The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) is planning to restore at least 120 hectares of mountain forest by 2024, noting 40 hectares of emergency restoration has already been completed so far.
Since 2018, the bureau has been planning to restore Guia Hill, frequently damaged by typhoons and weakened by brown root disease, due to an invasion of vines.
Many super typhoons such as Hato, Mangkhut and Higos, which have hit Macau over the last few years, have severely damaged mountain forests, leaving more than 500,000 trees suffering different degrees of damage.
To protect the Guia Hill trees, IAM has established a designated ecological restoration area of 5.5 hectares of land in the periphery of the forest, and has implemented numerous measures, such as clearing vines and wilted trees, digging tree pits and improving soil.
About 3,100 new saplings have also been planted to increase biodiversity, leading to an improvement in the natural ecological environment of Guia Hill.
Additionally, a special technique for reverse slope land reorganization has been used and root barrier panels have been installed for the first time to prevent loss of water and soil in the slopes.
The Guia Hill mountain forest restoration plan includes 23 tree species chosen with Macau’s climate and environmental characteristics in mind and to create conditions for the emergence of a habitat and food source for wild animals. Staff reporter
