SES holds half-day conference on Global Geoparks in collaboration with the World Geopark Club
The half-day conference at EdUHK’s Taipo campus attracts around 100 viewers, including members and guests from the World Geopark Club, and teachers, researchers, and students from SES.
The World Geopark Club organises the second Global Geopark Golden Egg Exchange Forum on 27 May at the Charles K. Kao Auditorium of the Hong Kong Science Park to discuss the protection works and resources utilisation of geoparks of the world. Photo sources: World Geopark Club.
In cooperation with the World Geopark Club, the Department of Science and the Environmental Studies (SES) held a half-day conference on 28 May 2024 at the Taipo campus as a related activity of the Global Geopark Golden Egg Exchange Forum (GGGEEF). Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, Executive President of the World Geopark Club and former Secretary for Education (2012-2017), hosted and delivered an opening speech at the conference. Professor Keith Ho Wing-kei, Head of SES, mainland geosciences experts Dr Li Jiangfeng and Professor Xu Kejian, and other honourable speakers also shared their expert views about the conservation and development of geoparks, sustainability, and environmental protection to an audience composed of members and guests from the World Geopark Club, and teachers, researchers, and students from SES.
Since its establishment in 2006, the World Geopark Club has been actively cooperating with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and UNESCO Hong Kong to promote global geoparks. The club organised the second Global Geopark Golden Egg Exchange Forum on 27 May at the Charles K. Kao Auditorium, aka the Golden Egg, of the Hong Kong Science Park. The forum discussed the protection works and resources utilisation of geoparks around the world, with an aim of promoting international exchanges and cooperation in cultural tourism and ecological conservation.
In his opening speech at the half-day conference held at EdUHK on the following day, Mr Eddie Ng said the concept of global geoparks raises people’s awareness and encourages them to take actions to protect the environment. “Science and technology play a vital role in the conservation, development, and research works of geoparks around the globe. Through research and development, we have discovered thousands of unknown species, including animals, plants, and more. These discoveries have enabled us to have a more comprehensive understanding of the natural world,” Mr Ng said.
Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, left, Executive President of the World Geopark Club and Professor Keith Ho Wing-kei, Head of SES, exchange souvenirs to kick off the half-day conference.
Mr Eddie Ng points out that the concept of global geoparks raises people’s awareness and encourage them to take actions to protect the environment.
Professor Keith Ho says SES is committed to environmental protection and sustainable development through teaching, research and knowledge transfer. The department strives to use findings in its scientific research in teaching its students.
At his welcome speech, Head of SES Professor Ho thanked the World Geopark Club for inviting the department to co-organise the conference at EdUHK as part of the Global Geopark Golden Egg Exchange Forum and experts from the mainland for their idea contribution at the conference. He added that the conference will promote ecological conservation and sustainable development, as well as science and technology development. Professor Ho gave the conference audience a summary about the works of SES.
“The department is dedicated to the training of education professionals in science and environmental studies for local primary and secondary schools. We also train professionals in environmental management. Besides, our faculty staff conduct various research in the areas of environmental monitoring, pollution control, and environmental technology. SES strives to use our research findings when teaching students in our courses so as to elevate their understanding of the development of environmental and sustainability studies,” Professor Ho explained.
Dr Li Jiangfeng, Vice President of the Tourism Development Research Institute, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), uses the example of the Enshi Grand Canyon - Tenglong Cave（恩施大峽谷--騰龍洞）geopark in Hubei province to explain how geoparks can be turned into tourism resources. The Enshi Grand Canyon Scenic Area was chosen as a showcase of “poverty alleviation cthrough tourism” by the World Tourism Alliance in 2020.
Professor Xu Kejian, Associate Professor at the School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), shares her view that geotourism and geoparks align perfectly with national poverty alleviation strategies and policies, and geotourism is a sustainable form of tourism that can bring economic benefits to local communities.
