and Tai Po Kau Special Area

IUCN Management Category Tai Lam Country Park V (Protected Landscape)

Tai Shan Country Park V (Protected Landscape)

Shing Mun Country Park V (Protected Landscape)

Tai Po Kan Special Area IV (Managed Nature Reserve)

Biogeographical Province 4.06.01 (Chinese Rainforest)

Geographical Location Located south of Yuon Long Plain, the four sites form a geological unit centred on Tai Mo Shan in the central part of the New Territories. 22°21'-22°26'N, 113°59'-114°07E (Tai Lam); 22°23'-22°25'N, 114°07'114°10'E (Tai Mo Shan); 22°25'-22°27'N, 114°07'-114°10'E (Shing Mun); 22°25'-22°26'N, 114°10'-114°12'E (Tai Po Kau)

Date and History of Establishment Shing Mun was designated as a country park on 24 June 1977 and both Tai Lam and Tai Mo Shan were established on 23 February 1979. Tai Po Kau was designated as a special area on 13 May 1977.

Area Tai Lam: 5,330ha

Tai Mo Shan: 1,440ha

Shing Mun: 1,400ha

Tai Po Kau: 460ha

Tai Lam is contiguous with Tai Mo Shan, which in turn borders Shing Mun. Tai Po Kau is adjacent to Tai Mo Shan.

Land Tenure Mainly public land with some pockets on lease to villagers

Altitude Ranges from almost sea level to the summit of Tai Mo Shan which, at 958m, is the highest peak in Hong Kong.

Physical Features Tai Mo Shan is the summit of a range of north-east to south-west oriented hills. The broad valley of Tai Lam Chung separates this central range from a lower, parallel range to the west, while that of Sha Tin separates it from a parallel range to the east dominated by Ma On Shan. Tai Mo Shan Country Park is situated entirely in an area of volcanic origin; Shing Mun is also largely of volcanic derivation with only the east bank of the Shing Mun Reservoir composed of Needle Hill granite; Tai Lam is of volcanic origin in the eastern part and granitic for the rest. The granites of Tai Lam vary in age from the oldest known in Hong Kong (Tai Po granodiorite) to the youngest (Needle Hill granite).

The highlands, centred on Tai Mo Shan, are composed mostly of coarse tuff with finer tuffs and lava deposits in marginal areas. Around, this, most extensively to the west, erosion of the surface volcanic rocks has exposed the underlying granite in Tai Lam Valley and also the hills to the west of it. To the north, west and south of the summit, the valleys contain large deposits of colluvium. It has been suggested that the rapid erosion of this material from the upper slopes was due to deforestation of Tai Mo Shan.

The Tai Lam Chung area is heavily faulted. The faults run either north-east to south-west or at right angles to this direction and dictate the drainage pattern which is rectilinear. Tai Lam Chung Reservoir, which has a capacity of about 20,500 million litres, also lies along a fault line. Started in 1952 and completed in 1957, it was the first reservoir to be built in post-war Hong Kong. The Shing Mun Reservoir, with a capacity of 26 million cu.m, was completed earlier in 1936. Peneplains are evident at about 150m, providing evidence of changes in sea-level in the relatively recent geological past. Tai Mo Shan is the major watershed in the central New Territories. The pattern of this river system is dendritic, as it is dictated by slope and not by faulting (Thrower, 1984).

Climate Although Hong Kong lies just inside the tropics, the climate is temperate for nearly half the year. Mean annual rainfall ranges from around 1200mm to more than 3000mm, about 80% of which falls in summer. This is the longest season, lasting from May to September with hot, humid and usually wet weather. Temperatures range from about 24°C to 32°C. September is the month in which Hong Kong is most likely to be affected by tropical typhoons. These originate from near the Philippines and approach from a south-easterly direction. Winter, lasting from November until February, is cold and dry. Temperatures commonly range from about 13°C to 24°C but sometimes drop below freezing point on high ground (Thrower, 1984; Ismail, 1987). Meterological data are not available for Tai Lam, Tai Mo Shan, Shing Mun or Tai Po Kau.

Vegetation Much of the area is wooded, but there are few old trees because all available timber was used during the Japanese occupation in World War II. Thus, most of the forest consists of a mixture of native and introduced species planted since 1946. In addition, native broad-leaved trees have regenerated, particularly in the east. The vegetation changes from the predominantely pine Pinus spp. and mixed pine-Brisbane box Tristania conferta forest of the Tai Lam area in the west to the much more interesting and complex woodlands of Tai Po Kau. This pattern reflects the change from granite, with its poor and eroded soils, in the west to the volcanic areas of the Tai Mo Shan massif in the east (Thrower, 1984).

