Introduction:
In 1920s, the sudden increase of population leads to the shortage supply in Hong
Kong. To combat this problems, Shing Mun Reservoirs has been built in 1923 to supply
water for the people in Hong Kong. The building of Shing Mun Reservoirs has
environment impact and threatens the survival of many organisms. The effect of building
Shing Mun Reservoirs, is it a beneficial act or a destructive act on the natural environment?
In this project, we would like to consider about that.
If the Shing Mun area is not built for reservoirs, the environment over there will be
changed naturally in 3 ways.
Firstly the environment will be changed and will remain a rainforest. It is
because Hong Kong is located in subtropical monsoon climatic region which has a warm
climate, abundant rainfall , humid and enough sunlight make plants and trees
there can grow effectively with photosynthesis. The producers is the food
sources of consumers and form a big food chain and food web that make
organisms alive by feeding. Moreover, trees can be shelters of organisms such
as birds. The big food web contribute to a diversity of species of organisms
and form a stable community there.
The environment in the Shing Mun area may become a big village
that villagers can live by themselves. It is because building of the reserviors
involved the evacuation of eight Hakka villages belonged to families with
different surnames. If the have not been evacuated, they mainly will stay in the
Shing Mun area and grow crops to support their lives. Therefore, that area
might become a farmland.
As the area of Shing Mun area belongs to the government, that area
may be used to build buildings to become an industrial area for commersal
usage or housing estates as the sudden increases of population growth and
not enough loan for housing or parks for entertament as weel as educational
area to teach visitors about the eight Hakka villages over there and the
diversity of species of organisms.
If the Shing Mun area is not built for reservoirs, that area may becaome a
rainforest, farmland or a area for commersal usages.
Environment Impact:
There are many environment benefits of the building of Reservoir. For example,
the foundation of Shing Mum Arboretum incubates a wide variety of flora form
both local and Southern Asia such as Pinus massoniana, whilst Pinus elliottii,
Lophostemon confertus, Melaleuca quinquenervia and Acacia confusa. Some
of them are going to be endangered and extinct. By this method, the survival of
endangered plants can be extended and the heterotrophs that feed on these
plants can also survive. The Camellia granthamiana is one of the endangered
plant. On the other hand, public can go to this country park for recreation. They
can enjoy the fresh air, appreciate the flora, have a barbecue (284 barbecue
pits in total), take a walk on nature trails (Wilson Trail, MacLehose Trail, Shing
Mum Jogging Trail or Pineapple Dam Natural Trail) and play apparatus (parks)
there. They can relax and release stress from work, study, etc through these
kinds of activities. The establishment of Shing Mum Country Park Visitor
Centre provides displays on the origin and history of Shing Mun, the reservoir
and the mining industry in the early twentieth centuries. Animals and mineral
specimens are also on display. Video programmes on Country Parks and
Countryside Conservation matters are shown in the visitor centre at regular
intervals. They can educate citizens about our ecosystem and raise their
awareness on environment conservation. Originally, the site of reservoir is only
a tropical rainforest. The construction of reservoir also provides a habitat for
aquatic organisms (freshwater-fish). Therefore, it enhances biodiversity.
Moreover, heterotrophs such as monkeys, birds, squirrels, barking deer, wild
boars and pangolins which live there can have more food sources and thus a
more complex food web forms. Therefore, secondary succession occurs from
tropical rainforest to forest with reservoir as the types of organisms live in this
habitat changes.
Camellia granthamiana
As u know, almost all human activities cause certain impact on environment and
organisms. Before building the Shing Mun Reservoir, lots of trees had been cut down
so that there are enough places to build the reservoir. The topsoil was removed and
there were less trees to absorb water, thus caused more surface runoff of water. It may
cause flooding in low-lying areas in Tsuen Wan or Sha Tin. Besides, when the plants
were removed, topsoil was removed naturally by the wearing actions of rain and wind.
Soil erosion may be a slow process and occur at an unnoticed rate or it may also occur
at an alarming rate and cause serious loss of topsoil every year. Soil erosion is one of
the major environment problems caused.
On the other hand, building reservoir might destroy the habitat of organisms, the
land for shelter decreased. For instance, the activity areas and the food for monkeys
and dogs decreased, these alert their habitat, activities, even their population.
Also, less food sources can be supplied to the herbivores like cows, sheep…the food
web would be affected. Apart from the reservoir, since there became a country park,
some of the land was used to build road, highway, barbecue areas, etc, plants cannot
grow on the lands where covered by thick layer of slab. Actually, when citizens visit
the park for hiking or barbecue, it causes certain environment problems. Some of the
visitors feed the monkeys or dogs as recreation, however, it affects the law of nature
because originally, they were equal distributed in the forest and they had to find food
by themselves.
The interference of human may affect their birth rate and fatality rate, and thus
affected the nature law. Moreover, people may make a lot of rubbish (littering), cut
the trees by writing some words on them, and cause hill fires if they are careless after
barbecue. All of these are destroying the environment and affect the habitat of
organisms.
littering by human
People cut tree and write words on the tree.
The tree cut by human.
Nowadays natural environment
Shing Mun Reservoir is a balanced ecosystem. A balanced ecosystem which is a
stable and independent system which is a stable and independent natural system
resulting from the interactions of organisms which involve the system environment,
the energy flow, cycling of materials, interdependent of organisms and interaction
between physical factors and organisms.
Shing Mun Reservoir have many plants which act as the producers and the basic
parts of an ecosystem, which transfer light energy into chemical energy stored in their
body. These plants are the food for the herbivores, they are the primary consumers,
such as the bees, insects etc. Then the secondary consumers feed on the primary
consumers which are the carnivores or omnivores, such as frogs, monkeys etc., in the
meanwhile, they also serves as the food for the tertiary consumers e.g. hawk.
Shing Mun Reservoir has many different kinds of fungi and bacteria act as the
decomposers which are the important role in an ecosystem. The fungi and bacteria
break down the dead bodies, faces and excretory products of producers and
consumers into inorganic nutrients and stored in their bodies and then when they died,
the inorganic matters will return to the environment. They are very important for the
recycling of inorganic nutrients to the environment and this is an very important
process in an ecosystem.
As Shing Mun Reservoir have many different species of organisms which forms
a stable and natural independent natural system, and all the organisms interact with
each other with certain interdependent, so Shing Mun Reservoir can now be consider
a balanced ecosystem.
The different species of organisms in Shing Mun Reservoir:
Mylabris ckhorii
Conclusion
The building of Shing Mun reservoir, undoubtedly, has environment impact and
threatens the survival of many organisms. But Shing Mun Reservoir has been built for
a long time, the ecosystem in Shing Mun Reservoirs nowadays has became a balanced
ecosystem, all the organisms in Shing Mun Reservoirs can live together and interact
with each other and formed a stable and independent natural system.
The government has do a lot on conservation the natural resources in Shing Mun
Reservoirs, for examples, nourish the endangered species trees or vegetation in a
particular spaces, educate the citizens about the important of conservation, etc.
Besides the government, we can also do something.. We should appreciate the
environment by conservation and it is the responsibility of all the citizens in Honk
Kong. This can be easily done by all of us. For examples, do not feed the monkey
when going hiking, do not cut the tree or writing words on trees, do not littering, etc.
Shing Muin Reservoirs is a inaccessible place in Hong Kong which has a
balanced ecosystem, both the government and us should take action immediately to
keep this beautiful environment for our children.