The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) and the South China Botanical Garden (SCBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today (March 24) to enhance exchange and collaboration in promoting sustainable urban development, with a view to jointly creating a high-quality ecological environment for cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 
     The MOU was signed by the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Michael Fong, and the Director of the SCBG, Mr Yan Junhua. Both parties will jointly explore key technologies related to plant resource applications, exchange technologies and share resources.
 
     At the signing ceremony, Mr Fong said that the CEDD is committed to building Hong Kong into a liveable and sustainable world-class city, and to achieving the coexistence of conservation and development by integrating ecological principles into engineering planning. The MOU is conducive to developing strategies for Nature-based Solutions and advancing green infrastructure.
 
     Mr Yan said that the SCBG will work hand in hand with the CEDD to advance scientific research in areas such as key technologies in the application of plant resources, thereby providing scientific and technological support for green development.
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     The SCBG is a scientific research institution directly affiliated with the CAS, which is the country's highest academic institution for natural sciences. Under its leadership, the SCBG received approval from the State Council in 2022 to establish the South China National Botanical Garden, shouldering the mission of plant diversity conservation and scientific research in the nation.
 

Ends/Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Issued at HKT 14:40

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