Woodlands of Hong Kong

July 2020

When people think of Hong Kong, they envisage towering skyscrapers, packed streets and bustling night markets. What many don’t realise is that over 75% of Hong Kong’s total land area is green space and 40% is protected country park. If Hong Kong had never been developed then the area where those massive skyscrapers are would be lush, subtropical rainforest.

Unfortunately, over the last few hundred years, Hong Kong has lost almost all its forests, and with it much of its animal life. In the 11th and 12th centuries settlers from the north started to clear the forests and as Hong Kong became a centre for lime production more trees were cut down to fire the kilns. Farmers also felled large areas of forest to create space for tea plantations.

According to Corlett (1998) Hong Kong “is the earliest tropical example of large-scale afforestation for environmental reasons.” From as early as the 1870s, the government of Hong Kong were focused on tree planting, not for commercial reasons but for the health benefits of those who lived in the city. In fact, the steep terrain of the territory meant that the cost of felling trees usually outweighed the revenue from the sale of the timber. Between 1871 and 1900 the government planted native Chinese Red Pine seedlings, either planting nursery raised saplings or by sowing seeds directly into the ground.

By 1938, 70% of Hong Kong Island was covered by plantations initiated by the government. Large afforested areas could also be found in the New Territories, in the North, near the border with China. However, during World War Two, Hong Kong was occupied by the Japanese and the vast majority of all those forests was again cut down. This time for fuel. At the end of the war less than 4% of the main island land was covered by forest.

In the 1970s, the Hong Kong government again began a reforestation program. This was driven by the severe water shortages after the war and the need to improve catchment areas. In 1976, 40% of the land area of Hong Kong was designated as country parks and restricted areas. About two-thirds of Hong Kong’s forests are currently within these protected areas.

In the 1990s, there was a lot of discussion about whether direct plantation planting or simply protecting existing forests from fire was the best use of forest management funds in Hong Kong. Less than a dozen tree species have been successful with mass planting in the region. These species also generally don’t have fruits that encourage local wildlife, particularly birds, to disperse their seeds. These areas of exotic plantations are often referred to as “green deserts” as they add minimal biodiversity value to the area and are generally monocultures- just having one species. On the other hand, grasslands that have been protected from hill fires often develop rapidly into shrubland and then into secondary forests.

As a result of all this historical felling and afforestation/reforestation, there aren’t any large areas of completely natural woodland to be found in Hong Kong. But there are enriched woodlands, which look like a natural forest but have been replanted more recently. These can be recognised by the older established trees being about the same age.

There are also the unique “Fung Shui Woods” which can usually be found behind indigenous villages. These are small pockets of woodland that have old native species and some planted species that can be a source of income for villagers, such as star fruit, bamboo, or banana plants.

There is also the register of “Old and Valuable Trees” created by the Hong Kong Government in 2004. There are currently about 500 trees on record that are precious species, old (over 100 years), have a particularly “outstanding form” or shape, or have cultural, historical or memorable significance.

In recent years, the Hong Kong government’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) have been undertaking a major enrichment project of the country park plantations in the territory, aiming to increase biodiversity, sustainability and improve the health of the trees. The “Country Park Plantation Enrichment Programme” (PEP) has focused on 90 hectares on plantations within country parks so far (since 2009) and is planning to focus on 10 sites around Hong Kong between 2020-2025, encouraging local NGOs to get involved with the planting and management of the sites. AFCD teams have been thinning exotic/introduced tree species, planting more native tree seedlings and maintaining those native species through weed control, fertilizing. They use the felled trees for “Dead Wood”- providing food and shelter to wildlife.

The native seedlings of almost 80 species that the AFCD used for PEP are produced at their own nursery in Tai Tong, Hong Kong. When these seedlings reach maturity, they will provide food and shelter to native wildlife and enhance biodiversity in the country park forests.