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Thomas Tang

The decision by Ocean Park not to bring in  a wild-caught beluga whale to stock its aquarium is to be applauded as a positive step for keeping animals in their natural habitats.
Ecosystems  are nature's means of preserving  biodiversity. Taking out one member runs the risk of disrupting the system;  taking out several members would have profound consequences.  This, however, is necessary  for species to evolve - centuries of this process have got mankind to our current status, often at the expense of  many species of flora and fauna.  
Today, the loss of variety bodes ill for our sustainability. Our food security, for instance, could be affected.  According to a resources foundation, the world's pork is produced almost exclusively by crosses of three pig breeds and 95 per cent of dairy cattle come from a single breed - the result of genetic engineering. By upsetting the natural food chain,  we have made ourselves vulnerable to the risk of disease affecting our food supply.  
 The Royal Society  recently published a paper highlighting the potential loss of a quarter of known mammal species due to poaching or habitat loss. Nearer home, the siting of the proposed  bridge to Zhuhai and Macau has implications for the habitat of the Chinese white dolphin.  
Animals and plants hence need management plans, much like any resource, if they are to avoid extinction, and an economic value has to be placed on species if they are to be preserved.  A new protocol is being formed to fairly share benefits between private organisations that develop new products from species and the country where the resources originated. This would encourage countries to preserve natural resources in the hope that they would benefit if useful products, such as cancer  treatments, arise.
Financial markets do not fully reflect the value of biodiversity and the benefits to people. According to the  International Union for Conservation of Nature,  if the full economic value of biodiversity was taken into account, the degradation of ecosystems could be significantly slowed or even reversed.  
In the end, how do we all play a part in preserving biodiversity? For one, we can make lifestyle choices that promote natural ecosystems such as organic products and fair trade purchases.  If we don't  act, we risk losing more and more species forever. Moves such as the one by Ocean Park should be  examples of sound business  practices for species. 
Ultimately, governments must take a stand on conservation and mean what they say when they promise to protect species in land development studies. Hong Kong is in a key position to uphold this principle with the many development projects afoot.
Dr Thomas S.K. Tang is director of corporate sustainability at Aecom Asia



An extinct species is a resource forever lost