The Hong Kong Biodiversity Information Hub (HKBIH) is a web-based platform being developed under the Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP), for providing a one-stop shop for information on biodiversity of Hong Kong. It is managed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), with its content and data contributed and maintained by AFCD and its collaborators/partners.

By consolidating various sources of biodiversity information, HKBIH aims to foster a better understanding of local biodiversity by the general public and stakeholders, thereby facilitating the mainstreaming of biodiversity in Hong Kong. The key facilities of HKBIH are Species Database, Multimedia Database, Platform for Education Programmes, Biodiversity Geographic Information System and a series of thematic webpages. These infrastructures would allow members of the public to gain insights into local biodiversity from different perspectives, and hence get closer to nature.

Similar to other biodiversity information systems, content curation of HKBIH is an evolving process where information is continuously amassed, updated and fine-tuned. Suggestions from users to improve information quality and accuracy as well as user experience are very much welcome.

Biodiversity is the variability among living organisms. It is generally explored at three levels: gene, species and ecosystem. Genetic diversity refers to the variety of hereditary materials among individuals. Species diversity refers to all the different kinds of organisms within a habitat or a region. Ecosystem diversity is a range of systems formed by the interactions between communities of organisms and their physical environments. Forests, grasslands, mudflats, even urban blue-green areas, together with their associated organisms, are examples of ecosystems.

Humans derive a wide range of benefits from biodiversity. Our city receives many of these benefits, or 'ecosystem services', in forms ranging from life's necessities such as food from our lands and seas, oxygen production and climate regulation from our trees, to non-material cultural enrichment such as aesthetic and spiritual values, as well as recreation and education opportunities.

Hong Kong lies at the northern limits of the tropics and experiences subtropical climate, with hot and rainy weather from around April to September, and cool and dry weather from around October till March. The city has a hilly and rugged terrain, as well as a highly crenulated coastline and more than 200 offshore islands. The natural terrain covers about 60% of our approximately 1,110 km² land area. Two dominant rock types, granitic and volcanic rocks, give rise to soils of different textures covering peaks and valleys. At sea, oceanic currents and Pearl River discharge give rise to an east-west gradient of physical conditions in our approximately 1,650 km² of waters, ranging from clearer oceanic waters in the east to more estuarine and turbid waters in the west.

The above interplay of climatic conditions, geographical location and geology endows Hong Kong with a myriad of terrestrial and marine habitats and niches, which are homes to a wealth of native flora and fauna, including a number of endemic species. Despite the small size of the territory and being one of the most highly urbanised and densely populated cities in the world, the biodiversity of Hong Kong is impressively rich. Hong Kong comprises less than 1% of the area of Guangdong Province, but we have more than one-third of the amphibian species recorded in the region. Our record of bird species accounts for over one-third of the total recorded in mainland China. The number of hard coral species in our waters surpasses that in the Caribbean Sea.