chinese White Dolphin
phocaenoides
 Pink coloration of many of Hong Kong’s
dolphins is apparently unique
 Mostly seen north of Lantau
 100-150 dolphins that regularly use Hong
Kong waters and more in the Pearl River
Estuary
Finless Porpoise
 Threatened by pollution, loss of feeding
habitat, collisions 碰撞 with boats, and
decline in the fish supply as a result of
over-fishing
 A species of sea turtle, the green turtle,
Chelonia mydas, nests on the beach at
36

Sham Wan, Lamma Island 深灣，南丫島 Green Turtle

Source: http://en.Wikipedia.org
Why is Hong Kong’s
Biodiversity Important?
 Wild species and communities are part of
Hong Kong’s heritage
 Wild species and communities contribute
directly to the quality of life of present and
future generations
Romer’s Tree Frog
 Wild species are a potential economic Source: http://en.Wikipedia.org
resource e.g. tourism and leisure. Recent
advances in biotechnology have opened
up possibilities for exploitation of wild
species
 A few species, e.g. Romer’s Tree Frog 小樹
蛙 , are known only from Hong Kong;
Black-faced Spoonbill 黑面琵鷺 with Hong
Kong supporting a significant fraction of
world’s total population. Preserving local Black-faced Spoonbill37
biodiversity is thus part of Hong Kong’s Source: http://en.Wikipedia.org
global responsibility

Functions of biodiversity
 Food and drink.
 Medicines
 Other ecological services
 Industrial materials
 Leisure, cultural and aesthetic value

38
Benefits of biodiversity-
Food and drink
 About 80 percent of our food supply comes
from just 20 kinds of plant.
 Although many kinds of animal are utilised as
food, again most consumption is focused on
a few species.
 There is vast untapped 巨大的未開發 potential for
increasing the range of food products suitable
for human consumption, provided that the
high present extinction rate can be halted. 停止
39

Benefits of biodiversity -
Medicines
 A significant proportion of drugs 藥品 are
derived, directly or indirectly, from biological
sources. In most cases these medicines
can not presently be synthesized in a
laboratory setting.
 A small proportion of the total diversity of
plants has been thoroughly investigated for
potential sources of new drugs.
 Many medicines and antibiotics 抗生素
are also derived from microorganisms.
40
Benefits of biodiversity –
Other ecological services
 Biodiversity provides many ecosystem
services that are often not readily visible.
 It plays a part in regulating the chemistry of
our atmosphere and water supply.
 Biodiversity is directly involved in recycling
nutrients and providing fertile soils.
 Experiments with controlled environments
have shown that humans cannot easily build
ecosystems to support human needs
41

Benefits of biodiversity –
Industrial materials

 A wide range of industrial materials are

derived directly from biological resources.
 These include building materials, fibres, dyes,
resins, gums 膠 , adhesives 粘合劑 , rubber and
oil.
 There is enormous potential for further
research into sustainably utilising materials
from a wider diversity of organisms.

42
Benefits of biodiversity –
Leisure, cultural and aesthetic value
 Many people derive value from biodiversity through
leisure activities:
 a walk in the countryside
 bird-watching
 natural history programs on television.
 Biodiversity has inspired musicians, painters,
sculptors, writers and other artists.
 Many cultural groups view themselves as an integral
part of the natural world and show respect for other
living organisms.
43

Conserving biodiversity
 It means maintaining the variety of species
and genetic resources, as well as the
environment in which different species
coexist 共存 and are interlinked.
 Conservation of biodiversity is therefore a
total approach towards conserving the
Earth's rich, but depleting, variety of life forms
and ecosystems.
Biodiversity Conservation in
Hong Kong
 Major Government departments involved in
conservation:
 Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation
Department AFCD) (responsible for Country
Parks, Special Areas, Restricted Areas,
enforcement of protected species
legislation)
 Planning Department (conservation zoning)
 Environmental Protection Department
(EIAs)
45

Biodiversity Conservation in
Hong Kong
 Laws protect areas
 Country Parks Ordinance
 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance
 Town Planning Ordinance
 Marine Parks Ordinance
 Laws protect species
 Forestry Regulations
 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance
 Environmental Impact Assessment
Ordinance
46
Country Parks Ordinance
 Country Parks Ordinance (Cap. 208) (1976)
provides for the designation, control and
management of Country Parks (CPs) and Special
Areas (SAs)
 Country Parks and Special Areas (SA) cover 40%
of Hong Kong’s total area so this is the most
important protected area legislation
 Established a Country Parks Authority (the Director
of AFCD) and a Country Parks Board for advice
 Duty of the Authority to recommend areas to be
designed as CPs and SAs and to develop and
manage these areas after designation
47

Country Parks Ordinance

 Management of CPs and SAs intended to:
 Encourage their use and development for the
purposes of recreation and tourism
 Protect the vegetation and wildlife
 Preserve and maintain buildings and sites of
historic and cultural significance
 Provide facilities and services for public
enjoyment

