Under the sea: species flourish in Hong Kong waters, study reveals
Scientists say more than a quarter of 22,629 types recorded in China may be found locally, but warn that climate change and urbanisation pose threat
Hong Kong occupies less than 1 per cent of Chinese waters but “disproportionally” accounts for more than a quarter of the 22,629 marine species recorded in the country, according to the latest scientific study.
Scientists at the Swire Institute of Marine Science (Swims) of the University of Hong Kong said 5,943 species were recorded in city waters.
This put the biological diversity of the 1,650 square kilometres of waters on par with that of the Baltic Sea, which is 200 times larger.
The area is home to two-thirds of all polychaetes, marine worms, and more than 30 per cent of fish, cephalopod and amphipod species ever recorded in the South China Sea.
The 1.5-year study, published in the scientific journal Biodiversity and Conservation, reviewed ecological surveys and more than 640 publications on Hong Kong’s marine biodiversity. It is the first comprehensive study of its kind.