Frequently Asked Questions

Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is the variety of life found on Earth, including all plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms etc. that live on land, below water, and in the air. It also refers to the genetic variation within and among species, as well as the differences between the ecosystems they inhabit. Biodiversity is typically examined at three interconnected levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. 

Genetic diversity: the variation in hereditary and genetic materials within and among individuals of a species.

Species diversity: the variety of organisms within a specific habitat or region.

Ecosystem diversity: the variety of habitats formed through the interactions between communities of organisms and their physical environments.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international treaty originated from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.  It aims to conserve biodiversity, utilise its components sustainably, and ensure fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources.  It provides overall goals and general obligations to guide countries to implement the CBD.  To date, 196 countries and organisations have ratified or accepted the CBD, and are “Parties to the CBD”.

China has been a Party to the CBD since 1993, and extended the coverage of the CBD to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2011.

Hong Kong has extraordinary biodiversity for a city of this population size.  However, our biodiversity is facing various challenges, such as urban development and habitat degradation.  If we want our future generations to enjoy the rich biodiversity we are seeing, and have an even better life than we do now, we need pragmatic solutions that can conserve our biodiversity and achieve sustainable development.

Aiming at stepping up biodiversity conservation for our future generations and supporting sustainable development of Hong Kong, while contributing to the national BSAP of our country and the global efforts on biodiversity conservation, the Hong Kong Government commenced preparatory work for drawing up a city-level BSAP in 2013, despite itself not being a Party to the CBD. In 2016, Hong Kong’s first city-level BSAP was formally announced and implemented.

Since the launch of the BSAP in 2016, and under the effective coordination of the dedicated Inter-departmental Working Group on BSAP (IWGB) established by the Government, all relevant government bureaux and departments have been taking forward specific actions of the BSAP under their respective purviews. 

At the same time, the Government has proactively engaged relevant stakeholders in the implementation of the BSAP, in particular in enhancing biodiversity conservation measures and promoting the mainstreaming of biodiversity. Through concerted efforts by the stakeholders and the Government, Hong Kong’s first BSAP has delivered fruitful outcomes under its four strategic areas.

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the CBD held in December 2022 under the presidency of China adopted a new strategic global framework on biodiversity, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). 

The KMGBF sets two overarching goals: firstly, to halt the trend of global biodiversity loss by 2030, and secondly, to achieve harmonious coexistence between humans and nature by 2050.  It comprises 23 action-oriented global targets, also known as the Kunming-Montreal 2030 Targets, which are grouped under three categories: reducing threats to biodiversity (Targets 1-8), meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing (Targets 9-13), and tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming (Targets 14-23).

The framework goes beyond just government commitments for building a nature-based world but calls for action from every sector of society.  Everyone, from organisation and business to individual, has an important role to play in this collective endeavour.

With the endorsement of the State Council, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) promulgated the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2030) (NBSAP 2023-2030) on 18 January 2024, setting out short-, medium- and long-term overall goals for 2030, 2035 and 2050 respectively. 

To achieve these goals, the NBSAP 2023-2030 delineates 27 priority actions, covering a total of 75 priority projects under four priority areas: mainstreaming biodiversity, addressing threats of biodiversity loss, sustainable use and benefit-sharing of biodiversity, and modernisation of biodiversity governance capacities.  The NBSAP 2023-2030 also provides guidance for local governments in strengthening their biodiversity conservation work.

With a view to further reinforcing biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Hong Kong, and supporting the latest national and global initiatives, the Government is currently updating Hong Kong’s BSAP. The Government will collect views from different stakeholders during the updating process and finalise drafting the updated BSAP for Hong Kong after the public consultation period concludes.

The Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will ensure the implementation of the updated BSAP.  Nevertheless, the updated BSAP would be most effective when everyone in our society, with our various capacities and expertise, is involved and participates.  Hence, we genuinely need your views during the updating process, so we can collectively map out an updated BSAP that is effective and feasible.