15 August, 2023 is the first ever National Ecology Day, celebrating nature as invaluable ecological resources and the vital importance of ecological conservation for enhancing community well-being and accelerating carbon neutrality. I am honoured to be appointed as a member of the Country and Marine Parks Board for term 2023 – 2025, commencing 1 September, 2023.

The Country and Marine Parks Board acts as a consultative body to advise the Country and Marine Parks Authority upon any matter referred to it by the Authority. The primary responsibility is to consider and to advise the Authority on, the policy and programmes prepared by the Authority in respect of existing and proposed country parks, special areas, marine parks and marine reserves; and to consider any objection that may be lodged under section 11 or section 17 of the Country Parks Ordinance, and section 12 of the Marine Parks Ordinance.

With a strong passion for country parks and the hiking culture, I strive to bring my experience of conducting field work and educational campaigns to further the work of rural revitalisation and nature rehabilitation at part of the Board. Robin’s Nest Country Park set to open in mid-2024 will become our 25th country park. The proximity to Wutong Mountain Scenic Area in Shenzhen will benefit biodiversity in both cities through establishing a cross-border ecological corridor.

The new North Lantau Marine Park opening in 2024, which will become our city’s eighth marine park on record. It is located adjacent to the Pearl River estuary, the national nature reserve for Chinese white dolphins. Drawing on the findings from my Antarctic Climate Expedition 2023, I seek to contribute views on unleashing immense potential of oceans for enhancing climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience in Hong Kong.

This year, my social enterprise V’air is proud to be one of the five green group partners for the “Beautiful Hong Kong Young Eco-Guide Training Programme”, a new initiative launched by Hong Kong Chronicles Institute under Our Hong Kong Foundation to promote Hong Kong’s natural ecological culture, and train the next generation of sustainability leaders from underprivileged families to reshape our tourism industry. We have also partnered with Wu Zhi Qiao Charitable Foundation on a rural revitalisation tourguide training for youth aged between 18-35. We are thrilled to begin training with aspiring youngsters to fuel Hong Kong’s sustainable tourism transformation!