LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

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description

By Ecospherald, Environmental Life Science Society, SS, HKUSU, Session 2012-2013

Transcript of LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

Page 1: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P2

在香港毗鄰市區的郊外醉人美景處處或欣賞山巒起伏的雄偉或細聽流水淙淙的韻

律或品嚐徐徐海風的鹹度helliphellip郊外是忙碌的都市人遠離煩囂感受大自然氣息的空間是眾多生物賴以生存的寶地在發展的魔爪下大自然的領土日漸見少了究竟是誰使城市吞併了我們的呼吸空間政府聽到了自然萬物和自然愛好者的呼喊了嗎香港的保育政策又為何不能為大自然作出正當的防衛今期的專題故事mdashmdash「誰霸了我們的土地」探討土地政策與保育的關係

「大地任我闖蕩篇」繼續帶大家跟著同學們環遊世界領略台灣西藏澳洲和新西蘭的自然風光及生態奇趣的一面另外今期還有和 Dr Bonebrake 的採訪瞭解在課堂以外的他探索他熱愛旅行和鍾情於鱗翅目動物的原因

最後感謝各位對 LIFEmagazine 的支持希望大家享受閱讀 LIFEmagazine 的過程

Louisa Yip

編者的話

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目錄P02

P04 誰霸了我們的土地 文Loby Hau

大地任我闖蕩篇mdashmdash P16

南台灣的藍--台灣墾丁生態考察團

文Karen Wong amp James Cheung

編者的話

P28流連在西藏大草原mdashmdash與地山雀有個約會 文Andy Lee

P56New ZealandmdashGreens and Blues By Adonia Lam

P42 享受昆士蘭的光與海 文Edgar Wong

P68齊來認識港大轄下的研究所 文Edwina Yeung amp Ivan Lam

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Love Flying Love Lepidoptera - An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

By Leo Lee

P78 大自然相集

誰霸了我們的土地

香港自然保育與土地政策

港的多元化生境一直孕育著極高的生物多樣性是所有香港市民都珍而重之的瑰寶漁農自然護理署的新自然保育政策與環境保護署的環境評估制度是支持著本地的自然的兩支柱近年市民對保

育議題越漸關注港珠澳大橋機場第三條跑道新填海方案等多項大型基礎建設計劃龍尾大浪西以至近月來整個郊野公園土地爭議不斷引發社會各界對保育的定義及價值的討論本應作為香港自然保育主導的政府究竟以甚麼方針去處理現時的保育議題又是否適切現時社會的訴求大自然的土地在政府和發展商不斷的侵擾下該如何延續下去

文 Loby Hau

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P4

新自然保育政策

府最近一次對保育方向的重大改變已可追溯至 2004 年頒布的新自然保育政策政策旨在平衡社會與經濟並保護及管理香港生物多樣性及對生物多樣性有重大影響的各種天然資源以達致

社會各方的可持續發展

自上世紀七十年代起24 個郊野公園陸續成立但為了當年對未來發展的需求及原居民要求保持工地買賣權益將部份土地分割出來成為不包括土地全港共 51 幅不包括土地 1它們並沒有受到郊野公園條例保護2010 年商人魯連城在大浪西灣不包括土地上興建別墅大肆砍

伐樹木又挖掘政府土地引起社會重新關注對不包括土地的保護政府宣佈將大浪西灣劃為「發展審批地區」暫時遏止該區的

工 程 同 年 年 底 行 政 長 官 在 施 政 報 告 中 承 諾 會 把 郊 野 公 園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園範圍或透過法定規劃程序確立合適用途以照顧保育和社會發展需要終於政府在去

年 7 月公佈把大浪西灣金山及圓墩三幅郊野公園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園以加強保護有關土地以鄉議局主席劉皇發為

首的新界原居民紛紛作出反對指將土地納入郊野公園是對他們由丁權而來的土地權益的侵犯因而提出反對議案幸而最後議案遭否決 雖然大浪西灣終能夠成為郊野公園的一部份但另一方面當局將海下白腊等 28 幅不包括土地納入發展審批地區草圖或分區規劃大綱圖使土地可作建丁屋等鄉村式發展亦可作出買賣縱使保育人士對此作出強烈的反對海下白腊鎖羅盤納入郊野公園的議案仍遭到否決三幅土地正式被歸入分區規劃大綱圖隨著這三幅土地的發展權利正式開放可以預計由其他土地所引發的發展爭議將會不斷的湧現

1 全港有 77 幅如大浪西灣的不包括土地總面積約 2000 公頃北潭涌及沙螺洞等 23幅早年已納入分區計劃大綱圖的地段大浪西灣金山及圓墩亦在去年 12 月 30 日正式納入郊野公園範圍餘下 51 幅土地

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由掛海報橫額向政府當局示威請願升級至村民封路行動阻礙毅行者活動到大浪西等三幅土地納入郊野公園議案通過後新界各方原居民威脅揚言進行復耕以農藥豬糞和馬糞等肥料及翻土污染水塘從大浪西及海下事件的發展可以觀察得到村民和保育人士似乎慢慢形成了對立的狀態村民抱著的反抗心態保育人士以群眾壓力要求將他們原本擁有的土地納入郊野公園是對丁權和他們一直擁有建屋發展土地的權利的剝削支持者相信香港郊野不能再持續地支持丁屋發

展和其他大型發展作為公共資產應得到保護不少保育人士更相信當地村民對土地和丁權的堅持為的是金錢上的利益作為既得利益者他們可以興建丁屋或是將土地賣給發展商作大型發展的如意算盤遭阻撓是不容接受的

令人擔憂的是若者兩方之間矛盾仍然如此緊張一旦形成了對立的既定立場在日後對於餘下的廿多塊不包括土地的安排將會引起更多的衝突無法得出一個對於原居民保育人士香港市民都能接受的方案

2010 年位列港人最愛自然勝景第一位的大浪西被破壞得滿目瘡痍惹起社會強烈反對 copy 東方日報

數百名市民應號召參加步行活動表示支持將大浪西灣納入郊野公園範圍 copy 保衛郊野公園

大浪西灣村村民不滿政府改劃西灣村入郊野公園範圍以鐵絲網封鎖入村通道毅行者活動被迫臨時改道 copy 明報

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這樣只會落得演變為保育人士在這51 幅土地成功取得多少幅納入郊野公園鄉事派又奪得多少幅用作發展的不包括土地大富翁遊戲事實上好些保育人士都贊成有限度發展不但能夠便利村民更有助保存原居民村的文化可是並不只於今次事件支持環保人士往往反而被反對方營造成盲目地反對任何建設和發展的確可能一直以來作為提倡自然保育的一員有機會專注於保護自然生態而無意中忽略了作為當地居民的需要顧及到更多原居民對於他們的生計村落的文化傳承考慮減少分歧才能夠在這個困局中找到方向

由 2010 年起全港有 54 塊不包括土地由規劃署和漁護署各負責其中27 幅土地的保護措施但截止去年11 月漁護署僅在其中 3 幅展開包括定期巡邏等指定程序而規劃署已

完成近 8 成發展審批地區圖的保護工作審計署指現時仍有 28幅土地完全沒有保護措施漁護署進度尤其不理想經審計處調查發現漁護署例行巡邏的疏忽情況非常嚴重批評漁護署保護郊野公園不力面對未被保護土地遭砍伐樹木和挖掘破壞都無動於衷新自然保育政策的各份正式文件中一直都肯定不包括土地的生態價值指出需要加強對它們的保護但從當局實行保護這些土地的效率和標準可以窺視到他們對保護自然的決心

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大大小小的不包括土地遍佈香港各地尤以東部最為密集單計西貢東及西郊野公園範圍內已有 19 幅 copy 蘋果日報

新自然保育政策的兩個新措施之一的自然保育管理協議計劃環保團體可以向環境及自然保育基金申請資助向「須優先加強保育地點」的土地擁有人或租戶換取管理權或提供經濟誘因作出合作在2005 至 2011 年期基金已撥款合共約 2100 萬予長春社及香港觀鳥會進行塱原濕地及鳥類保育與大埔環保會進行鳳園蝴蝶保育基金委會員支持延伸管理協議計劃至不包括土地及郊野公園內的私人土地藉以加強保育郊野公園

截至 2013 年根據基金網頁保育地點成功擴展至拉姆薩爾濕地但仍然只有上述三個團體申請基金看來基金的延伸仍然需要更多時間進行向更多團體宣傳才可令基金擴展到更多團體幫助保育不包括土地

原作為不包括土地的大埔沙羅洞 ( 坊間或稱沙螺洞 ) 在新自然保育政策下被當局列為「須優先加強保育地點」清單的一員更成為其中一個「具特別科學價值地點」沙

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P8

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

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在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

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民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

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E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

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01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

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01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

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P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

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Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

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叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

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看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 2: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

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目錄P02

P04 誰霸了我們的土地 文Loby Hau

大地任我闖蕩篇mdashmdash P16

南台灣的藍--台灣墾丁生態考察團

文Karen Wong amp James Cheung

編者的話

P28流連在西藏大草原mdashmdash與地山雀有個約會 文Andy Lee

P56New ZealandmdashGreens and Blues By Adonia Lam

P42 享受昆士蘭的光與海 文Edgar Wong

P68齊來認識港大轄下的研究所 文Edwina Yeung amp Ivan Lam

P70

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera - An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

By Leo Lee

P78 大自然相集

誰霸了我們的土地

香港自然保育與土地政策

港的多元化生境一直孕育著極高的生物多樣性是所有香港市民都珍而重之的瑰寶漁農自然護理署的新自然保育政策與環境保護署的環境評估制度是支持著本地的自然的兩支柱近年市民對保

育議題越漸關注港珠澳大橋機場第三條跑道新填海方案等多項大型基礎建設計劃龍尾大浪西以至近月來整個郊野公園土地爭議不斷引發社會各界對保育的定義及價值的討論本應作為香港自然保育主導的政府究竟以甚麼方針去處理現時的保育議題又是否適切現時社會的訴求大自然的土地在政府和發展商不斷的侵擾下該如何延續下去

文 Loby Hau

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P4

新自然保育政策

府最近一次對保育方向的重大改變已可追溯至 2004 年頒布的新自然保育政策政策旨在平衡社會與經濟並保護及管理香港生物多樣性及對生物多樣性有重大影響的各種天然資源以達致

社會各方的可持續發展

自上世紀七十年代起24 個郊野公園陸續成立但為了當年對未來發展的需求及原居民要求保持工地買賣權益將部份土地分割出來成為不包括土地全港共 51 幅不包括土地 1它們並沒有受到郊野公園條例保護2010 年商人魯連城在大浪西灣不包括土地上興建別墅大肆砍

伐樹木又挖掘政府土地引起社會重新關注對不包括土地的保護政府宣佈將大浪西灣劃為「發展審批地區」暫時遏止該區的

工 程 同 年 年 底 行 政 長 官 在 施 政 報 告 中 承 諾 會 把 郊 野 公 園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園範圍或透過法定規劃程序確立合適用途以照顧保育和社會發展需要終於政府在去

年 7 月公佈把大浪西灣金山及圓墩三幅郊野公園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園以加強保護有關土地以鄉議局主席劉皇發為

首的新界原居民紛紛作出反對指將土地納入郊野公園是對他們由丁權而來的土地權益的侵犯因而提出反對議案幸而最後議案遭否決 雖然大浪西灣終能夠成為郊野公園的一部份但另一方面當局將海下白腊等 28 幅不包括土地納入發展審批地區草圖或分區規劃大綱圖使土地可作建丁屋等鄉村式發展亦可作出買賣縱使保育人士對此作出強烈的反對海下白腊鎖羅盤納入郊野公園的議案仍遭到否決三幅土地正式被歸入分區規劃大綱圖隨著這三幅土地的發展權利正式開放可以預計由其他土地所引發的發展爭議將會不斷的湧現

1 全港有 77 幅如大浪西灣的不包括土地總面積約 2000 公頃北潭涌及沙螺洞等 23幅早年已納入分區計劃大綱圖的地段大浪西灣金山及圓墩亦在去年 12 月 30 日正式納入郊野公園範圍餘下 51 幅土地

P5

01

02

01

02

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由掛海報橫額向政府當局示威請願升級至村民封路行動阻礙毅行者活動到大浪西等三幅土地納入郊野公園議案通過後新界各方原居民威脅揚言進行復耕以農藥豬糞和馬糞等肥料及翻土污染水塘從大浪西及海下事件的發展可以觀察得到村民和保育人士似乎慢慢形成了對立的狀態村民抱著的反抗心態保育人士以群眾壓力要求將他們原本擁有的土地納入郊野公園是對丁權和他們一直擁有建屋發展土地的權利的剝削支持者相信香港郊野不能再持續地支持丁屋發

展和其他大型發展作為公共資產應得到保護不少保育人士更相信當地村民對土地和丁權的堅持為的是金錢上的利益作為既得利益者他們可以興建丁屋或是將土地賣給發展商作大型發展的如意算盤遭阻撓是不容接受的

