CHAU Ngai Lung
Faculty of Design and Environment, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong
Title: Capabilities of planted groundcovers in promoting sustainability of revegetated soil slopes
Biography
Biography: CHAU Ngai Lung
Abstract
Urban expansion leads to a large scale of terrestrial habitat loss in Hong Kong. Instead, numerous soil slopes have been established to facilitate infrastructure development owing to its hilly topography. The sophisticated slope upgrading techniques currently available make revegetation of these urban landscapes possible, thus enhancing ecological restoration. Among the plants selected for revegetation, native plants are recently preferred owing to their adaptability to local climates and beneficial ecological roles. Native trees and shrubs are widely studied for their significance to the urban environment whereas groundcovers are usually ignored. The abilities of groundcovers to provide sustainable plant covers and positively influence ecology are occasionally recognized and need to be assessed. Areas with differing degrees of development that have dramatically different environmental conditions may result in alteration of this plant community. In our study, an analysis of groundcover vegetation on extensive soil slopes will be carried out in suburban and urban areas of Hong Kong to assess plant abundance and analyze the substrates for their nutrient status. We will also evaluate slope performance to determine any correlation with the groundcover community. All these provide useful information in reviewing the current planting strategy in promoting a biodiverse city. Constructive suggestions based on our precise findings will be made to improve the revegetation work and any practical measures will be recommended to other cities to promote the sustainable development.