SECTION 4 ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES CAPITAL STOCK
4.2 Existing Capital Stock and Trends
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| Plants
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| 4.2.1.69 |
The flora of Hong Kong is highly diverse in character and extraordinarily numerous in species. Hong Kong's flora provides a phyto-geographical link between Mainland China and the islands of the Philippines. The majority of Hong Kong's flora consists of genera which are largely tropical with a minority of genera having their predominant distribution to the north (Dudgeon and Corlett 1994). |
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| 4.2.1.70 |
A total of 2,723 species of vascular plants, both native and exotic, have been recorded growing in Hong Kong (AFD 1993) which covers 239 families, 1,278 genera and 92 varieties. This represents a considerably diverse assemblage which may be attributed to factors such as the range of habitats including wetlands, remnants of old woodlands and relatively undisturbed Fung shui woodlands. A total of 2,130 vascular plant species were recorded in a recent biodiversity survey (Corlett et al 2000) which lists 215 species of ferns (pteridophytes), 9 species of gymnosperms and 1,906 species of flowering plants (angiosperms). Of these species, 19% are either locally extinct or very rare and an additional 15% are considered rare. It is estimated that the majority of species are confined to sites which total less than 10% of the land area, the richest areas being small patches of montane forest above 400-500m which have been protected by remoteness, dampness and inaccessibility. Species lists for fung shui woods, rare plants and sedges are provided in the HKU Biodiversity Survey (HKU 1999a) based on data collected by the biodiversity survey team and Shaw (HKU thesis, 2000) and Chu (HKU thesis, 1998) and previous work on weeds (Corlett 1992) and bryophytes (Zhang and Lin 1997). |
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| Terrestrial Species of Special Concern |
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| 4.2.1.71 |
Organisms which are protected under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap 170) and/or the Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap 476), or are documented to be rare, threatened or endangered, are considered to be species of special concern. Schedules containing organisms listed under these two ordinances are included in Annex D. Some of the more charismatic of these species are embraced by the public and become "flagship" species embodying man's concern for protection of the natural environment and its organisms. Of the 388 rare and endangered plant taxa included in the China Plant Red Data Book (Volume 1: Rare and Endangered Plants), 14 species from 12 families have been recorded in Hong Kong (Lai et al 1999). These include Castanopsis concinna and Camellia granthamiana which are classed as 'endangered' and Tetrathyrium subcordatum and Tsoongiodendron odorum which are classed as 'rare'. |
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| 4.2.1.72 |
Perhaps the best known terrestrial species of special concern is the Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor), a large white wading bird with a distinctively shaped beak which looks like a spoon. This bird occurs only in East Asia, and the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site is one of the main wintering sites for the species. It is estimated that the world population of Black-faced Spoonbills is about 600 with up to 135 birds seen at Mai Po during the winter season. Based on its low population and ongoing threats to its habitat, this species is regarded as critically endangered species and is thought to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future. In November 1998, WWFHK was commissioned by AFCD to conduct research on the wintering ecology and satellite tracking of the Black-faced Spoonbill at Mai Po, with the aim of developing a management plan for the conservation of the bird. |
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