令人擔憂的是若者兩方之間矛盾仍然如此緊張一旦形成了對立的既定立場在日後對於餘下的廿多塊不包括土地的安排將會引起更多的衝突無法得出一個對於原居民保育人士香港市民都能接受的方案

2010 年位列港人最愛自然勝景第一位的大浪西被破壞得滿目瘡痍惹起社會強烈反對 copy 東方日報

數百名市民應號召參加步行活動表示支持將大浪西灣納入郊野公園範圍 copy 保衛郊野公園

大浪西灣村村民不滿政府改劃西灣村入郊野公園範圍以鐵絲網封鎖入村通道毅行者活動被迫臨時改道 copy 明報

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P6

03

這樣只會落得演變為保育人士在這51 幅土地成功取得多少幅納入郊野公園鄉事派又奪得多少幅用作發展的不包括土地大富翁遊戲事實上好些保育人士都贊成有限度發展不但能夠便利村民更有助保存原居民村的文化可是並不只於今次事件支持環保人士往往反而被反對方營造成盲目地反對任何建設和發展的確可能一直以來作為提倡自然保育的一員有機會專注於保護自然生態而無意中忽略了作為當地居民的需要顧及到更多原居民對於他們的生計村落的文化傳承考慮減少分歧才能夠在這個困局中找到方向

由 2010 年起全港有 54 塊不包括土地由規劃署和漁護署各負責其中27 幅土地的保護措施但截止去年11 月漁護署僅在其中 3 幅展開包括定期巡邏等指定程序而規劃署已

完成近 8 成發展審批地區圖的保護工作審計署指現時仍有 28幅土地完全沒有保護措施漁護署進度尤其不理想經審計處調查發現漁護署例行巡邏的疏忽情況非常嚴重批評漁護署保護郊野公園不力面對未被保護土地遭砍伐樹木和挖掘破壞都無動於衷新自然保育政策的各份正式文件中一直都肯定不包括土地的生態價值指出需要加強對它們的保護但從當局實行保護這些土地的效率和標準可以窺視到他們對保護自然的決心

P7

大大小小的不包括土地遍佈香港各地尤以東部最為密集單計西貢東及西郊野公園範圍內已有 19 幅 copy 蘋果日報

新自然保育政策的兩個新措施之一的自然保育管理協議計劃環保團體可以向環境及自然保育基金申請資助向「須優先加強保育地點」的土地擁有人或租戶換取管理權或提供經濟誘因作出合作在2005 至 2011 年期基金已撥款合共約 2100 萬予長春社及香港觀鳥會進行塱原濕地及鳥類保育與大埔環保會進行鳳園蝴蝶保育基金委會員支持延伸管理協議計劃至不包括土地及郊野公園內的私人土地藉以加強保育郊野公園

截至 2013 年根據基金網頁保育地點成功擴展至拉姆薩爾濕地但仍然只有上述三個團體申請基金看來基金的延伸仍然需要更多時間進行向更多團體宣傳才可令基金擴展到更多團體幫助保育不包括土地

原作為不包括土地的大埔沙羅洞 ( 坊間或稱沙螺洞 ) 在新自然保育政策下被當局列為「須優先加強保育地點」清單的一員更成為其中一個「具特別科學價值地點」沙

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P8

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

P9P9

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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03

02

04

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

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Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

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西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

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這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

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copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

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去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

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Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

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01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

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05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

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02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

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P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

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L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 3: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

誰霸了我們的土地

香港自然保育與土地政策

港的多元化生境一直孕育著極高的生物多樣性是所有香港市民都珍而重之的瑰寶漁農自然護理署的新自然保育政策與環境保護署的環境評估制度是支持著本地的自然的兩支柱近年市民對保

育議題越漸關注港珠澳大橋機場第三條跑道新填海方案等多項大型基礎建設計劃龍尾大浪西以至近月來整個郊野公園土地爭議不斷引發社會各界對保育的定義及價值的討論本應作為香港自然保育主導的政府究竟以甚麼方針去處理現時的保育議題又是否適切現時社會的訴求大自然的土地在政府和發展商不斷的侵擾下該如何延續下去

文 Loby Hau

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P4

新自然保育政策

府最近一次對保育方向的重大改變已可追溯至 2004 年頒布的新自然保育政策政策旨在平衡社會與經濟並保護及管理香港生物多樣性及對生物多樣性有重大影響的各種天然資源以達致

社會各方的可持續發展

自上世紀七十年代起24 個郊野公園陸續成立但為了當年對未來發展的需求及原居民要求保持工地買賣權益將部份土地分割出來成為不包括土地全港共 51 幅不包括土地 1它們並沒有受到郊野公園條例保護2010 年商人魯連城在大浪西灣不包括土地上興建別墅大肆砍

伐樹木又挖掘政府土地引起社會重新關注對不包括土地的保護政府宣佈將大浪西灣劃為「發展審批地區」暫時遏止該區的

工 程 同 年 年 底 行 政 長 官 在 施 政 報 告 中 承 諾 會 把 郊 野 公 園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園範圍或透過法定規劃程序確立合適用途以照顧保育和社會發展需要終於政府在去

年 7 月公佈把大浪西灣金山及圓墩三幅郊野公園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園以加強保護有關土地以鄉議局主席劉皇發為

首的新界原居民紛紛作出反對指將土地納入郊野公園是對他們由丁權而來的土地權益的侵犯因而提出反對議案幸而最後議案遭否決 雖然大浪西灣終能夠成為郊野公園的一部份但另一方面當局將海下白腊等 28 幅不包括土地納入發展審批地區草圖或分區規劃大綱圖使土地可作建丁屋等鄉村式發展亦可作出買賣縱使保育人士對此作出強烈的反對海下白腊鎖羅盤納入郊野公園的議案仍遭到否決三幅土地正式被歸入分區規劃大綱圖隨著這三幅土地的發展權利正式開放可以預計由其他土地所引發的發展爭議將會不斷的湧現

1 全港有 77 幅如大浪西灣的不包括土地總面積約 2000 公頃北潭涌及沙螺洞等 23幅早年已納入分區計劃大綱圖的地段大浪西灣金山及圓墩亦在去年 12 月 30 日正式納入郊野公園範圍餘下 51 幅土地

P5

01

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由掛海報橫額向政府當局示威請願升級至村民封路行動阻礙毅行者活動到大浪西等三幅土地納入郊野公園議案通過後新界各方原居民威脅揚言進行復耕以農藥豬糞和馬糞等肥料及翻土污染水塘從大浪西及海下事件的發展可以觀察得到村民和保育人士似乎慢慢形成了對立的狀態村民抱著的反抗心態保育人士以群眾壓力要求將他們原本擁有的土地納入郊野公園是對丁權和他們一直擁有建屋發展土地的權利的剝削支持者相信香港郊野不能再持續地支持丁屋發

展和其他大型發展作為公共資產應得到保護不少保育人士更相信當地村民對土地和丁權的堅持為的是金錢上的利益作為既得利益者他們可以興建丁屋或是將土地賣給發展商作大型發展的如意算盤遭阻撓是不容接受的

令人擔憂的是若者兩方之間矛盾仍然如此緊張一旦形成了對立的既定立場在日後對於餘下的廿多塊不包括土地的安排將會引起更多的衝突無法得出一個對於原居民保育人士香港市民都能接受的方案

2010 年位列港人最愛自然勝景第一位的大浪西被破壞得滿目瘡痍惹起社會強烈反對 copy 東方日報

數百名市民應號召參加步行活動表示支持將大浪西灣納入郊野公園範圍 copy 保衛郊野公園

大浪西灣村村民不滿政府改劃西灣村入郊野公園範圍以鐵絲網封鎖入村通道毅行者活動被迫臨時改道 copy 明報

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P6

03

這樣只會落得演變為保育人士在這51 幅土地成功取得多少幅納入郊野公園鄉事派又奪得多少幅用作發展的不包括土地大富翁遊戲事實上好些保育人士都贊成有限度發展不但能夠便利村民更有助保存原居民村的文化可是並不只於今次事件支持環保人士往往反而被反對方營造成盲目地反對任何建設和發展的確可能一直以來作為提倡自然保育的一員有機會專注於保護自然生態而無意中忽略了作為當地居民的需要顧及到更多原居民對於他們的生計村落的文化傳承考慮減少分歧才能夠在這個困局中找到方向

由 2010 年起全港有 54 塊不包括土地由規劃署和漁護署各負責其中27 幅土地的保護措施但截止去年11 月漁護署僅在其中 3 幅展開包括定期巡邏等指定程序而規劃署已

完成近 8 成發展審批地區圖的保護工作審計署指現時仍有 28幅土地完全沒有保護措施漁護署進度尤其不理想經審計處調查發現漁護署例行巡邏的疏忽情況非常嚴重批評漁護署保護郊野公園不力面對未被保護土地遭砍伐樹木和挖掘破壞都無動於衷新自然保育政策的各份正式文件中一直都肯定不包括土地的生態價值指出需要加強對它們的保護但從當局實行保護這些土地的效率和標準可以窺視到他們對保護自然的決心

P7

大大小小的不包括土地遍佈香港各地尤以東部最為密集單計西貢東及西郊野公園範圍內已有 19 幅 copy 蘋果日報

新自然保育政策的兩個新措施之一的自然保育管理協議計劃環保團體可以向環境及自然保育基金申請資助向「須優先加強保育地點」的土地擁有人或租戶換取管理權或提供經濟誘因作出合作在2005 至 2011 年期基金已撥款合共約 2100 萬予長春社及香港觀鳥會進行塱原濕地及鳥類保育與大埔環保會進行鳳園蝴蝶保育基金委會員支持延伸管理協議計劃至不包括土地及郊野公園內的私人土地藉以加強保育郊野公園

截至 2013 年根據基金網頁保育地點成功擴展至拉姆薩爾濕地但仍然只有上述三個團體申請基金看來基金的延伸仍然需要更多時間進行向更多團體宣傳才可令基金擴展到更多團體幫助保育不包括土地

原作為不包括土地的大埔沙羅洞 ( 坊間或稱沙螺洞 ) 在新自然保育政策下被當局列為「須優先加強保育地點」清單的一員更成為其中一個「具特別科學價值地點」沙

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P8

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

P9P9

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 4: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

新自然保育政策

府最近一次對保育方向的重大改變已可追溯至 2004 年頒布的新自然保育政策政策旨在平衡社會與經濟並保護及管理香港生物多樣性及對生物多樣性有重大影響的各種天然資源以達致

社會各方的可持續發展

自上世紀七十年代起24 個郊野公園陸續成立但為了當年對未來發展的需求及原居民要求保持工地買賣權益將部份土地分割出來成為不包括土地全港共 51 幅不包括土地 1它們並沒有受到郊野公園條例保護2010 年商人魯連城在大浪西灣不包括土地上興建別墅大肆砍

伐樹木又挖掘政府土地引起社會重新關注對不包括土地的保護政府宣佈將大浪西灣劃為「發展審批地區」暫時遏止該區的

工 程 同 年 年 底 行 政 長 官 在 施 政 報 告 中 承 諾 會 把 郊 野 公 園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園範圍或透過法定規劃程序確立合適用途以照顧保育和社會發展需要終於政府在去

年 7 月公佈把大浪西灣金山及圓墩三幅郊野公園「不包括的土地」納入郊野公園以加強保護有關土地以鄉議局主席劉皇發為

首的新界原居民紛紛作出反對指將土地納入郊野公園是對他們由丁權而來的土地權益的侵犯因而提出反對議案幸而最後議案遭否決 雖然大浪西灣終能夠成為郊野公園的一部份但另一方面當局將海下白腊等 28 幅不包括土地納入發展審批地區草圖或分區規劃大綱圖使土地可作建丁屋等鄉村式發展亦可作出買賣縱使保育人士對此作出強烈的反對海下白腊鎖羅盤納入郊野公園的議案仍遭到否決三幅土地正式被歸入分區規劃大綱圖隨著這三幅土地的發展權利正式開放可以預計由其他土地所引發的發展爭議將會不斷的湧現

1 全港有 77 幅如大浪西灣的不包括土地總面積約 2000 公頃北潭涌及沙螺洞等 23幅早年已納入分區計劃大綱圖的地段大浪西灣金山及圓墩亦在去年 12 月 30 日正式納入郊野公園範圍餘下 51 幅土地

P5

01

02

01

02

03

由掛海報橫額向政府當局示威請願升級至村民封路行動阻礙毅行者活動到大浪西等三幅土地納入郊野公園議案通過後新界各方原居民威脅揚言進行復耕以農藥豬糞和馬糞等肥料及翻土污染水塘從大浪西及海下事件的發展可以觀察得到村民和保育人士似乎慢慢形成了對立的狀態村民抱著的反抗心態保育人士以群眾壓力要求將他們原本擁有的土地納入郊野公園是對丁權和他們一直擁有建屋發展土地的權利的剝削支持者相信香港郊野不能再持續地支持丁屋發

