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.

五名书商失踪事件及其他一些迹象表明，北京方面加强了对香港的干预。如今，香港居民又开始担心另外一个来自内地的威胁——盗树贼。

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.

香港警方及环保活动人士称，有内地团伙砍伐使香港得名的沉香树。这种珍贵树种价值非凡，可谓一寸沉香一寸金。

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年报告的盗砍沉香木事件有15起，2014年升至134起。内地不断增长的财富和本土供应的减少，推动了对沉香木需求的飙升。沉香木被用于制作香料和用作中药材。

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.

香港居民对内地有诸多不满，从大量内地游客涌入香港，到北京方面插手书商失踪事件，不一而足，盗伐沉香木现象只是最新的一件。鉴于香港郊区最古老、最珍贵的沉香树被砍伐殆尽，盗树贼把目标扩大到了私人花园。

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月的一个夜晚，居住在大浪湾一个小社区的时尚顾问艾莉森惠特尔(Alison Whittle)被自家狗的狂吠吵醒，然后发现有6个人闯入了她的花园。她的尖叫声暂时阻止了这些闯入者的行动，但是在她打电话报警的时候，这些人砍掉了她家沉香树的一根比较大的树枝。

“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.

惠特尔称：“我当时真的吓坏了，因为我感觉他们势在必得。”她当时不太知道沉香树的价值。

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.

惠特尔称，她所在社区还有几个人也向警方报告了类似遭遇。在警方警告称该团伙可能会再次返回盗走沉香树剩下的部分后，惠特尔加强了她家的安保。

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“散发香气的港湾”，名字就是源于沉香树。过去，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.

沉香树在感染真菌后，会生成树脂，最后结成沉香木并散发独特、浓烈的香味。这时的沉香树才有价值。

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.

香港大学的树木研究专家詹志勇(CY Jim)称，上等沉香木在内地可卖到一公斤一万美元，从树脂中提取的沉香油价格可达一公斤3万美元。

Hong Kong’s police have promised to crack down harder on thieves, who face up to 10 years in jail if convicted.

香港警方承诺会加大打击盗树贼。盗树贼一旦定罪，最高将面临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，詹志勇称，警方必须大力加强巡逻。“被抓住并被成功起诉的盗树贼数量只是冰山一角，这是公开的秘密，”他称。

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.

归根结底，与香港面临的众多其他挑战一样，他认为真正的困难是香港和内地观念的差异。

“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.”

“香港人有环境保护的观念，不会想着开采初级产品，”詹志勇称，“而来自边境另一边的这些人与我们的价值观不同。”