The Government today announced the updated Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (BSAP), setting out the strategies and priority actions for the next 10 years to protect nature and support sustainable development. The BSAP will contribute to national and global efforts aimed at achieving harmony between humans and nature.

At the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the country adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which proposed a new global strategic framework for biodiversity conservation. In January 2024, the Ministry of Ecology & Environment released the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2030).

To align with these frameworks while considering Hong Kong's circumstances and stakeholder input, the Government has updated the BSAP and outlined actions for the next phase. This new plan builds upon the first phase, which was launched in 2016.

The updated action plan introduces four strategic areas, including nature conservation, deepening mainstreaming, capacity building and collaborative partnering, all supported by 30 priority actions and 81 projects.

Priority actions for nature conservation include: strengthening management of protected areas and establishing a wetland conservation system; restoring degraded ecosystems and revitalising remote countryside areas; stepping up enforcement against wildlife crimes and management of invasive alien species; and preventing deterioration of the aquatic environment by controlling pollution discharges.

The Government aims to strengthen the city’s biodiversity conservation through continued community collaboration. To ensure oversight, the updated BSAP’s implementation will be monitored by an interdepartmental working group, with regular progress reports submitted to the Advisory Council on the Environment.

A dedicated website on related work progress will be launched later, the Government added.