展和其他大型發展作為公共資產應得到保護不少保育人士更相信當地村民對土地和丁權的堅持為的是金錢上的利益作為既得利益者他們可以興建丁屋或是將土地賣給發展商作大型發展的如意算盤遭阻撓是不容接受的

令人擔憂的是若者兩方之間矛盾仍然如此緊張一旦形成了對立的既定立場在日後對於餘下的廿多塊不包括土地的安排將會引起更多的衝突無法得出一個對於原居民保育人士香港市民都能接受的方案

2010 年位列港人最愛自然勝景第一位的大浪西被破壞得滿目瘡痍惹起社會強烈反對 copy 東方日報

數百名市民應號召參加步行活動表示支持將大浪西灣納入郊野公園範圍 copy 保衛郊野公園

大浪西灣村村民不滿政府改劃西灣村入郊野公園範圍以鐵絲網封鎖入村通道毅行者活動被迫臨時改道 copy 明報

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P6

03

這樣只會落得演變為保育人士在這51 幅土地成功取得多少幅納入郊野公園鄉事派又奪得多少幅用作發展的不包括土地大富翁遊戲事實上好些保育人士都贊成有限度發展不但能夠便利村民更有助保存原居民村的文化可是並不只於今次事件支持環保人士往往反而被反對方營造成盲目地反對任何建設和發展的確可能一直以來作為提倡自然保育的一員有機會專注於保護自然生態而無意中忽略了作為當地居民的需要顧及到更多原居民對於他們的生計村落的文化傳承考慮減少分歧才能夠在這個困局中找到方向

由 2010 年起全港有 54 塊不包括土地由規劃署和漁護署各負責其中27 幅土地的保護措施但截止去年11 月漁護署僅在其中 3 幅展開包括定期巡邏等指定程序而規劃署已

完成近 8 成發展審批地區圖的保護工作審計署指現時仍有 28幅土地完全沒有保護措施漁護署進度尤其不理想經審計處調查發現漁護署例行巡邏的疏忽情況非常嚴重批評漁護署保護郊野公園不力面對未被保護土地遭砍伐樹木和挖掘破壞都無動於衷新自然保育政策的各份正式文件中一直都肯定不包括土地的生態價值指出需要加強對它們的保護但從當局實行保護這些土地的效率和標準可以窺視到他們對保護自然的決心

P7

大大小小的不包括土地遍佈香港各地尤以東部最為密集單計西貢東及西郊野公園範圍內已有 19 幅 copy 蘋果日報

新自然保育政策的兩個新措施之一的自然保育管理協議計劃環保團體可以向環境及自然保育基金申請資助向「須優先加強保育地點」的土地擁有人或租戶換取管理權或提供經濟誘因作出合作在2005 至 2011 年期基金已撥款合共約 2100 萬予長春社及香港觀鳥會進行塱原濕地及鳥類保育與大埔環保會進行鳳園蝴蝶保育基金委會員支持延伸管理協議計劃至不包括土地及郊野公園內的私人土地藉以加強保育郊野公園

截至 2013 年根據基金網頁保育地點成功擴展至拉姆薩爾濕地但仍然只有上述三個團體申請基金看來基金的延伸仍然需要更多時間進行向更多團體宣傳才可令基金擴展到更多團體幫助保育不包括土地

原作為不包括土地的大埔沙羅洞 ( 坊間或稱沙螺洞 ) 在新自然保育政策下被當局列為「須優先加強保育地點」清單的一員更成為其中一個「具特別科學價值地點」沙

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P8

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

P9P9

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

P15

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

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P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

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P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

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P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 5: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

01

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01

02

03

由掛海報橫額向政府當局示威請願升級至村民封路行動阻礙毅行者活動到大浪西等三幅土地納入郊野公園議案通過後新界各方原居民威脅揚言進行復耕以農藥豬糞和馬糞等肥料及翻土污染水塘從大浪西及海下事件的發展可以觀察得到村民和保育人士似乎慢慢形成了對立的狀態村民抱著的反抗心態保育人士以群眾壓力要求將他們原本擁有的土地納入郊野公園是對丁權和他們一直擁有建屋發展土地的權利的剝削支持者相信香港郊野不能再持續地支持丁屋發

展和其他大型發展作為公共資產應得到保護不少保育人士更相信當地村民對土地和丁權的堅持為的是金錢上的利益作為既得利益者他們可以興建丁屋或是將土地賣給發展商作大型發展的如意算盤遭阻撓是不容接受的

令人擔憂的是若者兩方之間矛盾仍然如此緊張一旦形成了對立的既定立場在日後對於餘下的廿多塊不包括土地的安排將會引起更多的衝突無法得出一個對於原居民保育人士香港市民都能接受的方案

2010 年位列港人最愛自然勝景第一位的大浪西被破壞得滿目瘡痍惹起社會強烈反對 copy 東方日報

數百名市民應號召參加步行活動表示支持將大浪西灣納入郊野公園範圍 copy 保衛郊野公園

大浪西灣村村民不滿政府改劃西灣村入郊野公園範圍以鐵絲網封鎖入村通道毅行者活動被迫臨時改道 copy 明報

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P6

03

這樣只會落得演變為保育人士在這51 幅土地成功取得多少幅納入郊野公園鄉事派又奪得多少幅用作發展的不包括土地大富翁遊戲事實上好些保育人士都贊成有限度發展不但能夠便利村民更有助保存原居民村的文化可是並不只於今次事件支持環保人士往往反而被反對方營造成盲目地反對任何建設和發展的確可能一直以來作為提倡自然保育的一員有機會專注於保護自然生態而無意中忽略了作為當地居民的需要顧及到更多原居民對於他們的生計村落的文化傳承考慮減少分歧才能夠在這個困局中找到方向

由 2010 年起全港有 54 塊不包括土地由規劃署和漁護署各負責其中27 幅土地的保護措施但截止去年11 月漁護署僅在其中 3 幅展開包括定期巡邏等指定程序而規劃署已

完成近 8 成發展審批地區圖的保護工作審計署指現時仍有 28幅土地完全沒有保護措施漁護署進度尤其不理想經審計處調查發現漁護署例行巡邏的疏忽情況非常嚴重批評漁護署保護郊野公園不力面對未被保護土地遭砍伐樹木和挖掘破壞都無動於衷新自然保育政策的各份正式文件中一直都肯定不包括土地的生態價值指出需要加強對它們的保護但從當局實行保護這些土地的效率和標準可以窺視到他們對保護自然的決心

P7

大大小小的不包括土地遍佈香港各地尤以東部最為密集單計西貢東及西郊野公園範圍內已有 19 幅 copy 蘋果日報

新自然保育政策的兩個新措施之一的自然保育管理協議計劃環保團體可以向環境及自然保育基金申請資助向「須優先加強保育地點」的土地擁有人或租戶換取管理權或提供經濟誘因作出合作在2005 至 2011 年期基金已撥款合共約 2100 萬予長春社及香港觀鳥會進行塱原濕地及鳥類保育與大埔環保會進行鳳園蝴蝶保育基金委會員支持延伸管理協議計劃至不包括土地及郊野公園內的私人土地藉以加強保育郊野公園

截至 2013 年根據基金網頁保育地點成功擴展至拉姆薩爾濕地但仍然只有上述三個團體申請基金看來基金的延伸仍然需要更多時間進行向更多團體宣傳才可令基金擴展到更多團體幫助保育不包括土地

原作為不包括土地的大埔沙羅洞 ( 坊間或稱沙螺洞 ) 在新自然保育政策下被當局列為「須優先加強保育地點」清單的一員更成為其中一個「具特別科學價值地點」沙

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P8

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

P9P9

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

P15

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

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P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

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L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 6: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

03

這樣只會落得演變為保育人士在這51 幅土地成功取得多少幅納入郊野公園鄉事派又奪得多少幅用作發展的不包括土地大富翁遊戲事實上好些保育人士都贊成有限度發展不但能夠便利村民更有助保存原居民村的文化可是並不只於今次事件支持環保人士往往反而被反對方營造成盲目地反對任何建設和發展的確可能一直以來作為提倡自然保育的一員有機會專注於保護自然生態而無意中忽略了作為當地居民的需要顧及到更多原居民對於他們的生計村落的文化傳承考慮減少分歧才能夠在這個困局中找到方向

由 2010 年起全港有 54 塊不包括土地由規劃署和漁護署各負責其中27 幅土地的保護措施但截止去年11 月漁護署僅在其中 3 幅展開包括定期巡邏等指定程序而規劃署已

完成近 8 成發展審批地區圖的保護工作審計署指現時仍有 28幅土地完全沒有保護措施漁護署進度尤其不理想經審計處調查發現漁護署例行巡邏的疏忽情況非常嚴重批評漁護署保護郊野公園不力面對未被保護土地遭砍伐樹木和挖掘破壞都無動於衷新自然保育政策的各份正式文件中一直都肯定不包括土地的生態價值指出需要加強對它們的保護但從當局實行保護這些土地的效率和標準可以窺視到他們對保護自然的決心

P7

大大小小的不包括土地遍佈香港各地尤以東部最為密集單計西貢東及西郊野公園範圍內已有 19 幅 copy 蘋果日報

新自然保育政策的兩個新措施之一的自然保育管理協議計劃環保團體可以向環境及自然保育基金申請資助向「須優先加強保育地點」的土地擁有人或租戶換取管理權或提供經濟誘因作出合作在2005 至 2011 年期基金已撥款合共約 2100 萬予長春社及香港觀鳥會進行塱原濕地及鳥類保育與大埔環保會進行鳳園蝴蝶保育基金委會員支持延伸管理協議計劃至不包括土地及郊野公園內的私人土地藉以加強保育郊野公園

截至 2013 年根據基金網頁保育地點成功擴展至拉姆薩爾濕地但仍然只有上述三個團體申請基金看來基金的延伸仍然需要更多時間進行向更多團體宣傳才可令基金擴展到更多團體幫助保育不包括土地

原作為不包括土地的大埔沙羅洞 ( 坊間或稱沙螺洞 ) 在新自然保育政策下被當局列為「須優先加強保育地點」清單的一員更成為其中一個「具特別科學價值地點」沙

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P8

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

P9P9

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

P15

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

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P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

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流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 7: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

大大小小的不包括土地遍佈香港各地尤以東部最為密集單計西貢東及西郊野公園範圍內已有 19 幅 copy 蘋果日報

新自然保育政策的兩個新措施之一的自然保育管理協議計劃環保團體可以向環境及自然保育基金申請資助向「須優先加強保育地點」的土地擁有人或租戶換取管理權或提供經濟誘因作出合作在2005 至 2011 年期基金已撥款合共約 2100 萬予長春社及香港觀鳥會進行塱原濕地及鳥類保育與大埔環保會進行鳳園蝴蝶保育基金委會員支持延伸管理協議計劃至不包括土地及郊野公園內的私人土地藉以加強保育郊野公園

截至 2013 年根據基金網頁保育地點成功擴展至拉姆薩爾濕地但仍然只有上述三個團體申請基金看來基金的延伸仍然需要更多時間進行向更多團體宣傳才可令基金擴展到更多團體幫助保育不包括土地

原作為不包括土地的大埔沙羅洞 ( 坊間或稱沙螺洞 ) 在新自然保育政策下被當局列為「須優先加強保育地點」清單的一員更成為其中一個「具特別科學價值地點」沙

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P8

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

P9P9

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

P15

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

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01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

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01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 8: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

羅洞成為了首批在新措施公私營界別合作試驗計劃下與發展商及綠色力量合作進行發展地點之一旨在以非政府機構與土地擁有人訂立管理協議促進自然保育然而環評報告所顯示的內容更是不盡不實未能反映當地的生態價值當局在評估後允許進行的是令人嘩然的超過六萬個龕位的大型骨灰龕場對當地環境和生態造成極大破壞

同為「須優先加強保育地點」后海灣濕地內的元朗豐樂圍在九十年代被長實集團購入土地屢次向城規會申請建屋失敗長實原以綜合發展及濕地改善區換取建造住宅的許可並以公私合營界別合作模式

(PPP)與世界自然基金會( 香 港 分 會 )(WWF) 合作協助管理濕地及提供保育意見WWF 在去年中因意見不合而放棄合作但城規會竟在沒有合作環團的情況下通過這涉及約 2000 個單位的發展而附帶條件只是在 2017 年前找到合作夥伴提交無需公開的評估報告與濕地營運基金計劃並開展項目審議過程中環保署漁護署規劃署等有關部門都沒有表示反對計劃漁護署更認同報告所指計劃對 香 港 獨 有 種 米 埔 屈 翅 螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 影 響 不大顧問方面及漁農署都遭到多個環團大力抨擊

豐樂圍的大片濕地將會被用作大型住宅發展項目令人擔憂鄰近的南生圍發展將會更易獲得通過使整片后海灣濕地被破壞得體無完膚 copyGreen Sense

P9P9

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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03