Honourable speakers delivered four thematic lectures after Mr Eddie Ng and Professor Ho’s speeches. These included “Understanding Geoparks, Caring for a Beautiful Home” and “A Twenty Years' Promise - High Quality Development of China’s Global Geoparks” given by Dr Li Jiangfeng, Vice President of the Tourism Development Research Institute of the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), and Professor Xu Kejian, Associate Professor at the School of Economics and Management of the China University of Geosciences (Beijing), respectively. Dr Bill Yeung Chi-ho and Ms Agnes Man Mei-sum from SES presented the third lecture “Promoting Sustainable Development Education through STEAM Education” and the fourth lecture “The Wisdom of Harmony between Heaven and Humanity” respectively.
Being only a small part of the vast and dynamic system of the Earth, humans shoulder the obligation to protect the blue planet.
In his talk, Dr Li shared basic knowledge of earth science, concepts related to geoparks, Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark, and the significance of establishing geoparks around the world. Dr Li highlighted that humans, being only a small part of the vast and dynamic system of the Earth, shoulder the obligation to protect the blue planet. He said, “Through understanding the geological heritages of geoparks, humankind can enhance understanding about our life and living environment. Geoparks provide us with the best window to comprehend our planet.”
Professor Xu said China boasts 47 geoparks, making it one of the countries with the highest number of geoparks in the world. He said amidst the rapid economic development on the mainland, geoparks face various challenges. In response to these challenges, Professor Xu said geoparks should strive for high-quality development, which combines the protection of geological heritages, popularisation and education of geoscience among the public, and the promotion of sustainable development in geotourism.
Dr Bill Yeung says knowledge of STEAM can be applied in green energy innovations, such as spherical solar power generators, WindTrees, transparent solar panels, Pavegen, green buildings, and so on.
Ms Agnes Man introduces the educational video “Harmony between Heaven and Humanity: A Tale of Peach Blossom Spring” to the audience. She says by creating an immersive environment, the video evokes emotion from the viewers (觸景生情、融情入景) and enhances their understanding of utilising natural resources responsibly.
Dr Bill Yeung Chi-ho, Associate Dean (Quality Assurance and Enhancement) of FLASS, gave a talk on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education at SES. He said education is the fundamental solution to environmental issues as it brings about fundamental changes in people regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours on the environment. “SES has organised various learning activities to stimulate our students to think about feasible solutions to environmental challenges. For example, the department has held a day-camp on “STEM-ing Sustainable Smart City”, where participating students learnt relevant knowledge to design and build their own energy-efficient green buildings,” Dr Yeung said.
Traditional wisdom’s emphasis on the harmonious co-existence between humanity and nature agrees with the modern concept of sustainable development.
In the last lecture, Ms Agnes Man talked about how the Chinese philosophical concept of “Harmony between Heaven and Humanity” (天人合一) inspires humankind on our environmental conservation endeavours. She said, “As heaven (天) represents the order of nature, harmony between heaven and humanity means that human beings have to respect the laws of nature when developing human civilisation, and acting against such laws will bring detrimental consequences to our development. This traditional wisdom emphasises on the harmonious co-existence between humanity and nature, which is in agreement with the modern concept of sustainable development”. She also introduced an educational video titled “Harmony between Heaven and Humanity: A Tale of the Peach Blossom Spring” (桃花源記之天人合一) to the audience.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Eddie Ng thanked SES for holding an enriching half-day conference. He said while the government and educational institutions promote the concept of Global Geoparks, it also requires the participation of every individual, especially the younger generation, to spread the message about the importance of geoparks. SES is committed to environmental protection and sustainable development. The department achieves these causes through teaching, research, and knowledge transfer. We support the ideas of establishing geoparks, and believe that they can protect important geological features and promote geo-conservation.
A group photo of speakers and organisers. Backrow, from left: Mr Shen Tong and Mr Hau Waiyin, members of Global Geoparks Club, Dr Li Jiangfeng, Ms Agnes Man Mei-sum, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, Professor Xu Kejian, Professor Keith Ho Wing-kei, Mr Zhang Jiacheng, President of Global Geoparks Club, Dr Bill Yeung Chi-ho, Mr Zhang Xiaoshu, Honourary President of Global Geoparks Club.
Click here to view a video about the conference.