The middle and lower hillslopes of Tai Lam and Shing Mun valleys and Tai Po Kau are covered with pine forest, mixed broad-leaved and pine forest and occasional pure stands. Common native species such as camphor tree Cinnamomum camphora, ivy tree Schefflera octophylla, sweet gum Liquidambar formosana and monkeypod Abarema clypearia mingle with the introduced Brisbane box, Acacia confusa, horsetails Casuarina equisetifolia and gums Eucalyptus spp. Pine woods, both of the Chinese red pine Pinus massoniana and the American slash pine P. elliotti, occupy the middle of the upper slopes, but may extend right down to the water's edge, as on the east bank of Shing Mun Reservoir. In 1980 many of the woods dominated by open stands of Chinese red pine appeared to be in a state of active succession to broad-leaved woodland. The Shing Mun forest has some pure stands of paper-bark trees Melaleuca leucadendron, planted in low-lying areas because of its ability to thrive in waterlogged conditions. Tai Mo Shan itself is patchily covered with grassland and plantations of pine and Brisbane box. Rare and relic plants grow in secluded ravines and stream beds of its upper slopes, including the famous Grantham's camellia tree Camellia granthamiana which was first discovered in this area. Further west, the hills between Tai Mo Shan and Tai Lam are predominantly grassy, with scattered shrubs of Eurya japonica and small bushy acacias. Grassland species include awned duck-beak Ischaemum aristatum, minireed Arundinaria nepalensis, Eulalia quadrinervis, Hong Kong orange grass Cymbopogon goeringii var. hongkongensis and winter sword grass Miscanthus sinensis. The shallow valleys are dominated by tall stands of summer sword grass M. floridulus. The woodlands around Tai Lam are largely pine-box plantations, with some gums and other trees (Thrower, 1984). Barnes et al. (1981) recorded some 155 species of plants (excluding grasses, sedges and bamboos) at a number of sites in and around the area.

Fauna The woodlands of Tai Mo Shan, Shing Mun and Tai Po Kau are among the richest sites for the larger native mammals such as pangolin Manis pendactyla, Chinese porcupine Hystrix hodgsoni, wild boar Sus scrofa, civets (Viverridae), ferret badgers Melogale moschata and barking deer Muntiacus reevesi. Tai Po Kau is the home of the short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx and small Japanese pipistrelle Pipistrellus abramus (Thrower, 1984).

The wide range of land habitats, from grassland to some of the finest forest in Hong Kong, supports a rich avifauna. Tai Po Kau is particularly noted for its woodland species. Thrower (1984) lists 38 common species, which is about half the number recorded from the area. Of all the woodland species, 56% are winter visitors or passage migrants. The number of resident birds is also considerable, both with respect to species and populations.

Among reptiles, clay turtle Chinemys reevesi and snapper turtle Platysternum megacephalum are most often reported from streams on Tai Mo Shan and in Tai Po Kau, along with three-banded box terrapin Cuora trifasciata and rarer Beale's terrapin Clemmys bealei. Lizards and snakes are frequently reported, both from Tai Po Kau and Tai Mo Shan, notably Indian skink (Scincidae), Chinese waterside skink Tropidophorus sinicus, common blind snake Typhlina bramina, white-spotted slug snake Pareas margaritophorus, rare Hampton's slug snake P. hamptoni, Achalinus rufescens, red mountain racer Elapheprophyracea nigrofasciata, Oligodon cinereus, red-necked keelback Rhabdophis subminiata, common rat snake Pytas mucosus, buff-striped keelback Amphiesma stolata, large-spotted cat snake Boiga multimaculata, Indian cobra Naja naja, king cobra N. hannah, mountain pit viper Trimeresurus monticola and white-lipped pit viper T. albolabris (Thrower, 1984).

Amphibians living in or near the mountain streams of the central highland area include: Hong Kong newt Paramesotriton hongkongensis, Hong Kong spiny frog Rana paraspinosa, Chinese spiny frog R. spinosa, Taipei frog R. taipenhensis, green cascade frog Amolops hongkongensis and brown tree frog Polypedates leucomystax (Thrower, 1984).

Tai Po Kau forest is extremely rich in insects and is the only site in Hong Kong where scorpions Homurus australasiae have been collected. It is an excellent place to see common woodland butterflies, larger cicadas and many other interesting insects, including black bee fly Ligyra tantalus, which frequents woodland streams, and giant wood spider Nephila maculata. The woodlands of both Shing Mun and Tai Lam contain numerous nests of both black tree ant Polyrachis dives and red tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina (Thrower, 1984). Some 369 species of moth have been recorded from the Tai Mo Shan and Tai Po Kau areas (Barnes et al., 1981).

Cultural Heritage In former centuries, there were upland villages on the slopes of Tai Mo Shan, now abandoned and lost under encroaching vegetation. In some of these, stone vats have been discovered along the stream banks. Presumably, these were containers in which the locally-grown indigo dye was extracted and clothes were dyed. A map compiled in 1903-1904 shows the village of Nam Fong To (at 450m) as the highest inhabited place. Upland rice was cultivated at this altitude and the natural resources of the mountain slopes were harvested by herb collectors, hunters and grass-cutters. As on Lantau, charcoal-burners have been responsible for the destruction of the woodland cover. From about 1850 to 1950, the streams of the south-western foothills provided water power for an industry based on imported incense wood. These watermills no longer exist. The stone pagoda mentioned in the 1688 Sun On District Gazetteer seems also to have disappeared from Tai Mo Shan, unless the entry refers to a tor in the shape of a pagoda. There are a number of monasteries and religious houses on the lower southern slopes, all of which were founded in the 20th century (Thrower, 1984).

Shing Mun and Tai Mo Shan were theatres of brief but intense wartime fighting. Four years before the Japanese invasion, a chain of concrete pill-boxes with connecting underground tunnels was built. Known as the Gin Drinker's Line, the section close to Shin Mun Reservoir (completed in 1936) was the most elaborate and it became known as the Shing Mun Redoubt (or stronghold). Taken by the Japanese in 1941, the Shing Mun Redoubt is one of the most interesting relics of Hong Kong's recent history (Thrower, 1984).

Local Human Population Most of the villages in Tai Lam Chung have been deserted. Only five families remain in the formerly prosperous village of Tin Fu Tsai at the head of Tai Lam Chung Reservoir, where they breed pigs and cultivate vegetables (Anon., n.d.).

The construction of Shing Mun Reservoir prior to World War II involved the resettlement of eight Hakka villages inhabited by a total of 855 people. These villagers, who owned 73ha of agricultural land (of which 29ha were planted with pineapples) and had forestry rights to 478ha, were resettled at a total cost of about HK$300,000 (Thrower, 1984).

Visitors and Visitor Facilities The MacLehose Trail, which attracts many walkers, runs through Tai Lam Country Park, and along the ridgelines bordering Tai Mo Shan and Shing Mun country parks and Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve. In 1985/1986, Shing Mun received 600,000 visitors (Jim, 1987). All of the parks are well-provided with picnic, barbecue and camping sites. There is a hostel just west of Tai Mo Shan summit. Licensed fishing is permitted in both Tai Lam Chung and Shing Mun reservoirs. Shing Mun Country Park Visitor Centre, opened in July 1987, displays information on the local history, changes in the vegetation and land-use, and the flora and fauna. Facilities at Tai Po Kau Special Area are limited and located near the main entrance to discourage picnicking inside the woodlands. The impact of trampling around picnic spots has been assessed by Jim (1987).

Scientific Research and Facilities An Oxford University expedition examined the relationship between moth and plant diversity in the Tai Mo Shan and Tai Po Kau areas in 1981 (Barnes et al., 1981).

Conservation Value The whole area is the water catchment for the Tai Lam Chung and Shing Mun reservoirs. Tai Po Kau has been designated a special area, to be managed as a de facto nature reserve, because of its woodlands which support a diverse flora and fauna (Barnes et al, 1987; Thrower, 1984).

Conservation Management The area has been under the management of foresters of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department for many years, since 1972 in the case of Tai Po Kau. Reafforestation has been slow in areas of eroded granite and often retarded by frequent fires, as evident on the hills west of Tai Lam Chung Reservoir. Tai Po Kau is one of the best examples of managed amenity woodland, with the emphasis on nature conservation and nature education rather than recreation (Barnes et al., 1981; Thrower, 1984.)

Management Constraints Much of the landscape has been altered due to land use practices during former centuries. Extensive reafforestation has been underway since 1946. Although present forests are very different from those covering the area before the advent of human settlement, they do contain some relics of the original flora. Forest fires and litter are persistant problems. In Shing Mun, for example, there were 21 fires affecting 208ha of vegetation in 1975-1976 (Anon., n.d.; Thrower, 1984). Heavy visitor use, particularly around picnic spots, and resultant damage to the vegetation and soil structure is also a major problem (Jim, 1987).

Staff Over 200 staff are involved in management and protection duties (1989). Inmates from Tai Lam Correctional Institution help with fire prevention during the dry season.

Budget No information

Local Addresses

No information

References

Anon. (n.d.) Tai Lam, Tai Mo Shan, Lam Tsuen Country Parks. Government Information Services, Hong Kong. Information leaflet.

Anon. (n.d.) Shing Mung Country Park. Government Information Services, Hong Kong. Information leaflet.

Barnes, M.J.C., Davies, C.R., Lewis, C.B. and Matthews, M.J. (1981). The Oxford Far East Expedition, 1981. Final Report. Unpublished. 98 pp.

Ismail, A. (1987). Hong Kong 1987. Government Printer, Hong Kong. 364 pp.

Jim, C. Y. (1987). Trampling impacts of recreationists on picnic sites in a Hong Kong country park. Environmental Conservation 14: 117-127.

Thrower, S.L. (1984). Hong Kong Country Parks. Government Printer, Hong Kong. 216 pp.

Date August 1987, updated December 1990