02

04

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

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Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

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西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

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這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

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copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

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去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

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Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

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01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

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05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

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02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 9: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

在計劃通過後大眾再無法監察項目的發展不但容許了發展商對香港一直重視的后海灣濕地進行破壞更是開了在重要濕地上展開發展項 目 的 先 例 更是以違反公私合營界別合作模式缺乏完善生態評估的情況下粗疏地通過的極壞的先例這對當局一直秉持的保護自然生態的原則是極大的違背日後對於其他項目的審議都會失去公信力

當局對於環境生態的保護不斷的讓步和退讓的例子不勝枚舉

只是從上述寥寥數個例子不禁令人懷疑究竟在新自然保育政策

所列出的多條保護生物多樣性和自然資源的目標和

願景當局有多少決心和堅持去實

現畢竟政策的訂立已經歷十個寒暑

社會已經歷不少巨大的變遷單單專注對於

自然和生態已經不足夠還需要將社會的需要納入關

注的考慮因素內加上《生物多樣性公約》範圍拓展至香港促成《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》的制定當局也是時候重新檢視政策制定更適切現今社會的保育方針吧

發展項目逼近棲息地紅樹林米埔屈翅螢(Pteroptyx maipo ) 的生死存亡將受

發展嚴重威脅 copy 香港昆蟲學會

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P10

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

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E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

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01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

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01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 10: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

環境評核報告

境 評 核 報 告 ( E n v i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t

AssessmentEIA 下稱環評 ) 自八十年代開始實行到九十年《環境保護理條例》實施一直是支持著本地自然保育的一大支柱可經歷多年後制度的漏洞及實行成效卻一直為人詬病

環評設立目的在於規劃初期確認大型工程(工程範圍超過二十公頃或影響人口超過十萬)如填海區域性發展等等工程與及後發展對環境所帶來的潛在重大影響當中包括並提供將項目影響降至最低的建議

因工程項目受影響的有關人士亦是環評中的重要部份需要詳細考慮並顧及他們的意見及需要可是環評制度一直被批評缺乏改善持份者對項目的了解及各持份者之間的溝通的措施策略性環評 (SEA) 就成為環評在初步規劃階段的重要環節考慮不同方案的環境影響以免製造污染問題同時尋求較符合環保原則的方案為此當局引入了 3D 環評技術以 3D 數碼科技為各個方案建立模型及數據分析有助收集各方的意見

copy環境保護署

Open Cut Option

Tunnel Option

以 3D 模擬技術方便比較跨越山頭的工

程方案 copy 環境保護署

P11

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 11: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

民間在龍尾發現而備受關注的瀕危物種管海馬 (Hippocampus kuda ) copy 龍尾海岸教育中心 copy SimFish

諷刺的是連最基本作為評估基礎的環評報告其公正性都一直受到坊間的批評不論由政府或私人機構所提出的工程都必須顧用環評顧問公司進行評估並撰 寫 報 告 可 是 在評估過程以及數據的分析給予了顧問公 司 極 大 的 主 觀 空間基於商業利益顧問公司很有機會以有利於顧主立場的方式詮釋數據而 未 能 反 映 現 實 的 情況近來最為人所熟悉相信是政府顧用公司對龍尾泥灘所進行的環評報告零七年土木工程署外判對龍尾進行首次環評報告只錄得 20 多種物種棲息惹起民間對調查結果準確性的懷疑不少市民自發親身到龍尾進行調查發現超過300 種 海岸 生

現時的環評制度著重的是每一 項 工 程 分 別 對 當 地 及 鄰近環境將會帶來的影響卻

不免忽略了鄰近地區有可能同時期進行的大小工程的橫向關係與已完成工程影響的縱

向 關 係 這 些 工 程的綜合影響對環境

生態而言可不只是一加一的簡單將進入第三

階段諮詢的新填海計劃有三個選址都落在香港的西部水域當局針對於計劃所提出的評估建議並未有考慮到

多年已落成的赤蠟角機場島珠江口水域頻繁的海上交通已上馬的港珠澳大橋工程與決定興建的機

場第三跑道在過去與將來想必帶來巨大的騷擾與破壞在現行的環評上應加入累計性的評估將橫向縱向關 係 都 一 併 納 入 評 估 範 圍內更完善地考慮項目的影響及所需措施

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P12

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

P15

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

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01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

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P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

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這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 12: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

寬緣

窗螢

(Pyrocoelia analis)

螢火蟲幼蟲

飾紋姬蛙 (Microhyla fissipes )

三斑鼻蟌 (Rhinocypha perforata perforata )

物經過民間不斷的反對要求當局撤回以該次環評為基礎發出的工程許可證漁農自然護理署生態於一三年再次進行調查並五月公佈最近完成的報告共錄得 101 種物種並承認龍尾為管海馬重要棲息地肯定了龍尾的生態價值更完全推翻了上一次調查龍尾低生態價值的結論

正如前文亦有提及的沙羅洞骨灰龕發展計劃當中被發現貶低當地生態價值之嫌報告指沙羅洞計劃地盤範圍屬於「草地及灌叢」然而民間考察發現地面經常被淹浸亦記錄得多種濕地動植物如蜻蜓蜻蜓幼蟲及蝌蚪等根本不可能評為「草地及灌叢」根據《拉姆薩爾公約》證實當地應界定為「季節性濕地」環評報告變相矮化了當地的生態價 值 更忽略了在當地作為螢火蟲重要棲息地的價值不管是顧問公司為了營造有利項目通過的環境還是因為生態環境如季節性變化的複雜多變性使評估過程非常困難民間一直有聲音反映環評報告的質素良莠不齊未能反映實況

環評報告完成後須要通過公眾諮詢與及後的環諮會的 審 批 方 可獲 發 環 境 許 可 證 理 論上環諮會 會將公眾的

意見納入考慮因素範圍內這程序看來正如當局宣稱般可廣納市民大眾的意見可是諮詢期只有短短的十四天每份報告都動輒數百頁用上不少專業用詞為此亦有報告會被撮

要成研究概要只有英文版環諮會環評小組

的會議與公眾可參 與 旁 聽 的 環節都是主要以英語進行即時傳譯服務又需 要 繁 複 的 申

請 再 由 秘 書 處根據當時情況而

定希望關注保育議題的普羅市民

很多時卻無從入手唯有等待參考環保團體及保育人士對報告的摘要分析更遑論向當局發表自己的意見就算是專業人士亦難以在兩星期內將這麼詳細專業的報告閱讀消化吧

那麼這豈不與諮詢程序當初希望得到多方意見的目標背道而馳

P13

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

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E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

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01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

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01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 13: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

環評制度主要由三個層面嘗試減輕不同項目對環境的影響首先從基本的污染物預防及控制進一步從土地規劃與設計減少計劃的影響最後是以各種方式對工程及日後預計造成的損害及污染作出補償

生態補償當中又分為本地與工程地點外另覓適合地點作出補償究竟所謂的補償是否適切是否有效呢我們可以看看一個經典的例子西鐵錦田段的濕地補償因為興建西鐵錦田路段架空天橋時破壞了沿路濕地範圍而需要作出相應的濕地補償重新給予當地候鳥棲息地可是工程完成後被揭發所謂的補償濕地是列車軌道橋下的一片「小泥漥」更是被鐵絲網圍起了彷如一池死水這樣的所謂補償對候鳥根本毫無益處已受破壞的生境不可能復原更是斥資創造一片養蚊蟲的土地亦有不少例子是為了拼湊足夠的補償面積將零碎而不能發揮濕地功能的土地劃入範圍並獲

得通過這反映著商業機構若無心去對受影響的生態作出補償整個環評制度更是難以限制生境的破壞沒能夠有效的補償保護受影響的生態究竟為甚麼在規劃期間會容許這麼荒謬的方案而在規劃通過後市民更是失去了對項目監察的能力再無法追究容易令發展商有只需通過僥倖環評就能夠為所欲為的心態

香港實行環評制度已經有三十年完成了超過五百個項目然而這些年來坊間一直向政府反映意見指出程序的漏洞希望當局會重新對現行制度進行檢視和改革可惜一次又一次的失望而回眼看一個個未完善的環評報告獲得通過對環境和生態造成嚴重破壞的計劃陸續上馬在此再一次希望政府當局在不久的將來能夠根本地檢討和革新環評制度使它真正能夠作為守護香港環境和生態的把關人

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P14

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

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E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

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01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

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西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

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這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

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除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

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copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

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去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

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Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

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01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

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02

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01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

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02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

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Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

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第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

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01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

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在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

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Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 14: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

南生圍擁有全港第二大蘆葦床為減少項目濕地損失發展商提議南生圍北面魚塘及鄰近的甩洲補種蘆葦前者改變了魚塘的原有生態功能後者據項目建議更只是於塘壆補種生態價值根本無法與原有的整片蘆葦床相提並論

自然保育政策與環境評估制度經歷多年後從近來越演越烈的郊野公園不包括土地爭議及民間一直反映對環評

制度漏洞似乎與現今社會的需要出現了好些分歧保育和發展如何能夠同時可持續地得到進步而取得平衡是現在保育政府所需要顧及的重要方向這當然不會是政府單方面的責任就如選舉辦法一樣改善保育政策需要社會各界的聲音政府亦應該廣納更多方面的意見趁著《生物多樣性公約》擴展到香港的初期正在制定全新的《生物多樣性策略及行動計劃》同時會是對已實行已久的保育政策一併進行改革的好時機形成能夠互補配合的新方向好讓大家對於可持續發展好好保護香港珍貴的自然土地與生物多樣性的願望得以實現

參考資料

1 環評與規劃 mdash 香港特別行政區政府環境保護署 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chienvironmentinhkeia_planningeia_maincontenthtml

2 環境諮詢委員會及環境影響評估小組的公開會議旁聽指引及規則 httpwwwepdgovhkepdtc_chiboardsadvisory_councilfilesguidelines_open_meetings_chipdf

3 Dimensional EIA Public Engagement Tools mdash Environmental Protection Department Environmental Assessment amp Noise Division httpwwwepdgovhkeia3deia3DEIApdf

4 新自然保育政策 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncphtml

5 可進行自然保育管理協議計劃的地點地圖 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署 httpwwwafcdgovhktc_chiconservationcon_nncpcon_nncp_newfilesMA_MAP_CHIjpg

6 自然保育管理協議計劃簡介會簡報 mdash 香港特別行政區政府漁農自然護理署

7 鏗鏘集不包括的土地mdash 香港電台 httpprogrammerthkhkrthktvprogrammephpname=tvhkccampd=2013-12-29ampp=858ampe=244438ampm=episode

8 漁護署 Hea 保郊野 土地遭破壞 政府難執法 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013111418506930

9 城規會放生百億豐樂圍住宅項目 長實闖后海灣濕地開殺戒 mdash 蘋果日報 httphkapplenextmediacomnewsart2013112318520535

10 不是一條魚的問題 mdash 朱凱迪 httpwwwpentoyhkE7A4BEE69C83E792B0E4BF9Dc11220130908E69CB1E587B1E8BFAAEFB995E4B88DE698AFE4B880E6A29DE9AD9AE79A84E5958FE9A18C

11 踢爆沙螺洞骨灰龕環評報告的謬誤 Sha Lo Tung EIA is not telling the truth mdash 保護沙螺洞 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=foZcMoqwawQ

P15

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

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P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

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西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

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這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

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除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

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copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

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去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

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Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

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01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

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02

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01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

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02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

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Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

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第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

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01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

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03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

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在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

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Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 15: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P16

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

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01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

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01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 16: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P17

E LSS 首次衝出香港帶大家到台灣墾丁出 field 這次考察團全賴莊友們的充分合作團友們的高度配合還有

台灣單位的大力幫助才成就了 ELSS 這一個小小的突破

說是生態考察團當然是去探索台灣豐富的生態資源我們亦在這次五日四夜的旅程中親身觀察台灣對自然資源的管理推廣措施和值得香港借鑑的地方旅行過後除了有很多新嘗試最深刻的還是感受到台灣人的熱情和對大自然獨

特的情懷我們希望在此分享這次旅程的得著和難忘的點滴

文 圖Karen Wong amp James Cheung

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

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P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 17: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P18

台灣的生態

被 稱為「寶島」的台灣是個位於中國大陸東南面積達三萬

多平方公里的一個島比香港大三十多倍而台灣的海岸總長 1500 多公里亦比香港的略為長由於台灣位於板塊的撞擊帶因此這裡的大地構造活動非常活躍造山運動形成了不同的地形這裡擁有百多座超過三千米以上的山峰最高的山是海拔3952 米的玉山比起香港最高 900多米的大帽山還要高出很多呢

台灣是個亞熱帶地區本島的中部處於 235N 的北迴歸線上由海拔 0米到 3952 米不同的地勢加上東北季候風的形響形成了台灣不同的生態系統包括海洋濕地森林農地河流等台灣陸地既擁有平原又有高山地勢因此森林生態除了海岸林闊葉林等外也有針葉林高山草原等而台灣仍有鄉郊地區的人民靠農業為生因此也有像香港塱原的農地生態在海洋及海岸生態方面台灣亦有紅樹林河口潮汐區珊瑚礁等生境

