Meet The Nature (Day 2)

Practicing yoga and mindfulness in nature not only relieve stress, but also strengthen our body. This event will combine dynamic yoga practice with static mindfulness practice, allowing you to find a moment of tranquility in the busy city life and enjoy the beautiful beach scenery of Hong Kong.

Nature is the best classroom! Participants will experience how to get in touch with the animals and plants in the environment through exploration games, fostering children’s curiosity about the ecology of nature. Through this process, children will understand the importance of protecting the environment and take action to care for nature. After the activity, the instructors will summarize the experience with the participants, discuss, and reflect on how to apply the concept of environmental education in the early childhood teaching activities.

Due to the inconvenience of transportation, the remote villages in the New Territories have been gradually abandoned. Nonetheless, the natural environment in the area has been preserved because there is no major development in the vicinity. In recent years, the sustainable development of remote rural areas has entered the agenda of public discussion. How to make effective use of rural resources while preserving the nearby natural environment? During the one-day trip, participants will participate in guided tour and volunteering to experience how “Forest Villages” try to achieve rural sustainability by enhancing the ecosystem services of the rural villages through cross-sector collaboration.

In order to align with the board game “Law of the Forest”, the event will be specially held at Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve, a complete and mature secondary forest in Hong Kong. Through a series of outdoor experiential activities, participants will utilize their five senses to understand and experience Hong Kong’s forest ecology in various ways. Furthermore, we will share how to incorporate simple activities, such as “Bingo!”, to encourage participants to observe Hong Kong’s forest ecology.

Sitting in Sheung Shui, Ho Sheung Heung has a long history of agriculture, which could be traced back to the 1960s. Working closely with local farmers and volunteers, we have revived Hong Kong’s lost rice paddies and conserved one of Hong Kong’s largest remaining watercress farmland to create an environmentally friendly agricultural system that many wildlife call home. Participants will be able to explore the village and farmland, diving into the stories of farming history, biodiversity and habitat conservation work while enjoying leisure birdwatching.

An immersive sensory experience in the forest that allows your busy mind to take a break and let your body take the lead. Guided by experienced Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guides of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Program (ANFT), this is a chance to get up close and personal with the amazing biodiversity of Hong Kong’s own nature reserve. You will get a taste of what it’s like to establish a body-centric, heart-centered relationship with nature. All you need is to dress appropriately for the outdoors, and bring along your curiosity and open mind.

Mai Po Nature Reserve, an important part of the Mai Po Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site, is an ideal outdoor classroom that connects people with nature. Through hands-on learning, young people are inspired to care for wetlands and nature, and adopt sustainable lifestyles.

This workshop will guide participants through the reserve’s diverse habitats and biodiversity, while using interactive approaches to showcase primary and secondary school activities. Discussion sessions will encourage experience sharing among participants.

Hong Kong has a rich diversity of amphibians and reptiles, and summer nights are the best time to observe them. During the night safari to Pok Fu Lam Country Park, participants will experience first-hand the discovery and observation of various nocturnal animals such as frogs, snakes, and insects in the dark woods. Participants can learn about the survival skills of these animals, and discuss conservation issues related to local amphibians and reptiles.

Shellfish reefs are the most endangered marine habitat on the planet with an estimated 85 percent global loss. In nature, oysters naturally grow and accumulate on small reefs along intertidal mudflats, providing feeding grounds for unique species from shorebirds to tiny crabs. Deep Bay was once covered with these shellfish reefs, but centuries of human activities and development have greatly reduced this critical habitat. The now-abandoned oyster farms were built following a traditional method of planting concrete poles in concentrated rows where oysters can settle to and grow on. However, these farms have been abandoned for ten years and are no longer in use. To restore Pak Nai’s natural shorelines, we will remove these poles and reconfigure them into more natural reefs. This will restore habitat for species to forage and increase biodiversity on the mudflats.

The highest mountain in Hong Kong, Tai Mo Shan, is the source of streams and rivers. Participants will visit one of these — Tai Tso Stream’s middle reaches—to explore and learn about common freshwater organisms in Hong Kong, such as minnow, shrimp, snails, and different aquatic insects. At the same time, we will collect samples of freshwater algae to bring back to the Microscopic Imaging Technology Learning Centre at Ho Koon, where we will use advanced microscopes to capture images of the microscopic world in a drop of water.

The nearby Ha Fa Shan, adjacent to Ho Koon Centre, is a typical terrestrial habitat in Hong Kong, featuring grasslands, shrubs, forests, and agricultural land. Participants will explore the symbiotic relationships between plants and insects along the way. Ho Koon will provide a compact macro camera for recording purposes. For some of the smaller or hidden symbiotic relationships, we will bring them back to the centre to make detailed observations using professional dissection microscopes.

Since 2016, The Green Earth has participated in the Plantation Enrichment Programme initiated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The programme aims to enhance local biodiversity by introducing native tree species into country park areas that were previously dominated by exotic species. Each site receives a minimum five-year commitment involving planning, seedling planting, and annual maintenance efforts such as fertilizing, weeding, and growth monitoring to improve the survival rate and promote healthy growth.

Urban forests not only beautify the environment and regulate temperatures, providing a livable habitat for the communities, but they are also habitats for many wild animals. In recent years, urban forests have been regarded as one of the important means to combat climate change. This workshop is led by Mr. SO Kwok-yin, Ken, the Chief Executive of the Conservancy Association, using Hong Kong’s first urban forestry education center located in Sham Shui Po as an example to share how to connect trees and communities through various activities, from understanding to appreciation and then action, in order to achieve the goal of harmonious coexistence between humans and trees