Guardians of the Green – A photographic journey through the world's rainforests

The Embassy of Honduras to China and the Consulate General of Belgium in Hong Kong, in cooperation with the WWF, are presenting a selection of photographs of tropical forests taken by King Leopold III of Belgium throughout his life. The sovereign was passionate about nature and science and a pioneer in the defense of the environment. A keen photographer, he has left a considerable collection of black and white and colour pictures of inestimable value.

This exhibition wishes to show the beauty of the tropical forests and raise awareness about the immense threats they are facing. The Amazon rainforest, for example, has seen extensive deforestation. According to the World Resources Institute, approximately 1.5 million square km of forest have been lost in the past 30 years. High rates of deforestation are also affecting the Congo Basin in Africa, and Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia.