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The Living South China With diverse landscape, abundant rainfall and pleasant climate, the subtropical and tropical forests in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Hong Kong are among the richest habitats in the world. Sadly, the ever-expanding population and seemingly endless craving for development and consumption are degrading the precious natural heritage at high speed.
South China biodiversity hotspots identified by China Programme
South China was originally covered by dense forests that used to extend from the equatorial Southeast Asia to Siberia. Today, only fragments remain! Photo by Bosco Chan
Biodiversity in South China is besieged! Most of them are endangered species, including…. Photo by Bosco Chan
藍背八色鶇 Blue-rumped Pitta Pitta soror Being globally near-threatened, in China it is a rare resident only in Hainan and Guangxi. Like other pittas, it is highly secretive and spends much of its time hopping on the forest floor searching for food. It favours the interior of mature forests and is sensitive to logging activities. Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
陽彩臂金龜子Cheirotonus jansoni Photo by Lee Kwok Shing This heavy-set and colourfuldorbeetle is a popular pet in some countries. Mind out! It is a Class II state protected species, and trading and owning one without government approval is illegal.
三線擬鱨 East River Striped Catfish Pseudobagnus trilineatus Restricted to the Dong Jiang basin and Hong Kong. Rare and listed as vulnerable in China, its ecology is still not known and its habitat has not been protected. Photo by Bosco Chan
坡鹿Hainan Eld’s Deer Cervus eldii Photo by Lee Kwok Shing Listed as a Class I national protected species in China, its number once dropped to 26 due to uncontrolled poaching and shrinking of habitat.
海南長臂猿 Hainan Gibbon Nomascus hainanus Photo by Bawangling NNR With only 14 individuals left on Hainan Island, it is the most critically endangered primate on earth. Due to continued habitat destruction and poaching, they are now restricted to a small piece of primary forest called Bawangling in Hainan.
海南擬髭蟾 Hainan Pseudomoustache Toad Leptobrachium hainanensis Photo by Lee Kwok Shing This Hainan endemic lives in forests but breeds in clear mountain streams. The tadpoles take more than a year to grow and are susceptible to the seasonal drying of streams associated with forest destruction.
尖喙蛇 Indochinese Rhino Snake Rhynchophis boulengeri Photo by Michael Lau This is a rare tree snake from Hainan, Guangxi and northern Vietnam. Like many Asian snakes, not much information is available about its ecology in the wild and its global status has not been assessed.
三趾翠鳥Oriental Dwarf KingfisherCeyx erithacus A tiny and colourful kingfisher which is not easy to spot. It flies between dense foliage at high speed like a fleeting multi-coloured jewel. In China, it is a rare resident in tropical forests. Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
純藍仙鶲 Pale Blue Flycatcher Cyornis unicolor Photo by Lee Kwok Shing This elegant but shy flycatcher sings sweet and resounding songs. Normally hiding in virgin forest, its songs are often heard but the bird is seldom seen.
高體鰟鮍 Rosy Bitterling Rhodeus ocellatus Photo by Bosco Chan Closely associated with freshwater clams because this colourful fish has to lay eggs inside the clams for a free service of protection and hatching. Found in clean lowland streams and ponds. Though these habitats are still common in Mainland China, pollution and channelisation are slowly destroying the fish’s habitat, as it has experienced in Hong Kong.
疣斑樹蛙Rough-skinned Warty FrogTheloderma asperum This unusual frog mimics bird droppings and breeds in tree holes. Only mature forests provide the right micro-habitat. Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
白鷴 Silver Pheasant Lophura nycthemera Silver Pheasants forage in small groups and love to eat figs dropped by monkeys and pigeons. Cocks are intricately marked but hens are drab brown. It still occurs in many good forests in South China. Although it is the provincial bird of Guangdong, it is threatened by hunting. Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
鸚歌嶺樹蛙 Yinggeling Tree Frog This frog was only discovered in high altitude rainforests of Hainan in 2003. It is one of the many examples of recent biodiversity discoveries and shows there is still a lot to be learned about the riches of South China. Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
燕鳳蝶 White DragontailLamproptera curius This is the smallest swallowtail on earth. Due to over-collection, it is now listed as near-threatened in China. Found in Southwest and South China, including Hong Kong. Photo by John Fellows
海南虎斑鳽 White-eared Night Heron Gorsachius magnificus This secretive bird was once thought to be extinct. In May 1998, the Kadoorie Farm survey team found one bird for sale in a wildlife market in Guangxi. Subsequent work has found this heron from several scattered sites but some of them have already been degraded. Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
Lives at Threats • 危機男四伕
Habitat Destruction To satisfy the seemingly endless march of consumption and development, most wild plants and animals have been pushed to the hinterlands. Are we willing to accept the consequences of tearing the ecosystems into pieces and breaking their integrity? Photo by Wang Hai Bin
Poaching… Look at these most lovable but totally helpless little friends! Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
…they aren't the only one. Photo by Sharon Chow
Exploitation and Illegal Trading… Many animals trapped from the forests are to be served in exotic wildlife restaurants or to supply the international pet trade. Do you want to see a silent forest devoid of its natural inhabitants? Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
Let’s keep South China alive,Adopt sustainable livelihood. Think of the food you eat, the paper and the furniture you use…What are they actually made of? How much energy is needed to bring them to Hong Kong? As one of the major cities in South China, development and consumption pressure from every one of us contributes to environmental degradation in the region. Should you want to learn more about sustainable living, please click here Photo by Lee Kwok Shing
