Hills and Streams: An Ecology of Hong Kong

Further Reading

Further Reading Most of the material making up this book represents the unpublished observations and opinions of the authors. However, the manuscript was not written in an intellectual vacuum. We have benefited from the comments of colleagues and graduate students, and we have drawn freely upon published literature. In recognition of these sources, and in order to aid those who wish to find out more about the ecology of Hong Kong, we have prepared a bibliography of research papers, books and monographs that were consulted during the preparation of this book. To facilitate its use, we have given an indication of the most relevant sources for each chapter. In addition to the publications that we have drawn on, readers may find information from a variety of other sources of interest. Among these are a range of Hong Kong government publications which can be used as an aid to the identification of local flora and fauna: Johnston and Johnston (1980), Karsen et al. (1986), Thrower (1988) and Viney and Phillipps (1988) are particulary useful. Other publications on local natural history include the rather irregular Memoirs of the Hong Kong Natural History Society (starting from 1953, but originally published as The Hong Kong Naturalist between 1930 and 1941), the annual Hong Kong Bird Report, produced by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, and Porcupine!, the newsletter of The University of Hong Kong Ecology Research Group established in 1992. If you are fortunate enough to be able to locate a copy, Herklots (1951) gives an insight into natural history in Hong Kong during the first half of this century. For those 193 Further k'C>r1l"'1lnr. seeking textbooks that explore general ecological concepts, Begon et al. (1990) and Stiling (1992) provide good up-to-date introductions (although they do not deal with Hong Kong) while Lincoln et al. (1982) serves as useful guide to the terminology of ecology and evolutionary biology. Evolution and Adaptation Many books have been written about evolution by natural selection and adaptation. Among the most accessible and stimulating are those authored by Richard Dawkins. In particular, Dawkins (1988) gives a clear account of the evidence for evolution, while Dawkins (1989) discusses the 'selfish gene', and its implications for behaviour and ecology, in terms of the theory of natural selection. Environment and History Data on the climate and seasonality of Hong Kong are available in the monthly weather summary published by the Royal Observatory (Hong Kong government). In addition to a summary of the month's weather, these reports include tables of monthly means of various climatic parameters for the previous 30 years and the extreme values for the same parameters since records began in 1884. The December issue for each year also includes a summary of the year's weather. Chin (1986) gives a more general account of seasonal variations in Hong Kong's weather. Jayawardena and Peart (1989) have described the effect that seasonal rainfall has on water discharge volumes in Hong Kong streams. Our description of the geology of Hong Kong is based largely on information given by McFeat-Smith et al. (1989), while our account of Hong Kong soils is derived from that of Grant (1986). The complete history of human impacts upon the Hong Kong environment will never be known. Most historians have devoted their energies to documenting events since 1842 when Hong Kong became a British possession (e.g., Endacott 1973; Cameron 1991) and, indeed, Endacott (1973) stated that '. . . the history of Hong Kong really begins with the coming of the British in 1841'. Human impacts upon the environment, however, started long before the arrival of the British, 194 Further Reading although only fragmentary information on their nature and extent is available. Ng (1983) provides a summary and extracts of the Chinese gazetteers for the Hong Kong region. Accounts of clan lineages and past agricultural practices in the New Territories give some indication of likely human impacts upon natural habitats, and in this regard we have found articles or books by Gibbs (1931a), Sung (1935a, 1935b), Hayes (1977, 1983, 1986), Faure (1984, 1986), Faure et al. (1984) and Siu (1984) particularly helpful. A lot of useful information on post-1841 impacts is buried in the annual reports of the various government departments which have been responsible for forestry and agriculture, from the Botanical and Afforestation Department of the 1880s to the Agriculture and Fisheries Department of today. Records of visits by...