Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2005

descendant o f cap tive b ird s th a t have escaped and are n ow pro spe ring in the Taipo area. Serious c o n s tru c tio n w o rk has b e g u n on central campus around the L i D a k Sum B uild ing , w h ic h w ill affect the open gardens su rro u n d in g the b u ild in g s . B ird s th a t m a y lose ne s tin g o r fo ra g in g site s as a re s u lt in c lu d e th e Red- w h is k e re d B u lb u l, also k n o w n as C re s te d B u lb u l, the Chinese B u lb u l, the M ag p ie Robin, the F o rk-ta iled Sunbird, the W h ite W agtail, and the B lack-collared Starling. Sightings of Fauna O v e r 40 yea rs ago, th e C h ine se U n iv e r s ity c a m p u s w a s l i t t l e m o re th a n a h ills id e o v e rg row n w ith shrubs and grass. It is perhaps a fa ir a s s um p tio n to m ake th a t in its ea rlie st days, the U n iv e rs ity shared s im ila r fauna w ith its n e ig h b o u r Tai Po K a u . H o n g K o n g was largely deforested d u rin g the last w o rld war. The forest at Tai Po Kau, w h ic h m o s tly dates from around the m id-20th century, has been colonized b y m any escapees as w e ll as species w h ic h had fo rm e rly occurred as w in te r visitors. Tai Po Kau rem ains one o f the olde st and best m a in ta in e d reserves in the te rrito ry and p o s sib ly the best re m a in in g area in H o n g K o n g fo r w a tc h in g forest birds. T w e n ty years ago, p o rcu p in e s, s q u irre ls , b a rk in g deer, pa n g o lin , w ild boar, cobras and m on ke ys were sig h te d on campus, especially a ro u n d th e V ic e - C h a n c e llo r's R e sid e n ce . S ig h tin g s o f these a n im a ls are rare n o w w ith some s eem in g to h a ve v a n is h e d a lto g e th e r. Creatures that s till make occasional appearances on campus in clude, besides feral cats and dogs, sm a ll insect-eating bats and la rge r fru it-e a tin g bats w h ic h have been fo u n d near C h un g C h i's W e iyu a n Lake. O th e r creepy craw lie s sig h ted in clude the m any-bandied crate, the comm on rat sna ke a n d th e b am b o o snake, s p id e rs an d changeable lizards. The Need fo r Conservation T he C h in e s e U n iv e r s ity u n d e rs ta n d s th a t de s tru c tio n o fte n fo llo w s close on the heels o f c o n stru c tio n as the poem b e low shows, unless care is taken to m in im iz e the negative effects of the la tte r. W ith its d o u b le ble ssin g o f h a v in g b io d iv e rs ity and abundant expertise in b io lo g y and en viro nm en ta l science, the U n iv e rs ity aims at ta k in g a leadership role in local conservation and sustainable de ve lopm e n t as tru e progress is more tha n the sum o f b u ild in g s. I climb f u r t h e r up beyond a rocky outcrop high above the permitted f u t u r e approved by planners, legislators, elected or not, and the lawyers and the whole pack o f architects, engineers, quant it y surveyors, accountants, and I can hear already the clatter and thump o f yet more construction really the destruction o f a previous sense o f place. A n d this bri ef time is sold, sold over and over again like the land, our only earth. (From 'O n a M ountain a b o ve Tolo H arbour' by A ndrew Parkin) Magpie Robin White Wagtail Red-whiskered Bulbul Chinese Bulbul