ClimateWatch Community Engagement Programme
About the project
ClimateWatch is a global citizen science programme developed in Australia in 2009. Scientists participating in the progranme use the data collected by the public to study the impacts of climate change on flora and fauna as well as encourage the community to appreciate nature on their doorstep.
Running from April 2013 to April 2014, Earthwatch Institute (Hong Kong) successfully organised 20 ClimateWatch tree-hunting events with over 300 participants. The field trip began with a workshop on tree identification and explanation of climate change, followed by a Tree Hunting Challenge where participants worked in groups and submitted records using their mobile devices. Six new trails were developed and Earthwatch has engaged over 400 people through their social media platform where people can learn about climate change and human impact on the environment.
The data collected in the ClimateWatch programme is very useful for understanding and monitoring how climate change is affecting Hong Kong's ecosystem. More than 1500 records were collected at six locations throughout 20 field trips during the project period. In total, over 3,000 records have been collected for all ClimateWatch trails. The database can be used by academia, research institutes, governmental agencies and NGOs.
Locations of the trails
- Kowloon Park
- Cheung Chau
- Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens (HKZBG)
- Quarry Bay Park
- Shatin Park
- Victoria Park
- Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve
- Shing Mum Country Park
- Tung Chung North Park
About Earthwatch Institute
Earthwatch Institute is an international environmental charity founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1971. The institute's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and take necessary action for a sustainable environment. Since 1971, Earthwatch has supported more than 1,000 citizen science programmes in over 30 different countries.