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State
of Hong Kong
Biodiversity 2025
© Tommy Hui / WWF-Hong Kong

Having been inhabited for at least 6,000 years, Hong Kong’s natural ecosystems have all but degraded, and those that remain today have undergone tremendous changes. Nevertheless, thanks to its geographic location, complex topography, diverse ecosystems, and an extensive Country Park system, the metropolis still supports a remarkably high biodiversity. A major caveat, however, is that the system of protected areas is heavily biased towards hilly terrain and excludes much of the rural lowlands and also many remote valleys. These areas are mostly subject to threats such as land use change and/or habitat degradation.

Over the past few decades, Hong Kong’s fragile natural assets have been subjected to a new wave of threats, with the announcement of aggressive local and regional development plans such as the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, Lantau Tomorrow Vision, and Greater Bay Area Strategic Plan, whilst vegetation succession has affected conditions at various hotspots and led to dramatic changes in the conservation status of many species.

In view of this, WWF-Hong Kong initiated this study and formed a working group comprised of local ecological and/or taxonomic experts. Based on a set of criteria modified from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and using updated knowledge on the status and distribution of a suite of species in Hong Kong, the expert group evaluated 1,197 species and assessed 886 species from 8 major terrestrial faunal groups. The expert group also identified a series of biodiversity hotspots, prioritising those which have high habitat quality, a high concentration of threatened species and/or are in urgent need of conservation intervention.

Our analysis reveals an alarming figure – over 25% of the assessed species are now facing a moderate or high risk of local extinction. Animals which are dependent on lowland habitats, such as wetland birds and freshwater fishes, are particularly at risk. This study highlights that the protection, restoration and sustainable management of lowland habitats are of the utmost importance and urgency for conservation of Hong Kong’s biodiversity.

Our aim with this report and the hotspot map is to inform strategic conservation policies, elicit interest in the conservation of overlooked fauna and their habitats, and help the Government to enhance relevant policies, laws and regulations. We also encourage interested citizens and amateur naturalists to report observations of at-risk species, as well as threats such as poaching and habitat destruction, to relevant authorities and experts, and volunteer for conservation efforts of at-risk species. Together, we can all contribute to bringing threatened species back from the brink of local extinction.