Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden-HKU PhD Studentship in Forest Restoration and Ecosystem Functioning

Prior to human impact, South China would have been clothed in a patchwork of seasonal tropical and evergreen subtropical forest. From surviving fragments of old-growth vegetation scattered across the region, it is inferred that these forests would have been highly diverse, with upwards of 300 tree species forming a lofty canopy and their seedlings plus many epiphyte, liana, shrub and herb species forming mixed communities at different strata within. In turn, these communities would have sustained an abundance of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, fungi and microorganisms. However, written records reveal that, by the late 17th century, Hong Kong had suffered widespread deforestation as a result of logging and clearance for agriculture. It is likely that, with the removal of trees, a multitude of plants and other inter-dependent species also vanished, and that the ancient soils bound by their roots were washed away.

The secondary forests that have regrown and which clothe more than 20% of Hong Kong today have also been subject to repeated bouts of degradation and fire, and they thus contain a significantly diminished array of species, many of them confined to small, isolated and genetically impoverished populations. As we advance on the United Nations Decade on Ecological Restoration (2021–2030), the potential for tree-planting to mitigate climate change and ensure the sustained provision of ecosystem services is increasingly recognised. However, most tree-planting initiatives consist of monocultures or limited species mixes, often of exotic trees, and thus often do not benefit local biodiversity. In fact, such plantations can lead to arrested succession, species extinction, soil erosion, water table depletion, impaired nutrient cycling, the introduction of invasive species, disrupted pollination and increased ecosystem vulnerability to pests and diseases, fire, flooding, downstream impacts of climate change and other emerging challenges.

In recognition of the urgent need to conserve biodiversity and encourage the return of resilient, self-organising forest communities, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden and Hong Kong University have launched a joint initiative to grow local scientific expertise in forest ecology and so support integrated efforts for evidence-based ecological restoration. Drawing on KFBG’s more than two decades of applied experience in conducting maximum-diversity reforestation, we aim to quantify how active forest restoration of plant diversity at selected sites in Hong Kong can help enhance habitat complexity and structure, and, as a result, lead to improved ecosystem functioning in terms of pollination, phenology, mycorrhizal relations, soil properties, nutrient turn-over and carbon sequestration.

A dynamic PhD student with a passion for harnessing the potential of restoration in a changing world is sought to investigate one or more of these topics and generate data that will help guide evaluation of the principles for the practice of ecological restoration in the South China region and help provide proof-of-concept for the attributes, sub-attributes and indicators encapsulated in the newly developed Global Biodiversity Standard. To do this, the student will lead field work in Hong Kong to monitor and measure the impacts of active restoration in terms of key parameters relevant to the particular ecological questions selected for research; perform lab-based techniques to quantify inter-related impacts of active restoration using samples collected from study sites; and coordinate an evaluation of key opportunities and obstacles for upscaling ecological restoration in tropical Asia. The body of work compiled will contribute to the science and practice of active forest restoration.

To apply please send a CV, cover letter and statement of research interests to lashton@hku.hk by the 30th of April 2024.