Third Community Outreach Programme - "Action Model of Sustainable Development at Long Valley" Experience Sharing Session and Long Valley Ecological and Heritage Tour

Date and Time:

17 March 2007(Saturday)
10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Venue:

Experience Sharing Session - Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, Kowloon Park, Tsim Sha Tsui
Project Demonstration Session - Long Valley Ecological and Heritage Tour (Hakka Walled Village, Tsung Pak Long, Long Valley and Ho Sheung Heung in Sheung Shui)

Co-organizers:

Conservancy Association and North District Council

Programme Report:

This is the third event of the Community Outreach Programme funded by the Council for Sustainable Development. Over 110 people attended the event. Among them were District Council members of various districts, Area Committee members, teachers, students, representatives of community groups etc. The event consisted of two parts, namely an experience sharing session and a project demo-session. The programme started with a welcome speech by Ms Christine Fang, J.P., member of the Council for Sustainable Development and Chair of the Education and Publicity Sub-committee and an opening remarks by Mr. LAU Tin-sang, Chairman of the North District Council. It was followed by a vote of thanks and an introductory message by Ms Betty HO, Chair of Conservancy Association and Mr. Lau Ying-wo, Chairman of Sheung Shui District Rural Committee respectively.

Welcome Speech by Ms. Christine FANG, Member of the Council for Sustainable Development and Chair of the Education and Publicity Sub-committee.

Opening remark by Mr. LAU Tin-sang, Chairman of North District Council

Vote of thanks by Ms Betty HO, Chair of Conservancy Association

Introductory message by Mr. Lau Ying-wo, Chairman of Sheung Shui District Rural Committee

Moving on to the sharing session, Ms Betty HO, Chair of Conservancy Association shared with participants the experience and outcome gained from the Project implementation. Then Mr HAU Kam-lam, Chairman of District Development and Environmental Improvement Committee under the North District Council, shared with participants the effectiveness of the Project on the local community in terms of sustainable development.

Conservancy Association was granted around HK$1.45 million in the second round of application of the Sustainable Development Fund for the implementation of the project, "Action Model of Sustainable Development at Long Valley" over a period of about 2 years, from March 2005 to April 2007. This Project aimed to demonstrate a sustainable development model in Long Valley as well as its surrounding villages, which integrated the aspects of environment, social and economy. The objectives of the Project were to protect and enhance the long-term ecological values of Long Valley, to build up social capacity, to enhance community cohesiveness in the villages, to promote the educational values of Long Valley, to provide a research and training grounds for freshwater wetland conservation, to develop Long Valley into a popular ecotourism spot, and to generate job opportunities.

With the support of the Sustainable Development Fund, the Conservancy Association engaged local stakeholders and people from various sectors and had achieved considerable success in the Project in the past two years. In terms of social benefits, a useful social network was built locally, through tea gatherings and visits to indigenous villagers, and local residents had been mobilized to take part in a series of environmental improvement programmes. For the economic perspective, the indigenous villagers were trained as eco-guides to promote the ecology and the local heritage of Long Valley and to generate income. For the environment perspective, the Project monitored the ecosystem of Long Valley and helped farmers to switch to organic paddy cultivation to maintain the biodiversity in freshwater wetland. All these reflected the positive impact in sustainable development terms the Project had in Long Valley and its vicinity.

Ms Betty HO, Chair of Conservancy Association, shared the experience of implementation and the outcome of the Project

Mr HAU Kam-lam, Chairman of District Development and Environmental Improvement Committee under North District Council, spoke on the effectiveness of the Project on the local community in SD terms.

After the experience sharing session, participants were bused to Long Valley for the project demo session: ecological and heritage tour. They were divided into 4 groups, each led by a local guide. The session was packed with visit to the Hung Shing Temple and Hau Ku Shek Ancestral Hall of Ho Sheung Heung, paddy fields, ponds and wetland in Long Valley, the Bok Man School and Ancestral Halls of the Five Clans in Tsung Pak Long, and Kong Ha Ancestral Hall of the Hakka Walled Village. From the detailed presentation of the tour guides, the participants deepened their understanding towards the local heritage and history, customs and rituals of the residents, ecological environment and biological species. At the end of the event, each participant was given some organic water chestnuts by the Conservancy Association.

The Council will continue to organise Community Outreach Programme activities in different districts. You are most welcome to join us. Please browse our website for updated information.