Dr. Xoni Ma, our Founder & Education Director, was invited by RTHK 31 to host a programme exploring Hong Kong biodiversity with local experts. The show airs at 8pm every Saturdays starting from Dec 2021.

Started in 2020, the “Spider Survey Ecological Education Programme” has found two spider species belonging to the Anyphaenidae and Trachelidae families, which had not been scientifically logged as living in Hong Kong. The survey might have also obtained the first local record of the spider of the Qianlingula genus.

We are honoured to be invited by PMQ Seed to collaborate with other parties and hold sessions for the “GREEN & ME Train the Trainer Workshop” series. The workshop offers training in equipping knowledge and techniques in environmental education, as well as boosting the empathy towards our environment. Tap on the video to learn more.

Not being able to travel abroad to immerse yourself in the cherry blossom due to travel restrictions? No worries! Our Founder and Conservation Director, Mr. Bond Shum, is here to walk you through different flower viewing hotspots in Hong Kong. He also introduced some of the most attractive local flowering plants that you should never miss!

Are you interested in being an environmental educator? Our Senior Education Officer, Ms. Maggie Mang, is honoured to be invited to share her journey working in OWLHK with members of Network of Environmental Student Societies (NESS). In this session, she would inspire you with the ways to arouse public awareness of the environment, and the difficulties she has faced in the meantime.

Probably many of you have the experience of “staycation” during the pandemic, but do you know there are hotels for insects as well? Due to urban development, solitary bees face the challenge of having fewer habitats. Insect hotels provide areas for them to breed. By organizing various activities, including the ongoing Insect Hotel Design Competition for Secondary Schools, we hope to promote the concept of insect hotel to help the solitary bees.

I believe many of you know that bumblebees are social animals, but do you know there are “lone wolves” in bees too? Our Founder and Conservation Director, Mr. Bond Shum, will introduce two solitary bees you can find in Hong Kong, and how they can take on the responsibility in solitary life.

How do exotic species affect ecosystems? Do you know they may threaten agriculture, fishery, or even cause species extinction? Our Education and Research Manager, Dr. Ken So, will discuss where the invasive species come from, the consequences and the resolutions.

Any special in plants in Hong Kong? Plants in Hong Kong are so diverse that more people are interested in them nowadays, and become eager to identify different species. Plants, however, vary a lot which confuses beginners. Do not worry! Our Founder and Conservation Director Mr. Bond Shum will share his tips on learning plant identification!

The LCF has approved a total of 18 education, research and conservation projects involving a total grand of around $5.5 million in the first round of application (2020-2021). Our programme “Lantau Countryside Ecological and Cultural Education Programme” was one of them! We will explore Lantau and visit various ecological hotspots through innovative environmental education activities. Local residents in Lantau will co-create together to share their stories!

Our founder and conservation director Mr. Bond Shum shares how bird-watching inspired him and started caring more about the nature! Let us follow him to the forest with our interns, learn more about ecology and the magic in it!

Do spiders bite? Are they toxic? Are they scary?

Our Education Officer, Ms. Silvy Chan will tell us the behaviours, habitats and trivia of spiders. Let us clear the misunderstandings about them, and bring down the fears towards spiders. Silvy even raises a challenge for us: to find 2 different species of spiders in the countryside, on railing, and in the forest!

Urban forestry contributes to the sustainable development of a city. Recent change in Kai Tak is one example. Mr. Kayson Lo, our Senior Project and Conservation Officer shared his thoughts on the Kai Tak River improvement works, and the ecological transformation before and after the project. He also mentioned the benefits that blue-green infrastructures could bring to a community.

Even though ants are tiny in size, they can lift 400 times their own weight! There are thousands of ants on the planet, and they all work together perfectly. Follow Roy, the Association's Senior Education and Research Officer, as he explores their ethnic groupings through the lens.

How much do you know about our marine environment? Our Senior Project and Conservation Officer, Mr. Kayson Lo, tested your knowledge about the marine ecosystem. He also shared the impact of urban development and extreme weathers on marine organisms, information regarding ocean conservation, as well as some of his remarkable experiences exploring marine ecology.

