內地盜賊入港偷砍沉香樹
After the disappearance of five booksellers and other signs of Beijing’s increased meddling, Hong Kong residents are fretting about another threat from the mainland: tree thieves.
五名書商失蹤事件及其他一些跡象表明，北京方面加強了對香港的干預。如今，香港居民又開始擔心另外一個來自內地的威脅——盜樹賊。
Police and environmental campaigners say Chinese gangs are hacking away at the precious incense trees that gave Hong Kong its name and can be worth nearly their weight in gold.
香港警方及環保活動人士稱，有內地團伙砍伐使香港得名的沉香樹。這種珍貴樹種價值非凡，可謂一寸沉香一寸金。
The number of reported incidents of theft has jumped from 15 in 2009 to 134 in 2014. Rocketing Chinese demand for the wood, used to make incense and traditional medicines, has been driven by rising wealth and dwindling domestic supply
2009年報告的盜砍沉香木事件有15起，2014年升至134起。內地不斷增長的財富和本土供應的減少，推動了對沉香木需求的飆升。沉香木被用於製作香料和用作中藥材。
Tree thefts are just the latest item in a long list of Hong Kong residents’ gripes with China, from the influx of tourists ;to Beijing’s hand in the booksellers’ disappearance. With many of the oldest, most valuable trees in Hong Kong’s country parks already felled, the thieves have extended their hunt into private gardens.
香港居民對內地有諸多不滿，從大量內地遊客涌入香港，到北京方面插手書商失蹤事件，不一而足，盜伐沉香木現象只是最新的一件。鑑於香港郊區最古老、最珍貴的沉香樹被砍伐殆盡，盜樹賊把目標擴大到了私人花園。
Alison Whittle was woken by her dog’s fierce barking one night in December to discover six intruders in her garden in the small village of Big Wave Bay. The fashion consultant’s screams deterred them for a few minutes but as she called the police, they lopped one of the main branches off her incense tree.
去年12月的一個夜晚，居住在大浪灣一個小社區的時尚顧問艾莉森惠特爾(Alison Whittle)被自家狗的狂吠吵醒，然後發現有6個人闖入了她的花園。她的尖叫聲暫時阻止了這些闖入者的行動，但是在她打電話報警的時候，這些人砍掉了她家沉香樹的一根比較大的樹枝。
“That’s when I got really scared because I thought that they really wanted whatever they had come for,” said Ms Whittle, who was unaware of the value of the wood.
惠特爾稱：“我當時真的嚇壞了，因爲我感覺他們勢在必得。”她當時不太知道沉香樹的價值。
Several other people in her village have reported similar raids, said Ms Whittle, who has increased the security at her home after the police warned the gang might return for the rest of the tree.
惠特爾稱，她所在社區還有幾個人也向警方報告了類似遭遇。在警方警告稱該團伙可能會再次返回盜走沉香樹剩下的部分後，惠特爾加強了她家的安保。
Hong Kong means “fragrant harbour”, a name inspired by the incense trees, which it used to produce and export in great numbers.
香港的意思是“散發香氣的港灣”，名字就是源於沉香樹。過去，香港曾大量加工和出口沉香。
The trees are really valuable only if infected with fungus that causes the creation of a resin that produces the sought-after agarwood and its unique, rich fragrance.
沉香樹在感染真菌後，會生成樹脂，最後結成沉香木並散發獨特、濃烈的香味。這時的沉香樹纔有價值。
CY Jim, an authority on trees at the University of Hong Kong who advises the government, said the highest quality agarwood could fetch $10,000 a kilogramme in China, and the oil distilled from the resin $30,000 a kilogramme.
香港大學的樹木研究專家詹志勇(CY Jim)稱，上等沉香木在內地可賣到一公斤一萬美元，從樹脂中提取的沉香油價格可達一公斤3萬美元。
Hong Kong’s police have promised to crack down harder on thieves, who face up to 10 years in jail if convicted.
香港警方承諾會加大打擊盜樹賊。盜樹賊一旦定罪，最高將面臨10年有期徒刑。
But Mr Jim said the police must increase patrols substantially. “It’s an open secret that the number of thieves caught and successfully prosecuted is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
但是，詹志勇稱，警方必須大力加強巡邏。“被抓住並被成功起訴的盜樹賊數量只是冰山一角，這是公開的祕密，”他稱。
Ultimately, as with so many other challenges facing the city, he believes the real difficulty is the difference in mindset between Hong Kong and the mainland.
歸根結底，與香港面臨的衆多其他挑戰一樣，他認爲真正的困難是香港和內地觀念的差異。
“The people of Hong Kong have a mentality of conservation rather than exploiting primary products,” said Mr Jim. “These people coming from other side of the border don’t share our values.”
“香港人有環境保護的觀念，不會想着開採初級產品，”詹志勇稱，“而來自邊境另一邊的這些人與我們的價值觀不同。”
