Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme
To protect the natural ecology of the remote countryside, revitalise the architectural environment of villages and conserve cultural as well as heritage resources, the Countryside Conservation Office (CCO) was established under the Environmental Protection Department at the end of July 2018 as committed by the Chief Executive in her 2017 Policy Address and has been transferred to the Environment Branch of the Environment and Ecology Bureau with effect from 1 January 2023. The Government has earmarked $1 billion to support countryside conservation initiatives implemented under the CCO, of which $500 million will be deployed to provide financial support to local non-profit-making organisations (NPOs) and villagers through the Countryside Conservation Funding Scheme (CCFS) for organising diverse and innovative conservation activities or projects in the remote countryside (except Lantau Island) based on an interactive and co-operative approach.
The CCFS is dedicated to support sustainable and holistic conservation efforts in Hong Kong’s rural countryside through an integrated funding source covering a wide spectrum of areas on different levels ranging from the natural environment/habitats, non-graded built heritage to cultural and historic assets, etc.