Since October 2017, the Hong Kong Countryside Foundation, partnering with the Conservancy Association andwith the funding support of the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF), has engaged local community farmers at Lai Chi Wo to farm for conservationunder the project “Management Agreement Scheme at Lai Chi Wo Enclave~ (in short “MA”).
The MA project is made up of 4 pillars of work, namely:
“管理協議”項目,工作包括四大範疇:
Biodiversity conservation – currently 5 taxa/ species namely odonate (dragonfly), butterfly,
amphibian, water fern and rice fish are surveyed regularly. Conservation measures are adopted in eco-farming, to safeguard the quality of the habitat so as to benefit the sustenance of these species.
Community engagement – the Foundation leases farmland from indigenous villagers and engages local community farmers for collective efforts. Regular and informal meetings are held to facilitate communication on the execution of the project.
Education – Volunteer engagement and public activities are organized to promote the work and objectives of the project. Guided tours and talks organizations are conducted for students and various organisations, to promote the importance of biodiversity, countryside conservation and rural sustainability.
Active management – Guidelines and rules are establishedfor the farming community to follow. Eco-friendly farming is practised, based on the principles of organic farming, to nurture the soil and water as well as to support diversified flora and fauna. Furthermore, control measures are adopted to suppress the spread of invasive species.