IT has been dubbed a biological treasure trove, with a glittering array of wildlife 'jewels', yet few have been spied by the millions of people who live in the concrete jungle that makes up part of Hong Kong.
In the seas in the mouth of the Pearl River swim less than 100 endangered Chinese white dolphins, while in bays to the east lies an underwater landscape of hills and canyons, formed by some of the world's most northerly corals.
On the border with China is the internationally renowned Mai Po Marsh National Reserve which plays host to tens of thousands of waterbirds, including the globally rare Nordmann's greenshanks, Saunders gulls and black-faced spoonbills.
Hong Kong is the world's last refuge of Ice Age relics like the tiny Romer's tree frog.
In the dwindling forests, if you are lucky, you can still spy leopard cats - slightly larger than domestic cats - civet cats, barking deer, at least 100 different reptiles and amphibians, 102 types of dragonflies, more than 200 butterflies, and between 3,000 and 4,000 species of moth.
Take a stroll in the country parks and among the 1,875 species of native plants you will see more than 150 tree species; in Britain there are 35.