Background

Currently in Hong Kong, environmental education of primary and secondary schools has placed more emphasis on recycling, energy conservation and pollution. Knowledge of wildlife and nature does not receive the same level of attention unfortunately. Yet, sharing the same environment with wildlife, humans and wildlife are inseparable. Although some schools try to include the subject in extra-curriculum activities, the packed and academic-driven curriculum has rendered these activities marginalised.

The idea of publishing 'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' thus popped up!

'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' is a picture book for senior primary students. The picture book revolves around conflicts between humans and common urban birds in Hong Kong. The picture book will enable students to self-learn knowledge of wildlife and nature, as well as invoking their interest in wildlife and nature conservation.

Funding raised from this project will be used on publishing the picture books. The books will be issued to primary schools for free. Our team also hopes that by rolling out this crowd-funding project, more people will grow aware of the importance of environmental education.

Production of the picture book

'How nice it is if I were a bird, spreading my wings and enjoying the vastness of the skies!'

But, is it really a fairy tale to be a bird?

Background

Currently in Hong Kong, environmental education of primary and secondary schools has placed more emphasis on recycling, energy conservation and pollution. Knowledge of wildlife and nature does not receive the same level of attention unfortunately. Yet, sharing the same environment with wildlife, humans and wildlife are inseparable. Although some schools try to include the subject in extra-curriculum activities, the packed and academic-driven curriculum has rendered these activities marginalised.

The idea of publishing 'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' thus popped up!

'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' is a picture book for senior primary students. The picture book revolves around conflicts between humans and common urban birds in Hong Kong. The picture book will enable students to self-learn knowledge of wildlife and nature, as well as invoking their interest in wildlife and nature conservation.

Funding raised from this project will be used on publishing the picture books. The books will be issued to primary schools for free. Our team also hopes that by rolling out this crowd-funding project, more people will grow aware of the importance of environmental education.

It has never been easy for wild birds to survive and thrive in cities. Human activities have compounded their everyday challenges presented by nature. We have intruded into wildlife’s territories and turned nature into concrete jungle for our city development. Our daily lives may be made easier, but only at the cost of compromising the well-being of wildlife, making them the strangers here.

What would born-to-be-free wild birds encounter in Hong Kong? What kinds of threats have humans posed to wild birds?

'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' consists of 8 stories of 8 different common urban birds in Hong Kong. Each chapter is about a different bird. Each chapter consists of 6 pages, including comics, chapter conclusion and reflection questions. Each book also has a surprise page, an appendix of raptor print, and a piece of white-dotted stickers. We will consult Hong Kong Bird Watching Society to ensure the accuracy of the content.

'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' will be in A5 size with 50-60 coloured pages.

Captions from left to right:

1: 'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' (Approximately 50-60 pages. Coloured print.)

2: Surprise appendix 01: ???

3: Appendix 02: Raptor print for colouring. It can be cut and pasted on windows.

White-dotted stickers come with the book!

Sticking these stickers on windows can reduce the chance of birds crashing into windows. Even primary students can do it at home to protect wild birds.

Each chapter consists of 6 pages: Introduction (2 pages)+ comics (2 pages)+ chapter conclusion and reflection questions (2 pages)

Comics that show how the birds got injured/sick

Timelapse of production

We are using FSC-certified paper and soy ink for printing

Dr. Ian's team not only cares about birds, but the whole environment! Birds thrive in a healthy environment. Therefore, we go for FSC-certified paper and soy ink for printing.

What are FSC-certified paper and soy ink?

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organisation. It promotes sustainable forest management in the world. Wooden products including paper with FSC labels are forest-friendly. There are strict forest management and close monitoring of the chain of custody to ensure the standard of FSC-certified products are up to par.

Deforestation and forest degradation are happening worldwide. People and other animals which rely on forests are hugely impacted. Forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforestation and forest degradation have a significant impact on climate change. They would also disrupt the water cycle and cause soil erosion.

The impact of deforestation and forest degradation is far beyond what we could bear. Therefore, we insist on adopting FSC-certified paper for printing despite the higher cost of production. We can contribute to sustainable forest development!

As for soy ink, it is a kind of ink made from soybeans. It is more environmentally-friendly than its traditional petroleum-based counterpart, whether during production or recycling. It has better performance in terms of vibrancy of colours, rub resistance and odour, etc. It is biodegradable as soybean oil is edible. Planting soybeans is also safer and more sustainable than extracting petroleum. Therefore, we insist on using soy ink for printing, minimising the impact that our production causes to the environment.

Rewards

1: To express our gratitude, backers who pledge $25 or more will receive ONE Dr. Ian's postcard.

2: For backers who pledge $199 or more, you will receive ONE copy of 'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' and ONE Dr. Ian's postcard.

3: For backers who pledge without a reward, we thank you for believing in us and your support for primary environmental education!

Funding Goal:

Our goal is to have $16,000 pledged, which will support the printing of 100 or more copies of the book to give out to primary students. If the amount pledged exceeds our goal, we may print more copies for primary students, or donate the extra amount to Hong Kong Bird Watching Society for bird conservation purposes.

Shipping

Our team is still working on the design of 'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal'. Printing is expected to be completed by March 2021 and we will start shipping them then. Backers will be notified if there is any change of schedule. Thank you for your patience!

We will post the rewards to local backers by Hongkong Post (ordinary letter), WITHOUT tracking information.

We will post the rewards to overseas backers by Hongkong Post (registered letter), WITH tracking information.

Feel free to talk to us if you have any questions! Email: [email protected]

About us

We, the Dr. Ian's team, are three students of Master of Science in Environmental Management of the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

Cherry: Whenever I mentioned Hong Kong birds to my friends, I got the same response. "Birds are all in country parks and Mai Po, aren't they?". "There're only sparrows in Hong Kong, no?". They often found it unbelievable when I told them there are actually quite a lot of birds in our city. I can't help but think that if people aren't even aware of the existence of our feathered friends, there is no way people notice and care about challenges that urban birds face. We hope that our young readers can learn more about urban birds from reading our book, reflecting on the relationship that we are sharing with nature!????

Karol: Wildlife in Hong Kong has been facing different challenges. We hope that we can present it to primary students and the public by a fun and humorous approach. We hope that our readers can learn more about conflicts between humans and urban birds and reflect on how to make our daily lives wildlife-friendly, while having fun reading our book. Thank you for your support! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Tommy: Wildlife faces different challenges every day out there. However, undesirable human activities and behaviour have made their lives harder, or even put them in jeopardy. One way to minimise humans' impact on nature and wildlife is to reinforce environmental education. Introducing wildlife to people at a young age will definitely help! 'Hong Kong Wild Birds Rescue Journal' is a bittersweet picture book which illustrates conflicts between humans and birds by fun comics.（・⊝・）