Countryside Conservation Conference 2023 held today (with photos)

     The Countryside Conservation Office (CCO) of the Environment and Ecology Bureau today (March 3) held the Countryside Conservation Conference 2023 in a hybrid format at the Zero Carbon Park and online. With the theme "Protecting the Natural Ecology and Revitalising the Villages: Paving a Way for Urban-Rural Symbiosis", the conference gathered experts from Hong Kong, the Mainland and other parts of Asia, including government representatives, academics and professionals, to share their insights and exchange opinions on various topics of common concern, such as countryside revitalisation, restoration of built heritage, and nature and cultural conservation.

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said in his opening remarks at the conference that ecological civilisation is indispensable to sustainable development. The Government will continue to collaborate and communicate with all sectors of the community to deepen ecological and rural conservation comprehensively, and strive to achieve the vision of urban-rural symbiosis.

Established for about five years, the CCO has been proactively co-ordinating and promoting the conservation and rehabilitation of remote countryside, with a view to achieving urban-rural integration in a sustainable manner. The Head of the CCO, Professor Stephen Tang, said that rural conservation was still a relatively new concept for Hong Kong. It is necessary to pool the wisdom and efforts of all parties, so as to protect and revitalise the ecological and cultural environment as well as the architecture of the villages in the countryside, thereby making steady progress along the path towards sustainable development.

The conference focused on four major topics, namely "Nature Conservation and Village Revitalisation"; "Planning, Governance and Economic Sustainability"; "Architecture, Art, Culture and Tourism"; and "Pioneering a Sustainable Journey". Through the speakers' sharing of experiences in promoting countryside conservation, the public can better understand the planning and work involved, and explore the future direction of sustainable development in the countryside, so as to work together in promoting sustainable development in remote rural areas and achieving the vision of urban-rural symbiosis.

A ceremony to launch the "Country Park Clean-up Partnership Scheme" was also held during the conference. The scheme seeks to engage groups of volunteers to help clean up trash along hiking trails in country parks, and promote awareness of the protection of natural habitats.

For more details of the conference, please visit the thematic website cco-conference.hk.