台灣擁有豐富的生態環境蘊藏了豐富的生物多樣性以動物為例台灣目前已知的野生有脊椎動物有約 800種還有 400 多種蝴蝶顯示了台灣

動物的多樣性由於台灣島在冰河時期過後與歐亞大陸分隔兩地的物種無法互相交配影響基因流動因此許多年過後台灣演化出很多特有種及亞種當地大約兩成野生有脊椎動物及蝴蝶以及兩成植物都是台灣的特有(亞)種可見台灣生物多樣性的珍貴比較著名的台灣特有種包括臺灣彌猴盤古蟾蜍臺灣鳳蝶愛玉子和臺灣紅豆樹等

台灣擁有 17 個「野生動物保護區」及 19 個「自然保留區」以法例保護當地的野生動物生態系統或自然地貌保存物種基因提供生態演替及保存瀕危物種以保存觀察及教育達至保育作用其中「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」便是位於我們是次考察團的墾丁

我們此次旅程的主要目的地mdashmdash墾丁位於台灣屏東縣恒春半島是台灣本島最南端的地方屬於熱帶性氣候這裡三面環海氣溫受海洋調節夏天不會太熱而冬天也不會太冷但冬天時可能會受「落山風」(即間歇的從東面山上直吹而下到海上的強風)影響這裡除了是香港人的渡假聖地外這裡的生態環境也十分特別

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

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03

02

04

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很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

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Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

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一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

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西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

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這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

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copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

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去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

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Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

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01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

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05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

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02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

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P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 18: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P19

墾丁國家森林遊樂區以及上文提及過的「墾丁高位珊瑚礁自然保留區」本來是位於海底的珊瑚礁但在 50 萬年前因為板塊運動珊瑚礁升上了海平面並經過長年的風化後形成了特別的「高位珊瑚礁林」這裡的植物也因為珊瑚礁而形成特別的土壤及地勢有著特別的生長模式一些動物如蝙蝠也會在珊瑚礁受風化後的「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息 除了這裡特別的陸地生境外墾丁附近的海域也有豐富的珊瑚礁例如本次考察團到過的後壁湖擁有一片珊瑚

礁孕育了不同依賴珊瑚礁生存的魚類海藻等墾丁還有濕地淡水等生境例如龍鑾潭雙流等

而墾丁範圍內也有台灣的一些特有種如面天樹蛙斯文豪氏攀蜥台灣梅花鹿黃灰澤蟹等本次考察團亦有看見牠們的蹤影

「珊瑚礁洞穴」內棲息的蝙蝠

斯文豪氏攀蜥 稱為「台灣黑檀木」的毛杮

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

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西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

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去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

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在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 19: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P20

01 03

04 05

02

01 面天樹蛙02 黃灰澤蟹03 白裳貓蛺蝶04 高位珊瑚礁林05 由於土壞較鬆散一些植物(如相片中的銀葉樹)會長出板根以支撐整棵樹木

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

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05

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07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

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P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 20: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P21

熱情友善的導賞員

除 了林林種種的動植物讓我們留下深刻印象的還有人mdashmdash

熱情友善的導賞員在五天的考察團中我們在多個景點都參加了當地的導賞團跟著導賞員認識該地方的生境

其中在墾丁國家森林遊樂區的志工(義工)「松鼠」首先向我們介紹了「自然名」即由原住民族長給予的有大自然元素的名字可為動物或風火雷電等連名字都與大自然拉上關係可見當地人對大自然的熱愛

「松鼠」的講解非常生動特別令人佩服的是他記得景區內各式各樣的植物和其特徵有問必答此外他也介紹當地的歷史和自然跟人們生活的關係他對自然環境的愛和滿腔熱忱都從他的導覽中表現出來而這種熱情也感染了我們為這個考察團生色不少

這位就是「松鼠」帶我們一行二十人走了三個多小時仍然充滿活力

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

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地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

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西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

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這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

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除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

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copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

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去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

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Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

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01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

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02

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01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

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02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

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Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

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第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

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01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

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在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

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Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 21: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P22

不同單位的合作

在 與台灣團體的交談中我們得知他們有跟政府或大學合作

在社頂自然公園舉辦生態旅遊的社頂部落便是個好例子因為政府部門打算在社頂附近地區發展生態旅遊屏東科技大學的教授就把當地居民訓練成專業導賞員此舉不但為原居民帶來收入原居民亦肩負起保護環境的

責任令那一帶的保育工作和經濟發展得以平衡

此外我們參觀的國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所是由國立東華大學及國立海洋生物博物館(海生館)合作設立的海洋科學學院會舉辦導賞給學生團體我們到達時

01

03

02

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 22: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P23

01 帶上夜行用具02 與兩位社頂部落的導賞員的大合照03 研究所的水族實驗中心內的設備04 研究所裡人工繁殖的海馬05 研究所海龜復育工作 醫治和療養擱淺被漁網弄傷的海龜然後放生牠們06 這位教授在研究所跟我們上了有關珊瑚的一課十分互動呢07 教授讓我們親手接觸研究的珊瑚

當地教授毫不吝嗇地帶我們參觀研究所裡不同海洋生物的標本和他們的研究工作研究所的規模和他們研究的生物的種類都令我們大開眼界有人工濕地海龜復育珊瑚熱帶魚海馬helliphellip研究所藉著跟海生館的通力合作利用館內人才及設施作教育資源同時共同為台灣海洋研究出力

04

05

06

07

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 23: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P24

對大自然的態度

在 以宣揚環境教育為目標的雙流自然教育中心導賞員在導賞

開始前首先要求我們做一個特別的儀式mdashmdash向山神打招呼右手按著心舉起左手念一段關於感謝山神給我們美麗的環境和答應祂會愛護這個環境的誓詞他們解釋到尊敬大自然的其中一個原因是當地曾經歷八八風災(莫拉克)而那次天災把一條原住民村落徹底摧毀了感受過大自然的威力後他們都更加珍惜這片土地藉著舉辦不同活動在精神和感官上喚起人們本身與自然密不可分的關係這相比起許多事事以金錢掛帥的香港人其心態上實在有天淵之別究竟要到什麽時候香港人也能同樣地意識到這淺顯的訊息呢

生態旅遊規劃

這 五天參加的導覽團每次台灣單位的準備和貼心都在我們意

料之外導賞員都十分親切和專業懂得利用地理優勢及自然資源作合適的路線設計和完善的安排例如在雙流自然教育中心行的沿山步道(在每個公園都有不同類型步道供遊客選擇)沿途有草地小瀑布和吊橋等加上在溪邊玩水和爬樹的環節增加了我們與大自然的互動令我們對該地方留下更深刻的印象相信這也是他們生態旅遊成功原因之一

01 因八八風災被夷平的山坡02 特別為兩棲爬蟲動物而設的生態走廊03 導賞員教我們用龍船花編制簡單而漂亮的手鍊04 後壁湖劃分了一部分給遊客浮潛及玩水上活動該區嚴禁捕魚活動以保育海洋資源

01

03

02

04

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 24: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P25

很感謝這次考察團得到國立臺南大學生態科學與技術學系的接待 讓我們可以跟師生們交流和認識他們的課程和社團跟 EB 和 ELSS 其實相差不遠 我們亦討論了兩地的保育議題 例如提到台灣國家公園的規劃跟香港的郊野公園同樣面對原居民不滿的困難 以致分佈零散

雖然這個考察團一直強調要比較香港台灣兩地的保育措施但到外地看過後我們會想如果外地團體想在香港舉辦一個生態考察團會選擇那些地方呢 台灣的自然風景各個單位的支持多元化及廣泛的保育措施以及人們對待大自然的態度無疑是十分吸引和值得學習但香港亦有不少郊野公園海岸公園自然保護區等

等值得我們去發掘本地生態可愛的地方另外香港亦有郊野公園義工導賞計劃自然教育中心等公眾教育的措施在香港的淨土還未被城市發展完全侵蝕之前我們對香港的自然保育又認識真正看過多少呢即使出生和成長都在石屎森林但願我們都能學習台灣人珍惜大自然的心令我們家的生態保育前景一片光明

在香港可以爬樹的機會真的不多但在雙流自然教

育中心便有「榕樹婆婆」給我們一嘗爬樹的樂趣

大家都玩得像個小孩子呢

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 25: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P26

I h a v e l e a r n t the environmental c o n s e r v a t i o n p o l i c i e s a n d t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d locals in Taiwan It is ver y impressive a n d i n s p i r i n g that motivates me t o t h i n k d e e p l y about the current e n v i r o n m e n t a l conservation issues in Hong Kong

Ellis Yu

During the trip in Taiwan I met many guides who led us visiting the parks and gave introductions And they were all trained by postgraduate students majoring in ecology I can tell that Taiwan people have put much effort in educating e v e r y o n e B u t w e s h o u l d e d u c a te everyone not only those who wants to work in the eco-tourism industry but also all people about the value of biodiversity so that we could make the right decision and strive balance between advancement of civilization and natural resources

Felix Chui

It seems that Taiwan is doing more than Hong Kong in terms of conservation While it is said that the policy is not that systematic and effective by Professor Chen from the National University of Tainan my view is that to the least degree the Government is willing to assist locals to adopt protective measures However in Hong Kong the government seems to cut off itself from the citizenry when implementing conservation policy

Daniel Ng

部份團友的感想節錄

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 26: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P27

Ive learnt more about the ecology and biodiversity of Taiwan they had set up quite a number of protected areas like parks and reserved areas for education or conservation purposes which can help to protect nature while at the same time boost the economy

Im quite impressed by the local residents and how the government has helped them to play a role in conservation They are the one who knows well of the place so its better for them to tell the story and background to the tourists

Jammy Lui

參考資料為了保持通過是次考察團所建立的關係一些曾協助考察團行程的 台 灣 團 體 都 答 應 了 會 繼 續 與ELSS 聯繫互相交流資訊若有任何義工或活動是接受海外人士報名亦會轉介本會協助宣傳和招募他們包括bull 國立東華大學海洋生物多樣性

及演化研究所bull 雙流自然教育中心bull 國 立 臺 南 大 學 生 態 科 學 與

技 術 學 系 (Facebook page httpswwwfacebookcomEcologyEcoscience)

如欲瞭解更多是次旅程內容可到ELSS 的 Facebook 專 頁 和 YouTube Channel 觀看精彩相片和精華片段

1 行政院農委會林務局自然保育網httpconservationforestgovtwctaspxItem=59735ampctNode=174ampmp=102 台灣林悠遊網 httprecreationforestgovtwRAra_2_1aspxRA_ID=06000023 墾丁國家公園管理處 httpwwwktnpgovtwchtenvironmentaspx4 台灣南投縣特有生物研究保育中心

推薦網站

1 由志工介紹台灣國家公園h t t p w w w y o u t u b e c o m u s e r ParksTaiwanvideos2 台灣國家公園生物多樣性資料庫與知識平台httpnpgiscpamigovtwpublicdefaultDefaultaspx2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 27: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

流連在西藏大草原與地山雀有個約會

文 圖Andy Lee

2013 年暑假的一次偶然機會我肥蘇和豬潤一行三人參與武漢大學的生態研究工作到青藏高原考察地山雀(Pseudopodoces humilis ) 的繁殖行為三個背包客從香港出發乘著青藏鐵路經過 50 多小時的車程才到達會合的地方mdashmdash格爾目我們在武漢大學的研究人員關師傅帶領下先在城市休息了一天然後再上路乘坐火車到更偏遠的野外開始考察工作

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P28

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 28: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

研究地點位於西藏可可西里西邊

的沱沱河是長江的源頭這裡

海拔高達 4500 多米雖然起程

之前我們已經服了預防高山症的

藥但仍能深深感受到這邊空氣

稀薄連平常走路都變得十分吃

力我們在河邊的一個小鎮找了

一間小屋子它在接下來的一個

月將成為我們的研究基地亦是

我們起居飲食的家了

P29

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 29: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

一望無際的大草原看上去或許好像平平無奇但一路走著便會發現這裡充滿生機 每年 6 至8 月的夏天是這裡最溫暖的時候雀鳥等動物都會捉緊這機會來築巢繁殖下一代並要趕在近尺厚的冰雪覆蓋大地前把牠們養成能自立的鳥

我 們 千 里 迢 迢 來 尋 找 的 地 山 雀 (Pseudopodoces humilis )正是在草原上挖洞築巢的能手 牠們擅於用自己尖長的喙和腳爪在地上挖出長深達兩米的地洞再用乾草和羊毛等物料在末端的巢室築巢這樣才能確保鳥蛋和幼鳥能夠捱過每天日落後的嚴寒

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P30

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 30: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

