Hello! This is Tiffany Kong from Hong Kong Branch.

Hong Kong has an incredible diversity of coral communities. We have 84 species of hard corals alone – even more than the Caribbean Sea! Healthy coral communities enhance marine biodiversity, protect coastlines, enrich fisheries resources, and provide medicine and recreational activities for people.

However, Hong Kong’s marine ecosystems are facing multiple threats. In Tolo Harbour and the Tolo Channel, coral coverage has declined by 80% since the 1980s. Once destroyed, it is very hard for coral communities to recover on their own, which is why WWF is taking a proactive approach to reviving our corals by increasing their coverage and diversity – and build climate resilience for our marine ecosystems at the same time.

On 24 June 2023, SMTB Hong Kong Branch and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust (Hong Kong) Limited (SMTHK) had jointly participated in the Flag Day organized by WWF-Hong Kong for raising fund to support their activities to save our corals and protect our precious oceans. The management from both SMTB Hong Kong Branch and SMTHK are also joining with their families to support such a meaningful activity!

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. WWF is the world’s largest conservation organization, with over five million supporters worldwide, working in more than 100 countries and supporting around 3,000 conservation and environmental projects. Their mission is to create a world where people and wildlife can thrive together.

WWF collaborate with local communities in different countries to conserve the natural resources that we all depend on. Together with partners at all levels, we transform markets and policies toward sustainability, tackle the threats driving the climate crisis, and protect and restore wildlife and their habitats.

To achieve their mission, they’re finding ways to help transform the future for the world’s wildlife, rivers, forests, and seas; pushing for a reduction in carbon emissions that will avoid catastrophic climate change; and pressing for measures to help people live sustainably, within the means of our one planet.

We believe our effort on WWF Flag Day and the fund we raised will definitely help to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.