Environmental education has never been easy. Dr. Ma and his team expanded to a group of more than a dozen people from only three people with zero funding. What kind of beliefs do they hold for their persistence? At the same time, let's find out what books Dr. Ma has read that gave him extraordinary values.

Our Founder and Education Director, Dr. Xoni Ma always conveys an essential principle to the participants when he carries out environmental education activities, “Everything is connected”. Dr. Ma shared his experiences and ideas on environmental education, and how to apply them on combating climate change.

Follow the native environmental educator – Dr. Xoni Ma, to be touched by our mother nature. Hong Kong is a tiny place yet rich in biodiversity. Dr. Ma would like to reconnect the public through environmental education in the coming days.

In "ECF Discovering South Lantau Invertebrates", there were new local discoveries such as Anthidiellum carinatum in Mui Wo and Pycnoscelus nigra in Tung Chung. Moreover, a gray-white moth first appeared in Tung Chung, showing that it is a new species. Environmental groups suggest that future development should be carefully planned to achieve ecological balance.

In 2020, a rare moth appeared in Lantau Island which is the world's first case. It indicates that Hong Kong has a high level of biodiversity. However, many environmental groups worry that reclamation projects will cause irreversible ecological damages, change the habitat of species, or even kill the local rare insect species. They urge the development of brownfields instead.

The general ecological survey records are dominated by butterflies and dragonflies. However, many grasshoppers and flies were found in Lantau Island in 2020, which is up to 20% to 30% of the numbers found in the past ten years. It is hoped that the survey encourages the public to pay more attention to the high-value biodiversity and ecology of the surrounding environment.

The records of insects and invertebrates collected in "ECF Discovering South Lantau Invertebrates" in 2020 exceeded expectations. They were even similar to the records collected by iNaturalist which is a network built for collecting observations of biodiversity so far. More than 100 species were recorded for the first time in iNaturalist Hong Kong’s record. In response to this discovery, Bond Shum, the founder and Director of OWLHK, suggested that the government should strengthen rural protection work.

In last year's "ECF Discovering South Lantau Invertebrates" public participation survey, the public team has identified the first new species of moth in the world. In addition, Anthidiellum carinatum and Pycnoscelus nigra were discovered for the first time in Hong Kong. The number of species recorded in this survey is great which implies Hong Kong’s biodiversity should be properly conserved.

Hibernation, as a common strategy for many creatures to survive, mostly occurs in winter. Not all the cold-blooded animals in Hong Kong are strict “sleepers” during this period, let’s see how they survive winters!

Hong Kong’s First Freshwater Wildlife Mobile Guide is out now! OWLHK, as sponsor and supporting organization, would provide a dynamic educational resource of freshwater habitat and organisms in Hong Kong the for the public.

Through ECF Discovering South Lantau Invertebrates – Search in Lantau, OWLHK encourages the public to actively explore freshwater habitat and local ecology. Mr. Liu and students from HKFEW Wong Cho Bau Secondary School joined the contest and was carrying out their insect & invertebrates survey in Tung Chung. We hope to arouse public awareness and encourage community participation in exploring nature.

Many people would go for a walk in the countryside during the pandemic. This time, our Founder and Conservation Director Mr. Bond Shum took us to Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve to appreciate the local biodiversity. He also introduced the possible ecological and environmental impact brought by visitors and shared some ways to carry out environmental education as well.

Through ECF Exploring Wild Lantau – Impression of Natural Lantau Video Competition, OWLHK encourages the public to actively explore the natural environment of Lantau. Each team shows appreciation towards Lantau in their entries, and hopes to raise more awareness on Lantau natural conservation.

We may visit the stream to cool down by playing in the water, but dragonflies reproduce by touching the water's surface! Bond, one of the Association's founders and directors, will take you on a tour of the dragonfly's routines and the ideal times to observe them!

Ms. Lantana is a renowned for its outstanding beauty, but she keeps a low profile and always sits aside… You probably saw her before, let’s get to know her!

Spring is stirred with lives which goes well with your hikes. Hikers, however, found that there are quite a number of dead bodies of Hong Kong Newt along the road… What are the Newt facing in Chuen Lung?

ViuTV programme host met the tertiary tutor trained in “ECF Joyful Learning in Forest Ecology-Board Game‧Outdoor‧Environmental Education”. They learnt the forest ecology by playing the board game “Law of the Forest” together.

