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Hong Kong's climate and physical environment provides a wide range of
habitats and supports a rich and varied fauna. These include about 450
species of birds, 50 species of mammals, 80 species of reptiles, 23 species
of amphibians, 230 species of butterflies and 110 species of dragonflies.
The Mai Po Marshes form one of the most important
wildlife conservation sites in Hong Kong. Together with the Inner Deep
Bay area, the Mai Po Marshes area was listed as a 'Wetland of International
Importance' under the Ramsar Convention in September 1995. About 1 500
hectares of mudflats, fish ponds, marshes, reedbeds and dwarf mangroves
provide a rich habitat for migratory and resident birds, particularly
ducks and waders. Some 300 species of birds have been observed in this
area, many of which are considered globally threatened and endangered,
such as the black-faced spoonbill, Oriental stork, Nordmann's greenshank
and Saunders' gull. The AFCD implements a wetland conservation and management
plan to conserve the ecological value of the area.
The traditional fung shui woods near old villages
and temples and the secondary forests provide important habitats for many
woodland birds. Sightings in wooded areas include warblers, flycatchers,
robins, bulbuls and tits.
Areas around the Kowloon reservoirs are inhabited
by monkeys descended from individuals that had been released or had escaped
from captivity. There are breeding groups of long-tailed macaques and
rhesus macaques, and their hybrids. Feeding of monkeys has been prohibited
since July 1999 to prevent unnatural growth of the monkey population.
Other mammals like barking deer, leopard cats, Chinese porcupines, Chinese
ferret badger, masked palm civets, small Indian civets, wild boar and
bats are quite common in the countryside. Sightings of less common species
such as Eurasian otters, Javan mongooses and Chinese pangolins are occasionally
reported.
Hong Kong has over 100 species of amphibians and reptiles.
There are 23 species of amphibians and three of them — Hong Kong
cascade frog, Hong Kong newt and the endemic Romer's tree frog —
are protected by the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance due to their endemic
status or very restricted distribution in Hong Kong. Most of the 50 species
of snakes are harmless and reports of people being bitten by highly venomous
snakes are very rare in Hong Kong. Among the nine native species of chelonians,
the green turtle is of particular interest as it is the only known species
of sea turtle breeding locally. The AFCD has been satellite-tracking green
turtles nesting in Hong Kong to better understand their migration biology.
The results have shown that the two turtles under study migrated to feeding
grounds in the coastal waters off Hainan Island. |
