Despite Hong Kong’s compact size and reputation as a “concrete jungle”, the territory has an extraordinarily high level of biodiversity. Few places in the world allow people to travel from the city centre to the middle of the natural world  in the space of an hour or less. Our world-class country park system is one of the best in the world and has been a regional example of conservation best practice.

One-third of land in Hong Kong is not regulated by any statutory land use planning and control system. In particular, private land with ecological value is vulnerable to unauthorised habitat destruction activities, modification of land use and development pressure. 
A lack of adequate policy, legislation, management and urban planning puts many ecologically sensitive areas and biodiversity hotspots under threat from urbanisation, habitat destruction such as illegal waste dumping, and reclamation.