Nurturing talent on wetland conservation is key to maintaining the integrity of the East-Asian Australasian Flyway. Through working with our partners, WWF-Hong Kong successfully offered training programmes to wetland management personnel in the region to enhance their knowledge and habitat management skills.  

Since 1990, WWF-Hong Kong has been using Mai Po Nature Reserve as a “living case study” to train fellow conservationists from China and other countries along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, providing them with knowledge on wetland conservation, environmental education, ecotourism as well as hands-on experience in the field. The program offers eye-opening opportunities that fundamentally change participants’ perspectives on conservation. Many former participants have advanced to senior positions, where they play influential roles in shaping conservation policies and regulations within the region. They then become advocates for the significance of wetland conservation, spreading these messages across China and beyond.​

As of 2024, WWF-Hong Kong has organised more than 500 training courses involving a total of more than 5,000 participants. The courses vary in length from half day to five days, and consist of experiential and interactive training modules which can be tailor-made according to the background, job duties and specific needs of participants. ​

Every year, surveys are conducted to assess the knowledge application situation. Wetland management planning, environmental education, wetland restoration and ecotourism have been the most applicable programmes over the years.