Skip to Content
arrow-downarrow-top-rightemailfacebooklinkedinlocationmagnifypinterestprintredditsearch-button-closesearch-buttontriangletwitter

China

Hong Kong Birdwatching Society (HKBWS)

Vision of the organisation

People and birds living in harmony as nature continues to thrive.

Mission of the organisation

HKBWS promotes appreciation and protection of birds and their habitats through education, research, habitat management and conservation advocacy.

Key Activities

Conservation

  • To present HKBWS views on local development plans
  • To provide professional comments to the government on conservation action, birds and habitat protection
  • International representation in BirdLife International and Oriental Bird Club
  • Involvement in Asia Red Data Book and Important Bird Area compilation
  • Campaign for the conservation work of Mai Po since 1979
  • Founder of Hong Kong Big Bird Race, annual fund-raising activity for wildlife and habitat conservation of WWFHK

Research

  • The Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Waterfowl Monitoring programme
  • Review of Hong Kong bird record
  • Publication of annual Hong Kong Bird Report and maintain a checklist of birds of Hong Kong
  • Wintering ecology of Black-faced Spoonbill
  • Bird monitoring at Long Valley
  • Breeding bird survey at Tai Po Kau Forest Reserve

Education

  • Promoting bird watching as an extracurricular activity among secondary schools
  • Weekend birdwatching outings to various bird habitats in Hong Kong
  • Organize birdwatching tours in mainland China
  • Slide shows, talks and lectures on birdwatching and nature conservation

China Programme

China Programme currently operated by Hong Kong Bird Watching Society has helped establish more than 20 birdwatching societies in cities and provinces on the Chinese mainland and has trained hundreds of citizen conservationist to take part in bird surveys, the identification and management of Important Bird Areas, and the conservation of threatened species. 

China has an incredibly diverse and rich biodiversity, but rapid economic development is placing increasing pressure on the country’s environment. Studies by BirdLife International and Chinese ornithologists have found 87 globally threatened bird species in China, and identified 512 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas.

  • support the emergence of civil society organisations with an interest in, and concern for, China’s birds and the environment,
  • support the development of birdwatching and bird conservation in mainland China, with the participation of the Chinese public, 
  • raise awareness of the importance of birds and key areas for conservation,
  • build capacity in species and site conservation, education and organisational management,
  • promote the development of bird monitoring and site-conservation activities.

The China Programme aims to:

The China Programme now plays a leading role in promoting bird watching and conservation in China. The number of birdwatching societies has more than doubled, from ten to 20-plus and growing. At least 23 emerging or established Chinese birdwatching societies have taken part in activities organised by the Programme, including training workshops in waterbird and forest bird survey techniques, environmental education and Important Bird Areas (IBAs).

The Programme has started projects focusing on threatened species conservation under the BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme, Species include Blue-crowned LaughingthrushChinese Crested TernSpoon-billed Sandpiper and Rufous-backed Bunting

The programme aims to build up the capacity of bird watching organisations in a variety of skills such as survey techniques, site conservation activities, fundraising, education and organisational management.  The China Programme has conducted conservation work in southern China since 2014 to address the problem of illegal bird hunting

Through workshops, the publication of practical handbooks (Methods for Bird Surveys and Bird Conservation Project Management), environmental education, promotional leaflets and posters, the website and a discussion forum, the Programme is raising awareness of the importance of China’s birds and key areas for conservation. 

The Programme supported the organisation of the China Coastal Waterbird Census, which started in 2005 with keen amateur bird watchers from different coastal areas of mainland China. Its aim is to understand the distribution, migration and seasonal changes of waterbirds along the eastern coast of mainland China through monthly surveys.

The China Programme co-organized by BirdLife International and the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society was ended in 2019. But the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society will still carry on it’s conservation work in the Mainland China.

Publications:


Find out more