要 研究地山雀的繁殖行為

第一步是要在廣闊的平原上找到牠們的巢洞地上佈滿各種雀鳥

新舊的洞口總不能逐個查找因此最有效快捷的方法便是跟縱出來覓食的地山

雀待牠們飛回巢洞照顧幼鳥時找出洞口的位置透過觀察地山雀在巢洞內外的行為可以推斷出牠們繁殖的進度例如在孵暖的時期只有雄性的地山雀會出洞覓食而雌鳥則留在洞內哺蛋約每 45 分鐘才會出來伸伸懶腰待小鳥孵出後雌雄二鳥都會忙於找食

進出巢洞的次數亦會變得頻密而大鳥口中叼食蟲子的大小也能反映幼鳥

的成長從而預測牠們出巢的日子

P31

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 31: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

地山雀的繁殖家庭中除了雌雄二鳥外有時候還會包括一隻合作者負責幫忙照顧幼鳥及看守巢洞究竟這樣的合作方式會如何影響繁殖的成功率對合作者有如何的利弊處而合作者和雌雄二鳥又會否有甚麼血緣關係這些都是研究希望解答到的問題研究小組在確定的巢洞位置後下一步便是要為成鳥及幼鳥進行標誌為了避免成鳥受驚而棄巢捉鳥的步驟必須要待幼鳥孵出後約 5 天才可進行

雌鳥的肚子有孵暖斑幫助哺

我們為每個鳥家庭的所有成幼鳥都套上腳環包括有獨特編號的鐵環及不同顏色組合的家族環這些標誌對往後繁殖季節的研究都十分重要

(注意所有雀鳥環置和量度的工作都是在有經驗的研究人員的指導下進行亦需要領有許可證請勿自行嘗試捕鳥或騷擾鳥巢)

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P32

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 32: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

除了要環置大小鳥外我們亦要為牠們量高磅重檢查翼羽的換毛情況等雖然地山雀體

型不算大可以一掌握住但要在牠們拚命掙扎的同時伸開翼展攤直身子來量度檢

查卻十分需要技巧最後一步是要在牠們腋下的靜脈血管抽取血液樣本用作

基因及家族譜的研究這對於毫無經驗的我們的確是天大的挑戰mdashmdash一方面

幼細的血管不易找我們又害怕亂扎會弄傷鳥兒但又不能把鳥扣留太

長時間

初孵出的幼鳥十分 脆 弱 我 們 為牠們量度和環置時 既 要 格 外 小心 亦 要 分 秒 必爭 務 求 盡 快 把牠們放回溫暖的巢中

P33

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 33: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

西藏的當地居民對我們這班外來的研究人員的工作都充滿好奇不知是否因為文化和宗教上的差異又或是在大自然的懷抱下長大他們對身邊的自然環境和生物都愛護有嘉有的更試過誤以為我們要傷害雀鳥主動過來把我們趕走更教誨了好一會兒還好後來經過一番解釋後他們都明白我們的研究目的有的人更主動前來幫忙呢

在小鎮的一個月除了要負責研究工作外還要自行照顧起居飲食我們每天的行程包括走訪各鳥巢到村口市集買菜到雜貨鋪和老闆娘聊天及買零食有時也要找水車買食水等相比起香港繁忙緊湊的生活節奏這邊沒有 Wi-fi沒有電視到了晚上屋外更是漆黑一片十分簡樸大家起程前都為一整個月所要打發的空餘時間做好準備有人帶了文學巨著教科書棋等亦下載了好幾齣長篇電影和肥皂劇等經過一個月的訓練後鬥地主已經成為了我們三人的本能動作只要一有空便會有人開始派牌而大家亦會自動出牌洗牌同時又能各自做自己的事情甚至做飯切菜也沒有問題草原上天氣寒冷乾燥再加上沒有供水的設備這裏的人都沒有洗澡的習慣而我們也入鄉隨俗保持了 32 天不洗澡的紀錄

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P34

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 34: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

當然身處在偌大的草原最好的娛樂便是到外面周圍逛逛屋前的唐古拉山脈是青藏鐵路沿途的最高點每逢下雨天後的晨時山脈便會披上白色的一層雪到了中午又會變回深綠的草被還記得有一天我們一時興起決定要從河邊徒步走到山腳結果花了兩小時多的腳力連腳趾也沒碰及山脈看起來一點也沒有近了看來大平原上的距離感跟我們平時體驗的有很大差別

P35

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

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LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 35: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

這邊日照時間特別長每天到了下午 9 時多才開始日落

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P36

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 36: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

除了日晝和晚上多達攝氏 20 度的溫差外這邊的天氣也是十分大情大性的在短短兩三小時的考察中天氣可以由風和日麗霎眼變成狂風雷暴打幾個雷後更下起冰雹來然後又回復陽光普照還加上雙彩虹的映襯幸好在毫無遮擋的平原上大家都可以觀察遠方正在吹過來的雲層來預測天氣的

「面色」從而估計能夠到野外工作的時段好幾次我們都能剛剛好在下大雨前完成考察工作回到家中

到了寒冷的晚上除了躲在屋裏看電影外我們有時亦會冒著嚴寒出來感受完全沒有光污染的星空以及肉眼可見的銀河

P37

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 37: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

除了地山雀外草原上的各種動物都在這時段繁殖到處都有初生小朋友

鼠兔

鼠兔 BB

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P38

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 38: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

白腰雪雀

白腰雪雀 BB

地山雀

P39

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 39: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

copy Camille Chung

後記完成了一個月的考察工作後我們三人回到青藏鐵路的起點西寧會合朋友到了青海湖拉薩林芝等地方再遊玩了兩星期到訪了不同名勝也感受到西藏獨特的文化氣息

縱紋腹小鴞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P40

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 40: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

灰腹噪鹛

藏馬雞

朱雀

山羊

棕頭鷗

P41

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 41: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P42

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 42: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P43

去 年年初我很幸運能夠到澳洲布里斯本的昆士蘭大學 (The University of Queensland

簡稱 UQ) 當交流生半年作為一個主修生態學的學生可以到澳洲這個有豐富物種和天然資源的國家居住半年固然無比興奮以下就讓我分享一下我於當地的所見所聞

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 43: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P44

U Q 是昆士蘭省最古老及最大的一所大學共有四個校園而

我就讀的是距離布里斯本市中心約二十五分鐘位於 St Lucia 的主校園這個校園其中一個特色是一幢一幢被列為古蹟的沙岩大樓令整個校園充滿着歷史氣息校園的另一個景點是三個大小不一的湖除了為學生和教職員提供一個絕佳的休憩環境這些湖和周邊的草坪亦孕育着不少生物如鰻魚龜和各種雀鳥

另外UQ 有兩個關於生態環境的學 會 分 別 是 UQ Environmental S c i e n c e S o c i e t y 和 U Q Environment Collective 前 者 與ELSS 性質相近會定期舉辦觀鳥植物觀賞等活動好讓 UQ 學生認識更多本地的生態後者則定期舉行有關環境議題的討論會讓參加者互相交換意見集思廣益

大學校園

校園生態

01 02

Helmeted Guineafowl

Purple Swamphen

Little Corella

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 44: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P45

01 Brisbane River 千萬別掉進水水裏是年幼 bull sharks 的覓食地方

02 UQ Lakes

03 The Great Court

學術經驗

在 UQ 期 間 我 共 修 讀 四 個科 目 當 中 我 比 較 喜 歡

Australian Terrestrial Environment 和 Australian Marine Environment這兩科大概是因為他們都有很多實地考察吧

Australian Terrestrial Environment

這科有一個五天四夜的實地考察目 的 地 是 著 名 的 旅 遊 景 點 Fraser IslandFraser Island 的 來 頭 可 不少它是全世界最大的沙島更是唯

一一個有雨林在沙上生長的地方在島上我們每天都會研究一種生物包括岸邊的植物雨林的昆蟲樹木花果實和種子不得不提很久以前當澳洲還是與 Antarctica 連在一起的時候這裡是一大片熱帶雨林除着澳洲脫離 Antarctica氣候的轉變導致雨林的面積不斷萎縮因此澳洲現有的雨林都是古老雨林的滄海遺珠這段長時間亦正好讓那裏的生物不斷進化使澳洲雨林的生物多樣性出奇地高能夠在當中探索的確是十分難得的學習體會

03

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cane Toad

Grey-headed Flying Fox

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 45: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P46

01

03 04

02

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 46: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P47

05 06

01 這隻 Lace Monitor 是我們宿營地點的常客對人類已經習以為常任由我們近距離拍照

02 澳洲原生蘭花 (Hyacinth Orchid)

03 山徑兩旁就是熱雨林了

04 澳洲很多湖水都是褐色的這種顏色其實來自湖邊如尤加利樹的葉子裏釋放出來的丹寧 (Tannin)

05 島上有很多馬蠅 (Horsefly)除了這隻綠色眼且有手指頭般大的馬蠅外還有很多紫色眼且有拇指般長的馬蠅牠們更會咬人

06 Fraser Island 上有最純種的澳洲野犬群落這是因為多年來島都與內陸分隔所以牠們並沒有機會和在內陸走失了的寵物狗雜交

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

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P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 47: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P48

這 科 還 有 一 個 到 Lamington National Park 的 day trip 在 這 天裏我們在雨林裏一邊走一邊學習各種植林的特點除了學習生態知識外導師還講解了國家公園的歷史也帶我們到幾處優美的地方看風景

原來當地政府為了減少人類對國家公園的影響多年前開始不准人到山上居住很多原住民收了賠償後逐漸搬到別處現在山上只剩下幾戶人家和旅店

01

02

03 04

01 山上的風景02 山上從前有澳洲原居民居住我們正認識他們以前的生活和居所03 國家公園裏的一個湖04 我們遠足其間有幸看見 Satin Bowerbird 築的巢旁邊藍色的東西是雄鳥撿來佈置巢穴用作吸引雌性

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 48: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P49

Australian Marine Environment

這科共有兩個實地考察第一個是在世界第二大沙島 North Stradbroke Island 的三日兩夜這個考察主要讓我們學習海岸生物的習性除了做專題研習外導師亦有帶我們到岸邊講解各種泥灘上的動植物和原居民捉魚的方法

這個實地考察比其他的要辛苦一點因為我們要在一天的時間裏把整份專

題研習做好設計實驗進行實驗以至整理數據及預備投影片幸好我們各組都能順利完成所有工作在最後一天導師便帶我們到島上的山頂遊覽沿着步行道走過一個又一個的山峽看着一望無際的海洋俯瞰水清沙幼的海岸線實在令人感歎大自然的美午餐過後我們更走到剛才望到的沙灘享受一個懶洋洋的下午然後便依依不捨地回家了helliphellip

我們住宿和做實驗的 Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

從山頂腑望是一望無際水清沙幼的海灘

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 49: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P50

研究中心外的泥灘灘上一個個的水漥其實是 Stingrays 的 feeding pits可想而知潮漲時有多少Stingrays 會來這裏

灘上最多的生物就是了 Soldier Crabs牠們也是我組專題研習的研究對象

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 50: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P51

第二個是在大堡礁 Heron Island 五日四夜的實地考察雖然去這個實地 考 察 很 chur( 我 是 在 去 Fraser Island 的第五天黃昏回到家再於同一天晚上十一時乘八小時通宵車到碼頭然後乘船到那處helliphellip)但這五天是我一生最難忘的經驗在這五天裏我們要分組做一份專題研習我那組就研究五種吃珊瑚的蝴蝶魚的喜好和牠們進食的頻率除了做專題研習以外導師們亦有趁低潮的時候帶我們走出 reef flat 講解各種生物更有帶我們去浮潛感受水底世界的美由於我早前考了潛水牌照所以在以上各種活動以外我和幾個同學經研究中心旁 resort 的潛水中心出海進行帶氧潛水總括來說 其實我們探索島嶼及下水的時間比做專題研習的還要多令我們不禁懷疑究竟我們去考察還是渡假 其實 Heron Island 這個島十分小只有 UQ 的研究中心和一所 resort大概用半小時就可以圍繞它走一次

大概因為這裏不大和人不多這裏的海洋生物受到的騷擾比較少所以我們看到十分多物種水裏有鯊魚魔鬼魚海龜當然還有數之不盡的珊瑚魚珊瑚和其他無脊椎動物helliphellip經過親身經歷鯊魚和魔鬼魚其實真的十分温純我們在水中時牠們旁若無人只顧與同伴游泳另外不得不提的是一條巨型的 Queensland Grouper( 珊 瑚 礁 裏 找 到 最 大 的bony fish )從岸上看牠比鯊魚的「斤兩」還要重可惜牠在岸邊時我們正在拍 class video(其實是just for fun 的 Harlem Shake)拍畢下水時牠已剩下遙遠的影子要數陸上最特別的肯定是數量驚人在此繁殖下代的 Noddy Terns 和人稱 Muttonbird 的 Wedge-tailed Shearwater這些 Shearwater 看似普通可是牠們晚上會發出像嬰兒叫喊的聲音呢這裏的沙灘也是一個重要的海龜產卵地雖然產卵高峰期已過但是我們還可以找到海龜爬上岸的痕跡

