Tap Mun conservation project awarded $3 million government grant

^{Tap Mun}

The government today announced that a project to study the 400 years of history of Tap Mun (Grass Island) had been awarded a grant of nearly $3 million. The project “Conservation and Revitalisation Strategies for Historical and Ecological Heritages of Grass Island: A Case Study of a More Than
400 Years of History Island’s Sustainability” is one of three to received money.

The Secretariat of the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme (CCFS) said that three projects involving a total grant of around $16 million have been approved in the new round of application. Together with the previous four rounds of application, a total of 30 projects involving a total amount of around $156 million have been approved. 

 The CCFS supports local non-profit-making organisations to organise diverse and innovative conservation and revitalisation projects in collaboration with villagers. The CCFS covers a wide spectrum of conservation areas ranging from natural environment/habitats and non-graded built heritage to cultural and historic assets. All CCFS applications are examined and considered by the Advisory Committee on Countryside Conservation chaired by the Secretary for the Environment.

The three approved projects in this round of application cover different sites, namely Sha Lo Tung in Tai Po, Kuk Po in Sha Tau Kok and Tap Mun in Sai Kung. The topics of these projects include the continuous enhancement of the natural conservation and ecological values of the wetland in Sha Lo Tung and the improvement of its ecological environment; the study on restoration of the annex block of a village school in Kuk Po for future community use and upgrading of its peripheral environment through landscape and environmental-friendly facilities; and the study on conservation of historical heritage and ecological values of Tap Mun to promote conservation and sustainable revitalisation of rural countryside.
 
These projects are expected to enhance ecological conservation and management work, revitalise local villages, increase public appreciation of village culture and traditional customs, and promote eco-tourism.

More details of the Tap Mun project can be found here.