Corporate Afforestation Scheme - Woodland Conservation Day 2003
(2 November 2003)

Last spring, NWS Holdings volunteers planted seedlings on the slope near the Main Dam of High Island Reservoir under the Corporate Afforestation Scheme in collaboration with Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation and Department and Friends of the Earth (HK). After about a year and a half, the seedlings have already grown to waist height.

About 100 volunteers and their families re-visited the woodland on 2 November 2003 to carry out conservation work for the woodland. Under the hot sun, they created firebreaks surrounding the young woodland by cutting weeds to prevent hill fire and reduce damage to the woodland.

After wearing masks for months in protection of ourselves against SARS, we had a breath of fresh air finally - in Mai Po Marshes. As World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong was in collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to enhance plant diversity there, we were invited to give a hand.

With spades or bare hands, almost 30 volunteers of NWS Volunteer Alliance put native sedges and freshwater plants into the muddy wetland one after one. It was a sunny day and everybody sweated heavily. However, they did enjoy this mask-free Sunday in the countryside.