Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is generally explored at three levels - genes, species and ecosystems. Genetic biodiversity refers to the variation among individuals within the same species; species diversity refers to all the different kinds of organisms within a habitat or a region; ecosystem diversity is the variety of habitats and communities of organisms found within an area.
Hong Kong’s biodiversity
Despite the small size of the territory, Hong Kong is blessed with a myriad of terrestrial and marine habitats and niches, which are homes to more than 3 300 species of vascular plants, 55 species of terrestrial mammals, over 570 species of birds, 194 species of freshwater fish, 90 species of reptiles, 25 species of amphibians, 245 species of butterflies and 132 species of dragonflies. The biodiversity is impressively rich for such a small place, especially considering that Hong Kong the among the most highly urbanised and densely populated cities in the world.
