This issue of About Life arrives at a meaningful moment for WWF-Hong Kong. Across our oceans and wetlands programmes, years of patient conservation work are finally converging into a more unified and purposeful chapter. We have sharpened our focus and strengthened our resolve to ensure our efforts deliver the lasting impact that Hong Kong's natural heritage deserves. The stories that follow reflect that commitment.

Revamped Oceans Conservation Roadmap: Where Strategy Meets Ambition

WWF-Hong Kong has long been committed to conserving Hong Kong's marine environment. With the city’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP) 2035 setting clear targets for a nature-positive future, now this is the right time to revamp our ocean conservation roadmap. This is a deliberate recommitment – one defined by sharper priorities and stronger frameworks ahead.

Our vision is clear: sound ocean governance, supported by a fully connected, well-managed network of protected areas across Hong Kong's waters, where high-value habitats are safeguarded, damaged ecosystems are given room to recover, and smart technology enables conservation action with greater speed and precision. This ambition drives our work across five priority sites.

Sharp Island: From Advocacy to Action

Sharp Island and the surrounding Inner Port Shelter have long been identified by WWF-Hong Kong as a marine conservation priority. This May, years of advocacy, public education and sustained effort translated into on-the-ground action, as our team was appointed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) to deliver demonstration based, on-site conservation and public education throughout the summer public holidays.

This initiative demonstrates what collaborative stewardship can achieve. We look forward to the formal designation of a Marine Park at Sharp Island, securing statutory protection for one of Hong Kong's most ecologically significant marine sites.

Shui Hau: Science as the Foundation of Protection

At Shui Hau sandflat, WWF-Hong Kong has dedicated seven years to building a scientific foundation for conservation. Through continuous monitoring of horseshoe crab and clam populations, supported by citizen scientists and complemented by smart IoT data collection since 2024 - the evidence we have gathered is thorough and well-grounded.  

We have now consolidated and analysed these long-term datasets. The results reflect how years of collaboration with the local community, particularly through public education, have gradually improved visitor behaviour. At the same time, the data also reveal ongoing ecological changes that cannot be ignored. Together with multiple experts, WWF will continue to advance a shared vision and consensus for conservation.

These valuable datasets provide a strong scientific basis for effective management. We continue to call on government to afford Shui Hau the statutory protection it warrants.

Tolo Harbour: Restoring a Community's Sea

WWF-Hong Kong is undertaking one of our most comprehensive conservation efforts at a seascape level. Alongside hands-on habitat restoration across corals and seagrass beds, the “Embracing Our Tolo” project has allowed us to integrate scientific research on fish population health and genetic diversity with the preservation of local ecological knowledge.  

Conservation in Tolo is inseparable from the community. Fishers, cultural researchers, and residents are contributors to this work, united by a shared vision: nature recovers, livelihoods are sustained, and community co-management to set a new standard for marine governance. This is exactly the rationale behind our advocacy for establishing a Fisheries Protection Area.

Smart Wetland Management Programme: Where Wetland Legacy Meets Smart Conservation

Mai Po Nature Reserve stands as one of WWF-Hong Kong's most enduring conservation achievements - a designated Ramsar site that has delivered Nature-based Solutions for decades. With the WWF Jockey Club Smart Wetland Management Project (SWMP), generously supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, we are equipping this legacy to face the challenges of a changing climate and evolving urban pressures. We are pleased to share SWMP's progress in About Life for the first time.

Our collaboration with the Hong Kong Design Institute reflects our belief that conservation must reach beyond the reserve, inspiring the next generation of professionals to place nature at the heart of their work.

A Call to Collective Action

From sea to wetlands, every story in this issue carries a common thread: a commitment to a Hong Kong where nature and people thrive together. Conservation of this breadth and ambition is never the work of ourselves alone. We are deeply grateful to our donors, government departments, academic collaborators, citizen scientists, volunteers and all who walk this path with us. The work continues - and the most important chapter is always the one we are writing next.