The majority of the world’s forests are now found on steep
slopes, as lowland areas become increasing developed, farmed and urbanized.
This trend is consistent with Hong Kong’s forests where the country parks
system protects much of the greenery on hillsides, leaving some of the
biodiverse flatlands unprotected and vulnerable to human threats. An upside of
this ascending trend of forests worldwide is that these steep mountainous
habitats are actually more resilient to climate change, less disturbed and can
maintain its microclimate much better than low-lying forests which are
increasingly small and fragmented.
