Growing Forests in an Urban Jungle

Trees are a natural ally of humankind in 
the fight against climate change, but
vanishing forests have left us dangerously exposed. Reforestation projects are essential if we are to turn the tide against rising global temperatures – and such projects are taking place even in an urban jungle like Hong Kong.

Growing Forests in an Urban Jungle
Wednesday, 26 July 2023
4 min read

A world without forests would be a world without life. They are not only home to most of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity, but also serve as sponges for carbon dioxide and heat-trapping greenhouse gases generated by human activity.

 

Overcoming the climate crisis depends upon trees. If forests vanished altogether, humankind would disappear with them as food chains collapsed and zoonotic diseases raged out of control.

 

The world has lost at least 35% of its forests in the last three centuries, and 82% of the remaining forests are degraded to some extent by human activity, according to a study. The degradation has been driven by agriculture, industrial logging, urbanisation and infrastructure.

 

Digging in to save the planet

To help tackle this, forest restoration projects are being implemented worldwide as a nature-based solution to adress climate change and drive biodiversity recovery. 

 

The Bonn Challenge, for instance, was launched in 2011 with a goal of bringing 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes into restoration by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. 

 

A forest restoration programme would involve germinating seeds of rare native species and exploring ways to plant them in the right place.
A forest restoration programme would involve germinating seeds of rare native species and exploring ways to plant them in the right place.

 

With the support of more than 60 countries, it reached its 150 million hectares milestone by 2017 and has so far restored 210 million hectares of degraded and deforested land.

 

At the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Canada, in December 2022, governments went a step further and agreed to a historic package of measures addressing nature and biodiversity loss.

 

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework includes goals to halt human-induced extinction of threatened species by 2050, as well as to sustainably use and manage biodiversity.

 

It also contains 23 targets to be achieved by 2030, including restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems and effectively conserving and managing at least 30% of the earth’s land and water areas.

 

Forests in the shadow of skyscrapers

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and might seem like one of the least likely locations for a reforestation project.

 

Beyond its skyscrapers and urban sprawl, however, is a vast 1,000 square kilometer expanse of rural towns and villages known as the New Territories. Unbeknownst to many, three quarters of Hong Kong’s total land mass is countryside.

 

Much of this rural expanse is degraded, however, with original forests and vegetation wiped out centuries ago and existing woodlands consisting mostly of secondary forests developed in the latter half of the 20th century and country parks established in the 1970s.

 

To help redress the balance, CLP Holdings Limited entered into a partnership with Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Corporation (KFBG) in 2022 for a 10-year forest restoration programme.

 

KFBG’s forest restoration programme goes beyond planting trees. It aims to drive biodiversity recovery by nurturing native forest ecosystems.

 

This is done by finding and germinating seeds of rare native plant and tree species found in the remote corners of Hong Kong’s wilderness, as well as researching optimal methods and locations to plant them.

 

The programme involves the planting of up to 25,000 native trees of 200 or more different species, along with numerous shrubs and herbs, to restore 10 hectares of diverse upland tropical forest in the heart of KFBG’s nature reserve.

 

Native tree saplings are grown in nurseries before they're planted out. Source: KFBG
Native tree saplings are grown in nurseries before they're planted out. Source: KFBG

 

Letting hundreds of trees bloom

Preparing the most suitable sites and species for planting are crucial to the success of the programme.

 

Since the start of 2023, KFBG has cleared tonnes of weeds and removed unwanted trees to make way for the planting of a selection of biodiverse and ecologically valuable species, generating waste biomass that will be recycled through mulching, composting, and biochar programmes.

 

Around 2,000 seedlings were planted by the end of June 2023, followed by a second batch of 2,000 seedlings scheduled to be planted from mid-July, bringing the total number of trees planted to around 3,000 to 4,000 by the end of the planting season in the first year. 

 

KFBG's tree planting programme involves growing carefully selected tree species to preserve and rebuild the biodiversity of Hong Kong. Source: KFBG
KFBG's tree planting programme involves growing carefully selected tree species to preserve and rebuild the biodiversity of Hong Kong. Source: KFBG

All trees are measured by height and basal area in the nursery so that their condition and performance can be monitored for research in years to come.

 

A total of 109 different native tree species will be planted in 2023, including 16 oak trees, five holly trees, five fairy petticoat trees, and two ash trees. Many of these species are very rare in Hong Kong, and some were only discovered by botanists in recent years.

 

The programme is expected to contribute to nature recovery and biodiversity with the potential to enable the reintroduction of critically endangered native plants, with anticipated positive knock-on effects for pollinators and other wildlife.

 

Throughout the programme, ecological research will be conducted with the aim of providing insights into the carbon sequestration potential of science-informed reforestation.

 

Seeds of hope

This project in Hong Kong is just one of thousands globally that are playing a small but critical role in the fight to tackle climate change and start the process of reversing the devastating degradation of the Earth’s biodiversity.

 

The saplings springing up on the hillsides of Hong Kong’s New Territories are the seeds for a recovery of nature that is essential to the survival of every living species. It is essential such projects continue to be integrated into policymaking if we are to restore the fragile ecological balance of our planet.

 

 

CLP and KFBG representatives gather to begin planting trees earlier this year.
CLP and KFBG representatives gather to begin planting trees earlier this year.

 

Note: Header photo by KFBG.

 

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