Nature conservation in the wetland park
As a child, Kuo loved to be at one with nature- an attribute that has grown into a curiosity to understand how organisms are affected by the natural environment and human actions, and a passion for nature conservation. During her PhD studies at University of California, Davis, Kuo spent six years travelling along the US coast whilst researching factors that determine the distribution of marine organisms, and the potential impacts of climate change on intertidal snails.
Kuo believes that her love for nature and her passion for conservation is shared by more people, especially her fellow Hong Kong citizens. This is why she is very excited about her current position as a Nature Conservation Officer for the Hong Kong Government, where she mainly works on environmental education for the general public.
Hong Kong Wetland Park (HKWP), where Kuo is currently stationed, is a 61-hectare conservation area, which serves as an ecological mitigation area to compensate for wetlands lost during the development of Tin Shui Wai New Town in the 1980s. The aim of the park is to provide a world-class conservation, education and ecotourism facility for local residents and overseas tourists.
With her team of 23 staff, Kuo’s job at HKWP is to come up with and carry out engaging educational programmes for visitors from kindergarten age to adults. Activities range from knowledge-based guided tours and seminars, to family-oriented “edutainment” dramas and art workshops. The goal of Kuo and her team is to enable the public to learn more about the rich wetland biodiversity – there are over 250 species of birds, 160 species of butterflies and 50 species of dragonflies recorded at HKWP – and to build up public awareness and support for wetland conservation.
Participants of the education programmes are given questionnaires to evaluate their learning outcomes, and Kuo is most encouraged when participants showed that they gained more understanding about the wildlife, and the importance and value of wetlands from their time at the park.
However, raising awareness alone is not enough, it is Kuo’s hope that “more people will carry this understanding into a commitment to change their attitudes and behaviour, from small things in our everyday life, such as taking shorter showers instead of baths, to taking direct action by, for example, participating in nature conservation activities”.
To strike a healthy balance between meeting its conservation, education, and ecotourism objectives, Kuo points out that two-thirds of the park area is actually conservation area closed off to visitors, to minimise human disturbance to the wildlife. The Park also employs staff dedicated to monitoring the wildlife, and managing the vegetation and aquatic habitats. Others patrol the park to ensure that visitors do not engage in behaviours that disturb plants and animals.
HKWP has received a number of local and international awards for its architecture and landscape design, granted by prestigious organisations including the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, Institute of Landscape Architects of the United Kingdom, and Urban Land Use Institute of the USA. The park was also voted by the Hong Kong general public as one of the “Ten Hong Kong People Engineering Wonders of the 21st Century”.
Dr Evelyne Kuo completed her BA in Biological Sciences in 2006, at Cornell University. From 2006- 2012, Kuo undertook her PhD at University of California, Davis, where she specialised in Marine Ecology. Kuo received a Croucher award in 2006 to support her PhD studies in the US.
To view Dr Evelyne Kuo’s personal Croucher profile, please click here.