Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden

To harmonise our relationship with the environment.

Vision

A world in which people live sustainably with respect for each other and nature.

Background of Our NGO

Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG), a Hong Kong based NGO, was established in 1956 to provide agricultural aid to farmers in need of support to help them lead independent lives. Since the 1990s, reflecting the changing social needs, KFBG plays an active role in promoting biodiversity conservation in Hong Kong and South China, allied with organic agriculture and environmental education. KFBG’s partly-reforested, partially-terraced land and streams now provide a sanctuary for native wild animals and plants. It also serves as a centre for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, holistic education and sustainable agriculture, and receives on average 157,000 visitors each year.

In 1998, KFBG started the South China Biodiversity Conservation Programme, focusing on the remaining natural forests of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces. The programme’s work included rapid biodiversity surveys of more than 50 forest areas in the region. These lead towards a greater understanding of where species live, how they are surviving in today’s world, and what is harming them. Only with such understanding can humans take better care of the landscape on which their future depends.

From 2003, the programme restructured into the China Programme department and shifted its focus from information-gathering to action. Taking a holistic view of problems, the department acted to protect natural forests and endangered species. The department also educated rural farmers about organic principles and methods, and encouraged people to wisely use the bounty of nature: the essence of sustainability.

In 2011, the department was renamed “Kadoorie Conservation China” (KCC) to reflect its focus, but the major aims remain unchanged: to minimise the loss of biodiversity and promote sustainability in China. Today, KCC has thriving projects in Hainan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Sichuan provinces of China.

Major Projects and Activities in China

Hainan Gibbon conservation project in Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve (BNNR)

The world’s most critically endangered primate – Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) are currently only confirmed in BNNR. KCC was invited to lead the Hainan Gibbon conservation project since 2003, and has been implementing a multi-pronged conservation action plan to prevent the extinction of Hainan Gibbon. After 15 years of conservation effort, the population has doubled in number.

Enhanced Management of Hainan Yinggeling National Nature Reserve (YGL)

KCC was invited by the Forestry Department of Hainan Province to develop YGL into a world-class nature reserve and assist in reserve management since 2005. A KCC staff has been seconded as Special Deputy Director of YGL since 2006 to spearhead this ambitious goal. In the following years YGL has gained nationwide recognitions in its management work, and was upgraded to a national nature reserve in 2014. It serves as a model for enhanced management of other protected areas in the region.

Yunnan Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve (GLGS)

KCC has been collaborating with the Tengchong Bureau of GLGS since 2014 with an emphasis on biodiversity inventory and publicity activities. KCC discovered a number of new-to-science species during the survey, as well as many exciting findings, including the first record of Red Serow (Capricornis rubidus) for China and rediscovered the Marble Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) for Yunnan after 30 years.

Major Achievements and Awards

2000

• KCC published a report on a 3-year wildlife market survey in Guangdong which is heavily referenced by wildlife trade researchers globally.

2002

• KCC was one of the first teams to deploy camera traps for conservation projects in China.

2006

• Bosco Chan was appointed as a Special Deputy Director of YGL to introduce world-standard management protocol since its establishment.

2013

• KCC has been appointed as the Regional Implementation Team of China for the multi-national conservation fund “Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund”, responsible for managing all projects in China.

2015

• The group and population numbers of the critically endangered Hainan Gibbon have doubled since KCC started a conservation project in 2003.

2017

• KCC established the nation’s first otter monitoring team with Hainan Diaoluoshan National Nature Reserve.
• KCC collaborated with Yunnan Tongbiguan Nature Reserve and obtained the first image of wild Sun Bear in China.
• Bosco Chan has been appointed by the IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group as the Continental Coordinator for East Asia.

1998 - 2018

• 48+ New-to-science Taxa have been scientifically described by KCC.
• 100+ National/Regional New Records have been discovered by KCC.

Major Funder(s)

The New Kadoorie Foundation

Major Partners in China

Hainan

• Forestry Department of Hainan Province
• Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture
• Hainan Bawangling National Nature Reserve
• Hainan Yinggeling National Nature Reserve
• Hainan Diaoluoshan National Nature Reserve
• Hainan Bangxi Provincial Nature Reserve

Yunnan

• Yunnan Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve
• Yunnan Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve
• Yunnan Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve

Guangxi

• Guangxi Nonggang National Nature Reserve
• Guangxi Xidamingshan Provincial Nature Reserve

Sichuan

• Sichuan Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve
• Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Science

What makes our NGO Distinctive?

KFBG stands out for its holistic, integrated approach in the protection and promotion of nature conservation and sustainable living. As a regional leader in the field, our rescue centre have received and cared for over 40,000 wild animals. The depth and breadth of our forest restoration project has been deemed by experts to be globally unique, with its standards now being officially applied internationally. Our Green Hub for sustainable living has been widely acclaimed, winning a number of awards. Whilst our nature conservation work covers throughout Hong Kong and South China and expands into Laos and Cambodia. Our education programme is deepening to provide residential experiences that are helping to shift humanity’s understanding of itself as part of nature.