IT NEWSLETTER: ISSUE 5 | Page 8

Hong Kong's Natural Assets Tsz Kit Wong writes about some of the more hidden parts of Hong Kong renowned for beautiful scenery and nature. We Hong Kongers may not be aware of some of the most important natural assets in our city. If you are talking with a visitor and ask him or her why Hong Kong is so fascinating, what would they answer? They would probably say they like the green and natural areas. We have high accessibility, not only to urban areas, but to all sorts of country parks. If you are in the urban areas, there is a high chance that you can escape to somewhere completely silent with natural landscapes within an hour. How amazing is that? Many of these places can be found along the coast boasting unique scenery and natural assets such as hills and mountains. With that in mind, I would like to suggest a few places which are excellent for travelers, with high accessibility and suitability for different ages. You can also find a great diversity of organisms like birds or butterflies in these areas. In the north-east new territories, you can discover a number of forest birds and butterflies at Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve, Tai Po Kau, Kadoorie Garm and Botanic Garden, Lam Tsuen, Wu Kau Tung and Luk Keng. The western parts of the New Territories such as Mai Po, Nam Sang Wai, Long Yuen are excellent places for you to locate more birds which are usually larger in size. You could also visit Kowloon Park if you are living nearby. For Hong Kong Island, I would recommend Lung Fu Shan and the biodiversity there is also high. Lantau Island is comparatively far away but if you wish to find a special type of frog named Roman's Tree Frog, which is around 2.5 cm large, it could be an excellent choice for you. ISSUE 05: APRIL 2016 It is always fun to visit these places, especially in the summer months. However, you should always remain cautious during these visits and stay safe outdoors. I hope this article has inspired you to reconnect with nature and maybe I'll see you out on one of my hikes! Tsz Kit Wong is studying Education for Sustainability at HKIEd. He is interested in ecology, environmental science, and music. 08