Conservation Chill Club News (Apr Edition)

The Ocean Park Conservation Chill Club Carnival opened on 31 March. We had the honour of having Ms. Ysanne Chan, Chief Executive of Ocean Park, Mr. Gary Tang, Coordinator of The HKFYG and three representatives of School Heads Associations as our officiating guests at the opening ceremony. The Carnival attracted more than 5600 visitors! A lot of the guests remarked that this conservation carnival is meaningful and full of fun. The game booths were extremely popular. Visitors expressed that they learned conservation messages and animal fun facts while playing!

As a commitment to strengthening Ocean Park's conservation and education efforts both inside and outside the Park, we have been planting numerous host plants and nectar plants within the Park area to increase our natural biodiversity. Our new attraction, Eco Trail, was opened on 1 April. It is home to over 110 butterfly species, including the precious Golden Birdwing! Eco Trail is also one of Hong Kong's largest urban outdoor butterfly gardens. Visitors can observe butterflies breeding naturally here and learn about their life cycles, feeding habits, camouflage and disguise, as well as more about host plants and nectar plants. A total of 21 local secondary schools have actually helped to co-create this butterfly-friendly garden by growing some of the plants on campus!
 

The four artistic conservation activities of Ocean Park Conservation Chill Club concluded successfully in April. More than 500 local youngsters joined these activities, expressing their conservation ideas and knowledge of the three iconic local species with an artistic twist. Winners of the competitions attended an award presentation in Ocean Park on 10 April. Awarded works and other outstanding creations were showcased at the Conservation Carnival. Some of the winning entries of the competitions have been turned into stunning cable car decor and made into special eco souvenirs to help promote local wildlife conservation.

From September 2020 to April 2021, 81 secondary schools joined hands to form a conservation alliance. Participants took part in front-line conservation of local biodiversity by transplanting nectar plants from school campuses to Eco Trail in Ocean Park, and co-created a butterfly-friendly garden at the Park. In addition, students have also brought fresh vegetables they have grown for a feeding session for rescued green turtles. On 10 April, the Alliance conducted Hong Kong’s very first online coral reef survey, applying artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to scientific research. Over 4800 students have so far visited the Park to share in the amazing conservation efforts of the Alliance.
 

Butterfly-friendly garden:

• Champion: Rosaryhill Secondary School – “Butterfly 360”
• 1st Runner up: St. Paul’s Secondary School – “Butterfly Friendly”

Sea Turtle rehabilitation:

• Champion: Caritas Yuen Long Chan Chun Ha Secondary School – “回歸海國”
• 1st Runner up: Fanling Rhenish Church Secondary School – “Care All Around”

Coral restoration：

• Champion: Rhenish Church Pang Hok-ko Memorial College – “人工珊瑚架”
• 1st Runner up: Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College – “Coral Protection Shield”