THE BIG QUESTION.
DOES HONG KONG CARE ABOUT ITS WILD ANIMALS AND PLACES?
Let me rephrase that, in a way that we can answer against monitored progress:
How is Hong Kong doing regarding its responsibilities and commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)? It seems pertinent to ask that question now, just one week after the 15th Conference of Parties of the Convention of Biological Diversity closed the period of reporting of its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
Well who knows how well we are doing? With the government’s Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (BSAP) not having any targets or rigour, it has fallen to one of the most active and hardworking NGO’s to help answer that question. Step forward THE HONG KONG BIRD WATCHING SOCIETY.
They have just produced a new report which summarises a ten-year programme to monitor the Hong Kong’s performance.
If you have 5 minutes please watch this short video that summarises this detailed report:
Well, I hope you watched it but just in case….spoiler alert…..Hong Kong did not do very well, with no progress on 14, and only partial accomplishment of 6 Aichi Targets, to which China is a signatory.
As Mike Kilburn, Vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society writes in the report:
"During this period, awareness of the risks posed to our environment and society by deeply ingrained patterns of unsustainable exploitation and consumption of natural resources have continued to rise at the global and local level. The indicators that provide the framework for these reports have identified the specific “pressure points” where a conscious effort must be made to ensure that Hong Kong’s biodiversity, and all the benefits it confers, are not swept away in
the name of economic development”.
I urge you to read the recently released report, (of Hong Kong's performance against the Convention on Biological Diversity) but be aware, it does not make for happy reading…except for the focus on solutions that the HKBWS proposes.
Link here to the PDF:
the report itself can be found at the link above.
TO FOLLOW: The report, and another video that I will post soon, covers recommendations about drafting the new BSAP, as the old one finishes the end of this year.
No time to read? Not to worry, starting next Friday I will review the key, and most interesting elements in the report in my blog, so we can all keep up to speed about the key issues are and some of the solutions proposed. Remember, we can make a difference.
FYI.
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society is a non-governmental organisation established in 1957 with a vision of “people and birds living in harmony as nature continues to thrive”. It aims to promote the appreciation and protection of birds and their habitats through education, research, habitat management and conservation advocacy. The Society became a public charitable organisation in 2002.
Website: www.hkbws.org.hk