
A century ago, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) was a relatively common resident of Hong Kong that could even be found in Central. However, dramatic land-use change drove the species close to extirpation by the 1960s. A lack of understanding of their ecology has further hindered the conservation of the species. In 2016, Sharne McMillan began her PhD in the School of Biological Sciences, supervised by Professor Timothy Bonebrake and Dr Billy Hau. Her research set out to provide important baseline information about Eurasian otters in Hong Kong. How many otters are there? What do they eat? Where are they distributed? Where were they historically distributed? And what are the land-use factors most important to the species? In this lecture, you’ll learn the answers to these questions and how the research team arrived at these answers.
With the development of the Northern Metropolis in the area where otters are most dependent, there are now critical and urgent questions regarding how we can manage the environment while increasing urbanisation. What does the future hold for Hong Kong’s otters? As the world continues to urbanise, we must work to actively conserve the plants, animals, and biodiversity that provide so much for us. If we don't, then we'll lose biodiversity and species will go extinct.
Speaker Professor Timothy BONEBRAKE
Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), Faculty of Science; Professor, School of Biological Sciences, HKU
Professor Timothy Bonebrake is a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Sciences at HKU. Born and raised in California, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley and PhD from Stanford University. He’s a member of the Young Academy of Sciences Hong Kong and a recipient of the Excellent Young Scientist Award from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His lab studies a variety of topics in global change and tropical conservation on insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, and plants with study sites around the world. He’s currently Chair of the Conservation Committee of WWF Hong Kong and has studied conservation in Hong Kong for more than a decade.