The concept of ecosystem services has gained increasing attention worldwide in recent years for its economic, health and social values in supporting human well-being. Yet, a thorough assessment of the magnitude and values of ecosystem services is still lacking locally in Hong Kong. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department commissioned a multidisciplinary team led by the Chinese University of Hong Kong to (i) review the current state of knowledge in the field of ecosystem services and identify the key ecosystem services produced in Hong Kong, (ii) collect available evidence of various ecosystem services provided by major local habitats, and (iii) conduct case studies to provide in-depth assessments of five key services provided by local habitats using different valuation techniques.

This study has identified a total of 20 key ecosystem services under four broad categories that are highly relevant to Hong Kong, including (1) provision of food, (2) provision of water, (3) air quality regulation, (4) climate regulation, (5) regulation of water flow, (6) waste treatment, (7) erosion prevention, (8) biological control, (9) pollination and seed dispersal, (10) regulation of hazards and extreme events, (11) regulation of noise, (12) opportunities for recreation and tourism, (13) aesthetic information, (14) information for cognitive development, (15) spiritual and religious values, (16) sense of place, (17) cultural heritage, (18) maintenance of soil fertility, (19) habitat creation and maintenance, and (20) maintenance of genetic diversity.

A database of local evidence on key ecosystem services provided by different habitats in Hong Kong has been compiled with over 170 entries. While some ecosystem services such as food provision, opportunities for recreation and tourism and maintenance of genetic diversity have been relatively well quantified, there is a paucity of studies examining various regulating and cultural services, e.g. water flow regulation, waste treatment, soil fertility maintenance, spiritual and religious values, sense of place, and cultural heritage, performed by the local habitats.

Our case studies demonstrated the successful application of monetary and non-monetary approaches in the valuation of five provisioning, regulating and cultural services produced by habitats in Hong Kong. Using the market price method, we found that the economic value of pond fish production by fishponds in Hong Kong was at least HK$48.8 million per year, with the production cost of reducing the net revenue by as much as 30%. With the use of numerical experiments using a coupled climate-chemistry-biosphere model, we found that the terrestrial vegetation in Hong Kong could help regulate air quality and reduce regional ozone concentration by 3-5 μg m^–3. This would translate to a decrease in premature mortality by about 70 deaths and a saving of economic cost of HK$0.2 billion. Using the travel cost method, the total estimated recreation and tourism value of the Sai Kung Country Parks was found to be HK$323.9 million per year, with Kwun Tong, Sai Kung and Sha Tin districts being the largest beneficiaries. While the aesthetic service of the Sai Kung Country Parks was assessed by photo elicitation and participatory mapping methods. Country park visitors were shown to have clear preferences for specific landscape features, including non-concrete trails, absence of litter, and no crowds. Most of the locations that were indicated as having high scenic beauty were along the coast. The service of sense of place by urban parks in Tin Shui Wai and Sham Shui Po was examined by a survey approach. Results showed that sense of place was positively associated with those who visited the parks more frequently, stayed longer in parks, valued greenery elements, engaged in flora watching, involved in activities that matched their perceived place meaning, and felt refreshed in parks.

The study results suggest that it is crucial to fill the existing information gap regarding the state of ecosystem services provided by habitats in Hong Kong, through collection of primary data using observational and modelling approaches. The values of key ecosystem services can then be further assessed qualitatively and quantitatively with various valuation techniques for different types of habitats individually, and across Hong Kong as a whole.

Study Report

A Study on Ecosystem Services in Hong Kong (PDF, 13.3MB)