Team

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance of the University of Hong Kong

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance of the University of Hong Kong (HKU-CCSG) is the initiator and coordinator of this collaborative project, co-organising with The Association for Sha Tau Kok Culture and Ecology (ASTKCE) Dr. Michael Lau, Mr. Leon Lau, The Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong (OWLHK), Florescence Studio Co., and local village landlords are also collaborators of the project.

Association for Sha Tau Kok Cultural and Ecology

The Association for Sha Tau Kok Culture and Ecology (ASTKCE) takes its root in the northeast of the New Territories. With the practice of sustainable tourism and the concept of artistic inclusiveness, it aims to gather aspiring local people of the region and the public. ASTKCE is actively engaged in sustainable eco-tourism, education and training activities and rural revitalization projects. It serves to impel construction advancement in rural neighbourhoods, to provide diversified experiential eco- or cultural activities, to enhance integrated information green tourism platform, and carrying capacity of rural tourism.

In the Forest Village Programme, ASTKCE is the main co-organiser to coordinate capacity building activities for local communities and to manage on-site daily operations. ASTKCE will also help implement volunteering and education programmes. The person in charge is the Founder and Director, Mr. Charles LEE.

Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong Villagers

Villagers are land owners of the place and are important partners of the programme. They will help reflect upon the impacts of their land management approach on nature conservation. Villagers are actively engaged in planning the conservation management of the lands, to build in environmental stewardship and collaborative governance of the place.

Dr. Michael Lau

Dr. Michael Lau is a renowned herpetologist and ecologist in Hong Kong. He conducted his Ph.D.research on the ecology of Hong Kong amphibians and the conservation of the endemic Romer' s Tree Frog. He also took part in the Hong Kong Biodiversity Survey. His work experience includes leading the South China forest conservation programme in Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, and wetlands and local biodiversity conservation in WWF-Hong Kong. He is now a free-lance consultant and is an adjunct professor in the School of Biological Sciences, the University of Hong Kong.

He played an active role in Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and sat in the Steering Committee. He is a member of three Specialist Groups of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission and helps conduct Red List Assessments of Threatened Species.

In the Forest Village Programme, Dr. Lau will advise conservation management measures and citizen scientists programme. He will supervise regular biodiversity monitoring. Also, he will assist to design and carry out ecosystem services studies.

Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong

Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong (OWLHK) is a local environmental education charity established in 2016, promoting nature conservation and environmental education in Hong Kong through outdoor education. Their fervent team shares one vision: to contribute to and promote ecological conservation and environmental education in Hong Kong with our passion, expertise and ambitions.

In the Forest Village Programme, OWLHK will play an important role in executing biodiversity monitoring and Citizen Scientists Programme. The person in charge is the Founder and Conservation Director, Mr. Bond SHUM

Ip Hiu Man, Human

Miss Human Ip is a painter and writer, who won the champion for Youth Literary Awards in the open category. Through illustration and text, her interest in exploring the natural ecosystem is embedded in her works elegantly and delicately. Her publications include “In Search of Flora” (2014), “In Search of Flora 2” (2016), “In Search of Fauna” (2017), “Hermit in situ”(2019) and  “In Search of Fauna 2" (2021). 

In the Forest Village Programme, Ip will be the mural-curator as well as the documenter, and will help to conduct research and develop artistic interpretation and documentation of rural, cultural, and natural assets in the programme.

Hong Kong Tree Society

The vision of Hong Kong Tree Society is to educate the public to know more about trees, to love trees, and to protect the environment.

They manage a plant website hktree.com that introduces native plants, their locations and related information. They also provide courses and outdoor tree guided tours to the public.  

In the Forest Village Programme, Hong Kong Tree Society will assist in establishing a butterfly garden and devising conservation initiatives for butterflies. Mr. Leon Lau is the founder of Hong Kong Tree Society.