Hong Kong is taking part again in 2019, competing against more than 160 cities globally. This year the competition is taking place from 26th to 29th April. This year’s challenge hopes to get even more involvement from the public, and hopefully an even higher species total to demonstrate how diverse the city is.
By participating in this RGS special event, you get to join “Team Hong Kong” and try out being a citizen scientist. This experiential citizen-science event is for all ages along a route around Victoria Peak. All fitness abilities are welcome as the route is mostly flat and easy to walk.
Throughout the walk the team is going to be using a biodiversity app called 'iNaturalist' to observe and record the various wild species seen along the path. This app is being used to support the field of biodiversity science research on all continents, including Antarctica, with more than 8 million observations to date. All sightings made during the walk will contribute directly to the City Nature Challenge. To help guide participants in this process are Dr Timothy Bonebrake and John Allcock from the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong.
Timothy Bonebrake is an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at HKU. His research covers a range of topics in global change and tropical conservation, with a particular interest and expertise in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths).
John Allcock is a Research Assistant in the School of Biological Sciences at HKU, working mostly on research into birds, especially relating to the impacts of urbanisation. He has been based in Hong Kong for over 15 years, during which time he has worked on various aspects of bird ecology and conservation, including as the Habitat Manager at the internationally important Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve. He has a broad knowledge of Hong Kong wildlife, with a particular interest in birds and bats. He contributes frequently to the iNaturalist app, with over 2,000 personal observations logged, involving more than 700 species.
Members of the RGS, their guests and others are most welcome to attend this event, which is HK$150 for RGS Members and HK$250 for guests and others. This event is free of charge for Student Members.
To reserve places please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. and state how many places you would like to reserve. You'll then receive a booking form and detailed joining instructions.