Integrated resort (IR) operator Sands China said in a statement yesterday that it had organised activities last month that aimed to educate, inspire and raise awareness of the City Nature Challenge (CNC) among staff and the local community.
Among the activities were two seminars by local scientist Leong Chi Man at The Venetian Macao on April 11. Attended by 120 participants, the statement noted that the seminars were about the importance of biodiversity and its relationship to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the role of green spaces in maintaining the ecological balance of urban areas.
The statement said that Leong then led a “BioBlitz” activity where he guided participants to “explore and record the different plants, animals, insects and birds around the hotel’s green belt”. Secondary and university students, staff interested in environmental science and biology or sustainable development, as well as members of the public were invited to participate in the event, hoping to inspire them to become conservationists of the local environment.
The company also held two parent-child outdoor field trips. On April 13, Leong led 33 Sands China staff and their children on another BioBlitz activity at the Hac-Sa Reservoir Family Trail. Leong gave on-site, interactive guidance on how to explore and record the biodiversity of Macau’s ecological zones, while the activity aimed to encourage staff to organise similar activities for their kids in their daily lives.
Moreover, during the four-day CNC from April 26 to 29, the integrated resort operator held a Biodiversity Photography Competition for staff, which took place simultaneously in hundreds of cities worldwide during the period.
The contest challenged staff to “observe their environment and use their mobile phones to record the organisms around them” and upload them to iNaturalist, with the best submissions to receive a 300-pataca voucher to use at eco-friendly shops.
The statement said that the activities have added nearly 3,000 species observation records to Macau, of which more than 700 are wild species.
Sands China Ltd. Executive Vice President of Operations Sean McCreery was quoted by the statement as saying: “Biodiversity has emerged as an increasingly important ESG topic, and our company will continue to develop and refine strategies that minimise the environmental impact of resort operations and protect the local ecological environment.”
This undated handout photo provided by Sands China yesterday shows students taking photos on a grass area outside of The Venetian Macau in Cotai.
