“Restore Land, Restore Hope”, World Vision Hong Kong connects capital with natural reforestation to combat climate change

Climate change is the greatest threat of the 21st century, a crisis for all, but the most vulnerable usually bear the brunt. As a child-focused organisation, World Vision Hong Kong co-hosted the “Connecting Capital with Natural Reforestation to Combat Climate Change” symposium on World Environment Day (5 June) with CESGA Alumni Asia and Friends of the Earth (HK).

World Environment Day this year focuses on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future.” In alignment with this theme, World Vision Hong Kong holds the campaign “Restore Land, Restore Hope” with the symposium which aims to address some of the most pressing climate threats by restoring the natural environment, advocating for joint support to combat climate change, and working towards climate justice to create a thriving environment for children and future generations.

Different stakeholders could play a crucial role in allocating capital towards climate-resilient development and facilitating the transition to net zero investments and promoting the adoption of low-carbon technologies. Dr. the Honounrable LAM Ching-choi, SBS, JP, Chairman of the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development (CCN&SD), stated, “Climate change is not an academic issue, it's an issue every individual person, every individual family will face. A good solution to help all these families to tackle climate change is a must. And for Hong Kong, if we can support them, and apart from the direct benefit to the individuals here in those (developing) countries is to educate ourselves.”

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), the simple way to regrow trees from stumps with living roots through careful pruning and protection, is a cost-effective and award-winning technique to serve both vulnerable communities in terms of enhancing livelihoods and climate resilience, also for a better environment by carbon dioxide sequestration through reforestation.

Tony Rinaudo, the Principal Climate Action Advisor for World Vision Australia, discovered FMNR 40 years ago in Niger and spread FMNR in 27 countries across Africa and Asia, such as Vietman, Cambodia and Indonesia, contributing to the regeneration of millions of hectares of land afterward. “Trees in these climates and in many climates around the world, they are keystone species that moderate the microclimate, maintain soil fertility, and make life and livelihoods possible if we don't have a healthy functioning environment.” he asserted.

Tony, the Forest Maker also highlighted FMNR’s success in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Timor-Leste, which are projected to have an impact on the lives of over 3.2 million people and target over 2 million hectares of degraded farmlands across the region. The vision of World Vision is to restore 1 billion hectares degraded land in future. 

By practicing FMNR, the communities have experienced a remarkable transformation and World Vision stands alone as the organisation to have developed the first carbon project in Africa under the UN Clean Development Mechanism, and now has over 20 years of experience implementing a portfolio of nature-based carbon projects. Back in Hong Kong, the financial sector recognises opportunities for carbon markets to expand and evolve as the world de-carbonizes to fight climate change. World Vision urged investors, corporates and philanthropists to take the opportunity to support truly transformative climate action.

The event attracted about a hundred participants, including members of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, representatives from government bodies, the private sector, civil society organisations, and green groups. Discussions focused on how the private sector in Hong Kong can play a key role in combating climate change along with green finance investment and climate-related financial disclosure, also highlight the importance of socio-economic aspects and World Vision's focus on children in need. 

Learn more about World Vision’s climate action:

https://www.worldvision.org.hk/en/our-work/climate-action

Published on 7 June 2024