HKU Bulletin June 2006 (Vol. 7 No. 3)

9 “We need to extrapolate from histor ical records for Guangdong and the South China region to have any idea of what has been lost. Those records suggest we had lost monkeys, gibbons, elephants, rhinos, squirrels, flying squirrels, pheasants and woodpeckers by the 19th century.” It may be a depressing list of mortalities but it is not all bad news. Corlett gives some grounds for optimism by pointing out that existing species, like the barking deer and civets, are actually increasing in Hong Kong thanks to the removal of hunting pressure and better control of hill fires. The time is ripe, he said, to begin seriously contemplating the future of Hong Kong’s Country Parks. “We see the same pattern throughout the region of species being gradually eliminated. None of these species are globally extinct yet, but everything is in retreat. So it’s important that we learn how to re-establish species in areas which are properly protected. “Hong Kong is one of the few areas where things are getting better so it makes it an ideal place to reintroduce species that have become extinct in the past. We are never going to be able to prove what was here so it will involve a big leap of faith. “But we have to learn how to do this because virtually every large animal in Asia is in danger, as well as many smaller ones. Everything is in decl ine so we real ly need to learn how to reintroduce things before it’s too late. It would be massively educational.” Reintroduced species can also play an important ecological role. “The introduction of some species to Hong Kong would be premature but it will always be premature if we don’t even think about it. It’s a long process. You need to think ahead and if we don’t plan now what we want to do in 30 to 40 years’ time it could be too late.” Getting back to the elephants Corlett points out that there are 11,000 domesticated Asian elephants in the world. “Many have been trained for logging but are no longer used. That means there’s a surplus of elephants but there’s virtually nowhere in the region to home them.” He has suggested isolating a section of the Sai Kung peninsula with electric fencing which could provide a home for a small herd of female elephants, which are less aggressive than the males. Sadly, his enthusiasm, at least where elephants are concerned, is likely to remain little more than a dream. “I don’t think it will happen in Hong Kong,” he concedes. “Governments all over the world like the idea of reintroducing species because it’s one of the very few positive conservation actions. It’s usually the ecologists who are against it.” So the elephants will have to remain off the list for the time being. But, he said, it would be educational for China to learn how to do reintroduction properly, instead of the current situation where Buddhists in Hong Kong release thousands of alien birds and turtles into the environment every year. “We should learn how to do it properly now,” Corlett insists, because, “As the Joni Mitchell song says ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’.” 8 COVER STORY Replacing Lost Species An ecologist suggests measures for reintroducing Hong Kong’s lost species. T he reintroduction of elephants to Hong Kong may sound like an outlandish idea but interest in replacing lost species to our Country Parks is gaining momentum. The Asian elephant once roamed freely in forests from the Yellow River down to Borneo and must have formed a major part of Hong Kong’s ecosystem. There are still about 200 living in the wild in Yunnan but they are gradually being eliminated. However, mention reintroducing the elephant to our Country Parks – as Dr Richard Corlett did recently – and you’re likely to be met with howls of derision. Corlett, Associate Professor of the Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, has been trying to raise awareness of the need to start thinking about the future of Hong Kong’s forests and to consider the possibility of reintroducing animals and plants that have been lost over the last few centuries. Once home to a diverse family of animal, bird and plant life including tigers, leopards, rhinos and gibbons Hong Kong’s almost total deforestation over the last millennium has seen a marked drop in ecological diversity. The territory is still host to barking deer, wild boar, porcupines, pangolins and civets but Corlett believes there is now room to reintroduce some of the mammals and birds that once called Hong Kong home – albeit less controversial ones than elephants. Top of his list are 20th century extinctions like the Large Indian Civet, a strikingly marked carnivore, and the Red Fox, both of which prowled the territory up until the 1950s. “Something like the Large Indian Civet would not be too controversial,” he said. “There’s no evidence of it attacking people, only chickens and ducks.” He also suggests releasing the Yellow-bellied Weasel and the Yellow-throated Marten. The most attractive bird species reintroduct ion could be the stunning si lver pheasant – a spectacular creature that still occupies almost all suitable habitats in Guangdong, including the nearest large forest areas to Hong Kong. “It is fairly easy to breed in captivity, so the direct translocation of wild individuals would not be essential. “Part of the problem with reintroduction,” he said. “Is that there are virtually no historical records for what was here before the 19th century.