01 Cowtail Stingray 和 Shovelnose Ray02 除了這條 Lemon Shark我還看見了 Black-tipped Reef SharkWhite-tipped Reef Shark 和體形較細小喜歡於潮退時在 reef flat 覓食的 Epaulette Shark

01 02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 51: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P52

01

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 52: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P53

01 Noddy Terns 和 Pisonia Trees 有着密不可分的關係鳥兒只會在這種樹上築巢樹則會長出帶有黏性種子的果實種子會黏在成鳥的翅膀從而傳播到其他島嶼可是假若種子黏到幼鳥身上幼鳥便飛不起然後死去成為樹苗的肥料所以這些樹有個別名Bird-eating Trees

02 雖然導師事前已告知我們這些 Wedge-tailed Shearwater 的叫聲但第一天聽到時也有一陣心寒

03 導師帶我們乘船到深水區浮潛時看到的 Manta Ray ( 船潛分兩組但只有我那組看到牠真幸運 )

04 Whiptail Stingrays

02

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 53: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P54

01 色彩鮮艷的 Giant Clam02 Green Sea Turtle(左)和老得滿身長着青苔的 Loggerhead Turtle(右)導師估計牠可能超過一百歲呢03 潮退時我們走到 reef flat 近距離觀察各種海洋生物如珊瑚海參海草等04 被無數小魚簇擁着的時光真令人懷念

01

02 02

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 54: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P55

在當地生活我發現當地人保育的意識十分強而且十分主動 比如校園裏其中一棵樹有鳥巢校方很快便會豎立告示叫人不要走近以免嚇壞牠 們 即 使 是 其 他 學 系 的 學生也會主動參與有關生態保育的活動或認識周圍的生物

「讀萬卷書不如行萬里路」這句話一點也沒錯在澳洲逗留了半年到過的地方還不到一成但眼界已擴闊了很多學

會了很多知識也令我更熱愛大自然回到香港除了繼續學習外亦希望將學到的分享開去感染更多人愛護自然的瑰寶

頁數所限我不能將所見所聞一一盡錄如果你有興趣知道我在當地的的校園生活城市特色旅遊體驗helliphellip甚至對報名做交換生有疑問歡迎找我或到我的 Facebook 看相片

03 04

島上的碼頭在空餘時間只要帶齊工具就可以直接下水浮潛離岸不遠的沉船亦是浮潛熱點

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 55: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P56

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 56: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P57

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 57: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P58

N e w Z e a l a n d i s o n e o f the most recent human

discovered lands in histor y The Polynesians are believed to be the first to settle here in the 13th century and became the natives Maori Because of relative short human history and little human disturbance in this beautiful country New Zealand has well-preserved nature and extraordinar y creatures For every step I stepped I love this place more

In geologica l h is tor y New Zealand was isolated from other continents for 80 million years and for this reason organisms have evolved very differently here producing many endemic species Before human arrival in the recent histor y there were no mammalian predators in this country because of its

remoteness Birds have evolved to be flightlessness for example the famous kiwi birds Human arrival introduced predators such as rats dogs and possums and has led to extinction of almost half of the vertebrate species especially the birds The locals are very concerned about the rapid extinction of these endemic species and have carried out various kinds of restoration projects to save them

To conser ve these endemic species which are vulnerable to exotic predators a piece of land which is absent of these predators is needed in order to allow them to reproduce Auckland has a number of islands which make it an excellent place for species conservation I had taken a course named Ecological Restoration and Management and had a chance to understand conservation efforts done by the locals

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 58: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P59

Bring the greens back to Tiritiri

T iritiri Matangi Island is an open sanctuar y locat ing

at 30km north-east of central A u c k l a n d M o s t f o re s t s o n the is land were lost due to introduction of stock by the Europeans in mid-19th century a n d t h e i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y covered by grass with small patches of forests in the gullies In the 20th century a conservation plan was proposed and it was a pioneer project in New Zealand The main actions of the plan include planting of native trees and translocation of native birds onto the island

However the key point I would like to highlight is the community involvement In the early days the local government still held the traditional view of ldquofortress

conservationrdquo meaning keeping people away in order to preserve nature People believed that the island would be able to recover and regenerate itself and there was no need for plantation This project made a breakthrough T h e c o n s e r va t i o n p l a n w a s proposed by the academics but since the plan started thousands of volunteers played a great role in planting trees for 10 years and became a community-based project

Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc is founded by them in 1988 and co-managed the island with the Department of Conservation The Supporters are responsible for the daily management of the island Many of them are not experts and are just ordinary citizens

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 59: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P60

One of the advantages of a community-based non-government organization in managing is that it is more efficient in gaining public support fundraising and public education than the government or other organizat ions They are more able to unite the local community and to motivate people as volunteers The conservation project is well-supported by local people and thus the island became one of their most popular holiday spots Public support is not just about provision of volunteers but also about finance sustainability Profit generated from guiding tours and souvenir shops could fund the machines

equipments construction of workshop complex and visitor centre Apart from money community-based project gives the feeling that island is part of the p e o p l e rsquos c o m m u n i t y This is a kind of positive encouragement to care and appreciate this place

In the v iew of a per son without any wildlife watching experience the island is ldquovisitor friendlyrdquo because of presence of nesting boxes of blue penguins and feeding boxes of birds These ideas are arguable In Hong Kong people are blamed for using lures to take photos of birds But here feeding bottles and boxes with sugary solutions

01 A tui on a tree showing its two distinguishable white balls on it throat02 Tui feeding bottles with sugary solution The fences are used to prevent other larger birds from feeding here

01 02

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 60: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P61

are used to attract nectar-feeding birds The main concern here is whether this will change the sex ratio of the bellbirds as they feed according to their hierarchy and hierarchy is linked with sexes It is claimed that the number of feeding boxes are not large enough to create an effect but still this is debatable Never theless f irsthand experience in seeing and hearing the birds do have a stronger educational effect than talks by professionals People get excited when the y can see and take p h o t o s of b i rd s u s i n g digital cameras in feeding boxes

03 These are nesting boxes of blue penguins They not only allow them to nest but also have transparent roofs which are covered by a removable wooden cover Tour guides would remove the covers to allow visitors to have a peep of the chicks inside04 A mammal trap used in Motutapu Island

The project on T i r i t i r i i s impressive Compared with the bare control site without any plantation plantation sites have tall grown trees with birds The population of rare little-spotted kiwi has grown since release and most other bird species introduced have established a population there Although problems and mistakes are present i n t h i s p i o n e e r p ro j e c t such as the underground is bare compared to a natural generated forest the role it plays in conserving the native birds is undoubted Later on other Auckland islands such as Motutapu Island followed and imitated this project and developed theirs

03 04

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 61: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P62

Mammals from the blue

N ot all wild mammals are evil in New Zealand These

guys are precious On the south island we joined a local wildlife your to the Otago Peninsula where we met our mammalian friends from the sea It is a nice and peaceful place with the warm sun and blue sea

The New Zea land Fur Sea l (Arctocephalus forzsteri ) had a success stor y in restoring population since it was heavily hunted by the European seal hunters last century They show sexual dimorphism where males are larger than females and the males are territorial in breeding season

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 62: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P63

T h e H o o ke r s s e a l i o n s (Phocarctos hookeri ) are endemic to New Zealand and are the rarest of the worldrsquos five species of sea lions They are listed as Vulnerablerdquo in IUCN Redlist and has a relatively small population (lt10000 mature individuals) and a limited distribution After the overexploitation by the Maori and with the measures carried out by the government they are coming back to New Zealand and have established a small population here Unlike the territorial fur seals they enjoy staying together for a nice afternoon

01 Life of sea l ions - sleeping amp fighting

02 Under the supervision of our guide I had a chance to stand a bit close to one of these giants for a picture They are unpredictable and caution is needed when staying close

01

01

02

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 63: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P64

W e a l s o s a w t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes ) which are endemic and the rarest in the worldrsquos penguin species (5000-6000 no of individuals in the world) l isted as ldquoEndangeredrdquo in IUCN Redlist

We watched the previous fur seals in a lsquopublicrsquo land which is open to other wildlife tour companies But the Hookerrsquos s e a l i o n s a n d t h e y e l l o w -eyed penguins are located in

a lsquoprivatersquo area It isnrsquot a zoo but a large piece

of land owned by private land-owners and rented by our tour company for conservation This is amazing The tour company f u n d e d t h e y e l l o w - e y e d penguin conservation project and provided money for the set up of the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust The guide showed us what they did - such as propagation plants for penguins to hide and breed and mammalian traps Well they are not just tour guides Half of their time is contributed to conservation work Conservation is not limited to powerful people doing big things

At the time of visiting the penguins are jumping out of the sea and returning to the land for the night (Sorry for the low quality photos as they are very shy guys we could not approach closer and these photos were taken by a digital camera)

Our guide leaving his small footprints in the history of marine conservation

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 64: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P65

Me in the blue

O n the north island I had a c l ose r con ta ct w i th

other mammalian friends or at least I thought I had a close contact with themmdashbottlenose dolphins The dolphins come near shore in the Bay of Islands in daytime We spent some time looking for dolphins and exchange information with other boats

When a group of dolphins were spotted the instructor would determine whether they are suitable to swim with - it is not suitable if a baby is found in the group We spotted the right ones got in my wetsuits and off we go The w a t e r

was co ld and it was my first time

swimming in the middle of the sea How to swim with them Well the tips I got is entertain them We kicked and waved and danced and moved like stupid to get their attention When they saw these stupid guys they swam by l ike a rocket And then I realized the game chasing after the dolphins People on the boat yelled ldquoLeftrdquo and we swam

left-nothing there It wasnrsquot what I imagined before - swimming side by side with the dolphins They swim much faster of course

I was exhausted soon and did not spend a long time in the water When I got on the boat for a rest a dolphin came close to my back I did not see it but it was filmed Finally I did have a close contact with them

The dolphins are curious playful friends that like

swimming close playing with boats on the sea

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 65: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P66

My tr ip in New Zealand was exciting and unforgettable There

were still lots of interesting things and beautiful scenes

that I could not include all of them here In the end let

me share some highlights

01 I survived i n t h e F o x Glacier after one day walk

02 Sheep and lambs are the must-see animals in NZ Their population is even higher than humansrsquo These in the photos were free-ranging in a park called One Tree Hill Auckland

03 The remarkable trunk of an Australian scrub wattle one of the pest imported weed type trees on Motutapu Island

02

03

01

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 66: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P67This photo may not seem attractive but this big thing is actually a kauri log buried for 100000 years and discovered in 2011

I rode on Baxter in Glenorchy through the bushes and across the river He is such as fantastic boy who never tried to eat something along the road

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 67: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P68

copy Chensong

copy Android101

太古海洋科學研究所(The Swire Institute of Marine Science 簡稱 SWIMS)

是香港大學旗下的研究所之一位於香港島石澳半島的東南端SWIMS 配備

各種實驗及戶外考察設備同時備有住宿圖書館等設施

SWIMS 主力研究東南亞海洋及西北太平洋的海洋科學特別是有關近岸生態學生理學毒理學生態修復以及海洋資源管理和保護的研究 此外SWIMS 亦致力於培訓學生達致國際專業的研究水平培養他們管

理以及保護海洋資源的能力並志在建立一個跨學科跨地區的研究環境及平台與東南亞以及全球其他海洋科研機構維持緊密的連

繫和合作

順帶一提SWIMS 同時位於香港唯一一個海岸保護區mdashmdash鶴咀海岸保護區內保護區極具生態價值是研究海洋生物

及保育的理想地點因此保護區嚴禁釣魚和進行海上娛樂活動現時保護區正由 SWIMS 協助管理

除了科研以及培訓人才SWIMS 亦有擔當教育大眾的角色SWIMS 會不時與不同機構協辦參觀活

動以及科研工作坊增加大眾對保育海洋環境及海洋生態的認識

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 68: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P69

參考資料SWIMS websit

e http

w

ww

swim

shk

uhk

一 講 起 嘉 道理 你 會 想 起 什

麼 嘉 道 理 大 樓嘉 道 理 農 場 錯 了 我

們這次介紹的港大轄下機構mdashmdash嘉道理研究所

嘉道理研究所於 2008 年成立旨於宣揚可持續發展及環境保護它的署理署長為前香港環境運輸及工務局局長廖秀冬博士不得不

說原來龍虎山環境教育中心也是由研究所管理

研究所涉獵的範圍甚廣學術研究外展計劃環境管理科學碩士及博士課程和出版其中與不同機構合作的外展計劃亦五花八門應用研究公眾教育公眾咨詢及各類評估最近研究所就為鐵路公司籌劃西鐵線於錦上路及八鄉維修中心提供顧問及公眾諮詢服務為評估政府的環境及保育基金計劃的成效研究人員亦正在中小學進行一系列的計劃除了服務社會研究所中與港大同學相關的計劃也不少其中一個就 是 全 球 森 林 研 究 計 劃( Public Involvement and Training in

