A huge #conservation success for #KFBG in Hong Kong is that a newly established population of the critically endangered #Castanopsis concinna is fruiting for the first time in the #ForestRestoration plots. The main threat to this species is/was #timber exploitation #biodiversity
@gunter_fischer Trying to look this species up, not much info about. Many pics seem to be of Castanea sativa, sweet chestnut...
@MLaurenceDesign There are about 10 native chestnut (Castanopsis species) in Hong Kong. All of them, except 1, are very rare.
@gunter_fischer 10! wish we had such diversity here in the UK (where our sweet chestnut is not strictly native).
@MLaurenceDesign HKG has about 40 different oak (Fagaceae) species and still new ones are discovered. It’s incredibly diverse. The restoration area in #KFBG probably had around 2000! plant species, originally. It’s truly a biodiversity hotspot!