Let’s have a tree survey! Measure the diameter at breast height of trunks with special tools to estimate the carbon flux and stock of trees.

Dr Xoni Ma, Founder and Education Director of OWLHK, leads you at MacLehose Trail (Section 9) - Route Twisk to Tin Fu Tsai. Let’s immerse in the atmosphere and enjoy the forest bath.

Living in Hong Kong, forests are within easy reach. Let’s explore the largest secondary-forest in Hong Kong, and consider the interdependence of nature vis-à-vis humanity.

Ms Janice Lo, Founder and Creative Director of OWLHK, shared her experience and story of starting environmental education, as well as the vision and values of this industry.

The Vox Amica Press introduced the board game “Law of The Forest” design by us, which is the first board game in Hong Kong with the theme of local forest ecology and biodiversity. It displayed the basic gameplay, accessories and booklet of “Law of The Forest”.

Guided by OWLHK tutor, we launched a parent-child activity at Pok Fu Lam Reservoir. The activity led the children proactively explore the mather nature by minigames and creative learning materials. We hoped the children might establish a bonding between their life and mother nature since childhood.

The Pallas’s Squirrels are adorable and nimble. They unconsciously help the tree to breed as well. Let Bond Shum, Founder and Conservation Director of OWLHK, explain the interesting facts the Pallas’s Squirrel.

The board game “Law of the Forest” leads students to learn beyond the books. Playing the board game with enjoyment, students can acknowledge the forest succession and the ecological relation between the environment and creatures.

Under the natural selection, do you think you can survive in the forest in Hong Kong? Playing the first board game with the theme of Hong Kong forest ecology and biodiversity, let’s consider the creatures in the wild and how they adapt and survive!

When was your last time you set foot in a forest? If you cannot recall, you may be experiencing Nature Deficit Disorder! Let’s learn about local forest and species by playing Hong Kong ecology-themed board game “Law of the Forest”, go for a field trip in forest and embrace nature!

Throw away your textbook, Learn while you play! Experts of local ecology developed a board game called “Law of the Forest”. Complicated concepts are simplified by the game design. From now on, let’s learn about local forest ecology in a fun way!

Dr. Xoni Ma and friends sharing the same vision with him together founded “Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong”. They hope to give some new energy to environmental education in Hong Kong, and bring people outside to learn in nature.

Humanities, landscapes and plants are all closely related. Xoni and Bond, two of the founders and directors of OWLHK, lead us to village in Lantau, to explore life hacks in the old days through plants.

Being the backyard of Hong Kong, Lantau is a treasure vault full of plants. Xoni and Bond, two of the founders and directors of OWLHK, lead us to Fa Mun Traditional Path in Ngong Ping to explore the plant diversity of Lantau.

During scorching summer, you might as well look for animals active in “morning/night shift”! This course “Day and Night in Lantau” was divided into day course and night course, visiting different sites in Lantau to learn about Lantau’s biodiversity and behaviours of different species.

Being a member of the global village, environmental education should be integrated into daily life. However, like what Hong Kong environmental education expert Dr. Xoni Ma has said, environmental education does not receive much attention in Hong Kong. Comparing to Taiwan, we can definitely do more and better.

‘Nature is the best classroom.’ Dr Xoni Ma, founder and education director of Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong co-founded OWLHK with experts in local ecology. They dedicate to promote outdoor environmental education, and encourage the use of five senses to interact with nature.

Different vegetation are having distinctive environment. Whether it has canopy or not is a major difference between forest and shrubland, and for shrubland it has its own special values in Hong Kong environment……

Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve is one of the best forests in Hong Kong. It has various hiking trails that allow you to explore the forest comprehensively and appreciate its beauty.

Fung Shui Woods situate at the back hill of Hakka villages. Villagers protect the forest very well for their livelihood, so Feng Shui Woods are having long history and they are important references for local forest conservation.

Dr. Xoni Ma understands the importance of education from his great teachers in secondary schools. His passion in environmental protection guides him to a direction for studying ecology and biodiversity as his major, and lastly obtained a PhD in environmental education, and pushing EE development in Hong Kong.