Scientific Research in Hong Kong)可能你也曾 聽過因為此計劃的元素之一就是專上學生的實習

除了實習此計劃亦讓研究生實地考察香港樹林的特性令中學生親身領會本地生

態的價值使普羅大眾以義工形式感受大自然的奧妙

參考

資料

The Kadoorie Institute website httpwwwkadinsthkuhkindexhtml

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 69: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L Can you briefly introduce yourself to our reders

B Okay I am Tim Bonebrake currently doing teaching and research at the University of Hong Kong Before coming to Hong Kong I lived in Los Angeles and had done my research in the University of California I studied Ecology and Conservation there

L Does it mean you are a specialist in conservation B Yes And I have special interests in travelling conservation and global changes And one of the topics I have been studying in recent years is the vulnerability of tropical species to climate change Climate Change is not really a concern for tropical conservation biologists until recently but some of the work I have done and lots of other people have done shows that tropical species may be quite vulnerable to climate changes

Interview Date 5th August 2013Interviewer Leo Lee (L)Guess Interviewee Dr Timothy Bonebrake (B)

By Leo Lee

An Interview with Dr Timothy Bonebrake

Dr Bonebrake is one of the new teaching staff in the University of Hong Kong in academic year 2012-2013 He is now the course coordinator of several advanced courses in the Ecology amp Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences curricula such as Conservation Ecology and Urban Ecology He is an amateur traveller who enjoys exploring nature Want to know more about him Read on

Love Flying Love Lepidoptera

Photo by Dr Bonebrake

LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P70

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 70: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L Do you specialize in a particular taxon as well

B My specialty is in Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Ive also done lots of work on birds though recently Im focusing more on butterflies Ive done most of my graduate research on butterflies in Central America and California And after that I have been focusing on Asian butterflies especially butterflies in South-East Asia like in Hong Kong

L Now we have an idea of your academic side What about when yoursquore off work ndash what do you like to do

B You know I spend a lot of time hiking and taking photos of butterflies moths and birds And I love travelling a lot my wife and I always travel We are now exploring Hong Kong It is nice that Hong Kong is all new to us so were poking around the city a lot I also like music and I have a band which is called Ptim and Ptarmigans

L How does travelling benefit you

B Travelling is very important It gives you a better sense of how the world works I think the best example is probably Charles Darwin He took his voyage around South America spending a lot of time just observing how different species looks and how they are related to the environment And it was all that time he spent travelling around the world getting these different contexts and perspectives that he came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection Travelling to different countries is certainly a crucial part of my research programme For one to understand global change is occurring and affecting the biodiversity I think it is important that we look globally and look at different places Yes I do a lot of travelling looking at different countries looking at different ecosystems and trying to understand how these changes may a f f ec t diversity

01 02

01 Centropus sinensis Hong Kong02 Protuliocnemis biplagiata Hong Kong

P71P71

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 71: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L What makes Hong Kong stand out from all the other places yoursquove been to Irsquove been to Los Angeles myself thatrsquos a good place to stay in

B Hong Kong is a really central location for looking at lots of different interest ing topics and places in conservation You can fly just about anywhere in Southeast Asia for low prices in Hong Kong It just seems to me a good place to start from More than that Hong Kong itself has lots of interesting and exciting conservations and opportunities and I can do tropical research right here Also Hong Kong is an exciting city My wife really likes it When I first visited the department professors and students here I was really impressed by the community This is one of the reasons why I decided to move here So far I am happy with the decision

L What do you think about the ecological and environmental condition in Hong Kong

B I think one of the most impressive things about the environment here

01

02

L It seems that you really love Hong Kong

B I do I am now living on the Lamma Island I live in a somewhat isolated village with lots of butterflies and moths flying by my windows And it is also nice to travel by ferry when I come to work It is a really nice place to live There is a lot of

01 Carriola ecnomoda Hong Kong 02 Chilades pandava Hong Kong

specifically in HKU is that when you look over there you can see buildings but when you look at the other side you can a l ready see a count r y park And this is a really sharp and interesting boundary Itrsquos interesting how many country parks there are and many local people donrsquot realize there is so much open space in Hong Kong But I also like the urban areas Irsquom doing research within the urban centres looking at the species there and the variety of life I think it is really exciting to do research in Hong Kong

P72 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P72

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 72: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L It is good to hear that you enjoy your life here Your lifestyle seems to be closely related to your field of study When did you find out your interest in the subject

B I rsquove been in te res ted in the environment since I was a kid I went to the Yellow Stone National Park in the US and it is an amazing national park with huge bison buffalos and bald eagles This amazing park really sparks my interest in ecology I didnrsquot really start formally studying ecology until late high school

L This is quite similar to most of us studying EampB but what actually makes you love it so much

B There are lots of elements The first elements is I like being outside enjoying the nature And I also find ecology a fun and exciting problem-solving process You have to go outside to collect data then when you

L I know you love ecology but teaching is a hard work to do why do you still like to teach

B I like teaching I always love teaching Most of the reasons are the same as why Irsquod like to learn ecology I like getting out into the nature with students pointing out interesting aspects to s tudents and convey how to look at the ecological and environmental problem with critical eyes which is an important skill for every of us Importing critical skills and understanding is quite a crucial part in my teaching for student to learn the relationship between human and the environment

01 Selasphorus sasin USA02 Papilio paris Hong Kong

01 02

get back to your office you have to put the data together to try to understand the pattern That is really exciting and I really like that I enjoy the temptation to answer these questions In this area (ecology) we have lots of secrets and answers waiting to be revealed This is a field with lots of opportunities to do research And lastly we need to do these researches for we hope to conserve the environment

open space and natural environment but then we also have al l these interesting populated area and lots of cultural events Life here is great

P73P73

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 73: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L You have studied ecology and conservation for a long time and finally you succeeded But for some people although they appreciate the natural world they tend not to study it as a subject because they think there are too many difficult things to memorize Can you give us some tips on how we can do better in this subject

B For ecology one of the things that I heard a lot even in high school though I didnrsquot take it seriously enough is that if you want to do ecology you have to learn math I didnrsquot really take it to heart until I was halfway through college in my Bachelor Degree At that time I took lots of math courses which were actually outside my major Many areas in ecology donrsquot require a lot of math but I think it certainly helps a lot I think the more math you take the better off you will be so students shouldnrsquot be intimidated by math And in a more general aspect I would very much encourage students of ecology to challenge themselves to take more courses and trying to do researches and it helps you to learn more about the world and ecology

01 02

04

05

06

P74 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P74

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 74: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L You have mentioned that math helps you in studying ecology how does it work

B There is lots of knowledge in the environment you go out and you see all these things but itrsquos really hard to make sense of it without models without statistical models without mathematical models Just knowing even the basics about statistics and computer modeling helps you to make sense with the knowledge When you go out and you donrsquot really evaluate these things critically from a mathematical standpoint a lot of it wonrsquot make sense There is actually a very interesting debate right now There are people who think you donrsquot need any math to do ecology but I think it is certainly true that math is everything But even if you are a perfect mathematician you just never get outside and look at nature yoursquore not going to understand ecology So math is just one element it helps a lot in terms of understanding the world I am somewhat biased because I use a lot of mathematical approaches in my ecology I think its something to emphasize

03

01 Marumba dyras Hong Kong02 Telophorus sulfureopectus Cameroon03 Anthocharis sara USA04 Leiothrix lutea Hong Kong05 Ernolatia moorei Hong Kong06 Barsine striata Hong Kong 07 Celastrina echo USA

07

P75P75

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 75: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L Personally I hate math but I will take your advice As a teacher what do you want to bring to your students What kind of knowledge

or maybe green messages

B As I have said before to evaluate things critically is one of my basic teaching philosophies I am very much looking for students who read things and think about them from a critical viewpoint And then we can have discussion in class not necessary taking what I say word for word but to challenge me materials or even other students in order to really understand the materials in a more complete perspective This is what I really hope to be involved in when I am teaching courses

L Great Next we know that you taught senior students last semester can you introduce one of

the courses

B Sure I taught Conservation Ecology last semester and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course and it will be offered in the second semester in this school year In this course we will look at the conversation of biodiversity from different angles For example we will learn about genetic diversity population diversity species diversity and ecosystem diversity We will then look at the threats to biodiversity like habitat degradation c l imate change overhar vest ing and pollution We will look at the complexity of all those components

Accipiter cooperii USA

P76 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2P76

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 76: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

L It seems to be an interesting course We hope there will be more chance to hang out or have field

trips with you in the near future

B Sure I am always looking for opportunities to go out to fields with students

L Thank you for sparing your

time for the interview

Check it out on

httpstwittercombonebraking for latest news about Dr Bonebrake

And his Flickr album

httpwwwflickrcomphotos82330773N04

Dr Bonbrake and Leo

and how they interact with each other After that we will spend the second half of the course looking at the tools to stop those threats and conserve biodiversity so we will look at reserve design in protected areas translocation zoos and how they can act to conserve biodiversity Finally we will talk about the human dimension and the complexity of what happens when human are living in the world with animals and how those two things interact like ecosystem services valuing nature restoration

P77P77

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 77: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P78 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

秋蝶 Camille Chung

初秋對很多蝴蝶來說已是牠們面對生命終結的季節helliphellip靜靜地在森林的深處享受最後的時光helliphellip

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 78: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P79

Rising Sun and Birds Camille Chung

寒冷的早上並沒有阻卻鳥兒早起的習慣旭日初昇正是水鳥活躍享用早餐的時機雖然天氣很冷但看著飛鳥的剪影受一點點寒冷其實也是值得的

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 79: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P80 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

森林的居民(黑眉雀鶥) Camille Chung

我們帶著好奇心進入森林探索這個大自然其實森林裏的居民對於我們這些來客也有好奇心不過很多時因為介心不敢前來又或者我們對牠們的滋擾太大早在我們可以看到各種森林的居民前就已經被嚇跑helliphellip

只要我們沒有惡意探索同時減低同動物的滋擾牠們就會展示出自然甚至是好奇的行為

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 80: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P81

叉尾太陽鳥 Camille Chung

細小卻極美麗的雀鳥大家看到牠的樣子想必是以為很難看見吧其實不叉尾太陽鳥最喜歡紅色的花但因為細小所以很難被發覺就算是城市中的公園也不難看到牠們的身影

下一次見到紅色的花朵不妨留意一下有沒這種細小而美麗的雀鳥helliphellip

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 81: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P82 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

Good ImpressionsKwong Chi Yu Joke

From the busy streets of Tel Aviv City to the old cobble stoned alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem they can be seen everywhere My best guess is that they are the Hooded Crows Their presence is very much tolerated and I have yet to see any naughty behaviors from them (eg stealing food or turning over trash cans) They are unexpectedly quiet in which I have never heard them being rowdy Even if there is food involved such as bread on the floor they are still rather polite towards each other Despite their large size sharp talons and strong beaks they never seem threatening and would curiously observe you (if they find you interesting enough) from on top of a post sign or a cable line

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 82: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P83

Touring Israel for its culture more than for bird watching it was a delightful surprise to spot a few Spur-winged Lapwings (my best guess since Irsquom no expert in Israel avifauna) walking leisurely in Park HaYarkon a large park at the northern side of Tel Aviv city Despite being a big modern and liberal city (with gay beaches and a steady gay community) culture and religion still runs deep in which Shabbat is still practiced Starting from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday all Jewish families cease to work in which most stores and even buses close down With nothing much open it is all the better to visit their parks and enjoy the wildlife

An Unexpected Encounter Kwong Chi Yu Joke

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 83: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P84 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

獨木橋 Hugo To

攀爬植物的卷鬚連在一起在六斑月瓢蟲的眼裡這就是一道小小的「獨木橋」有時用昆蟲的角度看世界也挺有趣的

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 84: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P85

蝸牛會長毛 Hugo To

在一次龍虎山夜行中發現了牠究竟殼上的毛有什麼作用呢為在濕滑的葉上行走提供摩擦力防禦保暖期待你們的更多發現呢

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 85: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P86 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

奇特的睡姿 Hugo To

無墊蜂夜晚睡覺時會用大顎咬住枝條六腳緊縮將身體懸垂真是「睡覺最緊要有牙力」

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 86: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P87

斑腿泛樹蛙 Hugo To

作為一隻樹蛙我當然要爬樹給大家看啦可hellip可是最近吃得有點多了

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 87: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P88 LIFEmagazine 201213 Issue 2

山下的城市 Camille Chung

寂靜之下的繁華青山之下的城市香港這個細小的城市城市和郊野的距離很近正因為距離很近我們很容易就可以享受香港的綠也正因為距離很近也造成愈來愈多的衝突和破壞helliphellip

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 88: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2

P89

看著夕陽西下山下的燈光卻愈照愈明我只想山下的燈光都不要跑上來吧helliphellip

Page 89: LIFEmagazine 2012/13 Issue 2