48
Country Parks Ordinance
 24 numbers of CPs were gazetted as in 2011
 22 SAs have been designated, most of them inside
CPs, but some like Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve,
Ma Shi Chau, are not
 Total area of Country Parks and Special Areas is
44,239 hectares
 CPs and SAs are almost identical from a legal point
of view, but AFCD provides more recreational
facilities in CPs, and emphasizes conservation in
SAs
49

50
Wild Animals Protection
Ordinance
 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170)
provides for designation of Restricted Areas (or ‘Wild
Animal Protection Area’) to which access is limited
 Mai Po Marshes, permit is always needed for
access
 Yim Tso Ha Egretry 鹽灶下鷺鳥
 Sham Wan beach on Lamma Island, where Green
Turtles nest, a permit is needed to enter between
June and October

51

Town Planning Ordinance

 Town Planning Ordinance (Cap. 131) mainly concerned with
planning urban areas but also provides for designation of
coastal protection areas, Sites of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSIs), Green Belts or other specified uses (including
Conservation Areas) that promote conservation or protection
of the environment
 70 SSSIs, mostly small areas of biological or geological
interest
 Land-use categories are shown on Outline Zoning Plan, with
an indication of what developments will be permitted in
them
 No developments are allowed in SSSIs and few in CAs, but
no protection against other impacts e.g. hunting, fire etc.
 SSSIs are proposed by AFCD but then legal responsibility of
Planning Department 52
 53
Source: Planning Department

Marine Parks Ordinance

 Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap. 476) (1995) (marine equivalent
to CPO) provides for designation, control and management of
marine parks and marine reserves
 The Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation was enacted
in July 1996 to provide for the prohibition and control of certain
activities in marine parks or marine reserve
 Aims to designate marine parks and marine reserves and do
what is necessary for:
 Protecting, restoring and, where necessary, enhancing marine
life and marine environment
 Promoting use of resources in marine parks to meet the needs
and aspirations 願望 of present and future generations of
mankind
 Facilitating recreational activities in marine parks
 Providing opportunities for educational and scientific studies
54
Marine Parks Ordinance
 Swimming, diving and boating are prohibited in
Marine Reserve, while small-scale fishing is still
allowed under a permit system in Marine Parks
 Up to August 2005, 4 marine parks and 1 marine
reserve were designated
 4 Marine Parks: Yan Chau Tong 印洲塘 , Hoi Ha
Wan 海下灣 , Sha Chau 沙洲 , Lung Kwu Chau 龍鼓
洲 .Newly-opened Tung Ping Chau
 1 Marine Reserve: Cape D’ Aguilar 鶴咀
 Total marine protected area is still only slightly >1%
of Hong Kong waters
55

Forestry Regulations
 Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96) (part of the
Forestry and Countryside Ordinance)
 Prohibits sale or possession of 176 native
plant species, including all native orchids
( 蘭 花 ), all native camellias ( 茶 花 ), all
native rhododendrons ( 杜鵑花 )

56
Wild Animals Protection
Ordinance
 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap.
170) makes it illegal to hunt, wilfully disturb,
possess or sell a list of named animal
species, including all wild mammals, except
rats, mice and shrews 鼩 , all wild birds,
selected reptiles 爬行動物 , three amphibians 兩
棲動物 , and one insect – the birdwing, butterfly
鳳蝶 , 蝴蝶

57

Environmental Impact
Assessment Ordinance
 Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance
(Cap. 499) requires assessment of the expected
environmental impact before all major development
projects
 Include an assessment of the ecological impact,
unless the project is in urban area
 EPD may require the project to modify or stop if it
will have a major ecological impact
 EPD stopped KCRC building Lok Ma Chau Spur
line 落馬洲支線 across Long Valley on ecological
grounds 58
Problems of Biodiversity
Conservation in Hong Kong
 Ignorance: we cannot even name most groups
of organisms, and we know nothing about the
ecology of most species that we can name
 Terrestrial landscapes 陸地景觀 in Hong Kong are
highly degraded: not just vegetation but also
soil
 Many species are extinct 絕種 , at least locally,
some probably globally, it becomes too late to
conserve
 Most diversity is concentrated in a small
proportion of total area, e.g. forested upland
valleys 森林高地山谷 , fung shui woods, lowland
streams, wetlands, coastal areas 59

Problems of Biodiversity
Conservation in Hong Kong
 High risk of fire: which magnifies the damage
especially within Country Parks
 High land costs: makes the acquisition of land
for conservation extremely expensive and create
huge pressures from developers on existing
protected areas
 Low priority of conservation in Hong Kong:
makes funding difficult
 Lack of informed public support for
conservation
60
Reference List
 Cain, M.L., Bowman, W.D. & Hacker, S.D.
(2011). Ecology, 2nd ed.
 Dudgeon, D. & Corlett, R.T. (1994). Hills &
Streams: an Ecology of Hong Kong. Hong
Kong University Press.
 http://en.Wikipedia.org

61