Case studies

2025

Major milestone reached for the 10-year forest restoration programme in partnership with Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (KFBG)

In partnership with Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (KFBG) since 2022, CLP has been supporting a 10-year forest restoration programme to revitalise 10 hectares of native, subtropical montane forest within KFBG’s nature reserve. With a sponsorship of HK$10 million, the programme supports KFBG in planting up to 25,000 native trees of over 200 species and numerous understorey plants, contributing valuable scientific insights into the carbon sequestration potential of native forests.

In 2025, CLP and KFBG celebrated the planting of the programme’s 10,000^th tree seedling by adding a Hong Kong Star Anise, a critically rare and endangered species of which fewer than 10 remain in the wild in Hong Kong. By the end of September, a total of 10,458 seedlings had been planted across 2.41 hectares, representing 314 species from 73 botanical families.

This programme is notable for its scale and focus on forest recovery quality. KFBG employs an adaptive management approach, involving ongoing monitoring and data analysis of seedlings from previous years. Careful species selection and site placement ensure that the right trees are planted in the right locations, with comprehensive aftercare provided until the forest can thrive on its own.

As a result of these efforts, KFBG’s restoration site was recognised in the form of a third-party verification by The Global Biodiversity Standard – an international framework for best practice in ecological restoration – and became the first in the world to receive the Premium-Tier Certification with the highest score of any project assessed worldwide.

Scientific research is a core part of the programme, contributing to knowledge about reforestation and ecosystem recovery through collaboration with local and international researchers. In 2025, insights from the programme were shared at several major conferences, including the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects’ International Climate and Biodiversity Conference, the 11^th World Conference on Ecological Restoration and the Pacific Science Congress. The first peer-reviewed research article on KFBG’s forest restoration was also published in the Journal of Forestry Research.

The programme is making continued progress towards meeting its 10-year restoration targets, and KFBG is strengthening its partnerships with institutions at local, regional and international levels to help enhance global standards in forest restoration.

Mr David Simmonds, Chief Strategy, Sustainability and Governance Officer of CLP (right), and Mr Wander Meijer, Executive Director of KFBG (left) planting a Hong Kong Star Anise to celebrate the planting of the forest restoration programme’s 10,000^th seedling.