Urban trees could make our city around the world greener, healthier, happier, cooler, wilder, cleaner, wealthier and safer. Our project team advocates that the world’s city administration should join hands with the community to use trees as a nature-based solution (自然解決方案) to our vexing urban environmental problems. Trees are promoted as a highly cost-effective way to mitigate climate-change impacts as well as bringing a large basket of collateral benefits to people and our natural companions.
The Education University of Hong Kong, in response to this international call for actions, has developed a knowledge transfer project “Life Education and Citizen Science through Tree Protection and Conservation” to contribute to Hong Kong’s greening and re-greening efforts. The team is led by Professor John Chi-Kin Lee, Vice President (Academic) and Provost, UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning and Professor Jim Chi-yung, Research Chair Professor of the Department of Social Sciences. Colleagues from the Department of Social Sciences, the Department of Science and Environmental Studies and the Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education form a project team, with the support from LTTC, OCIO and student ambassadors of the University.

The project employs the “citizen science approach” (「公民科學形式」) to propagate tree knowledge in plain language with the aid of plenty of annotated drawings. In addition, the project adopts “life education approach” (「生命教育形式」) at primary and secondary schools to connect urban trees with life changes and personal growth to enhance their willingness to make commitments and contributions to fellow citizens and the community at large. A mobile App is developed to facilitate learning of key concepts and skills of Visual Tree Assessment (「目視樹木評估」) by citizens and students. The App embodies a platform for users to record and upload tree assessment results and photographs. Participants can become knowledgeable citizen tree wardens to help the government and other organizations to monitor the health condition and performance of trees. The data submitted by citizens and students will be analysed and distilled in reports to be shared with the relevant authorities, the community, and fellow scientists and practitioners at the international level.