The Partnership for Nature Education and Conservation, or PNEC, was established in 2020. We are committed to building an eco-community in Nam Chung, promoting sustainable living, building community resilience, and protecting the local ecology and rural culture; we strive to develop place-based eco-community education through practice and action, and respond to environmental crises at local and global level.
PNEC is a registered charity in Hong Kong (No. 91/16604).
History & Development
The establishment of Nam Chung Eco-Community, called “Reed Blossom Community”, can be traced back to 2009. At that time, the fish pond wetland in Nam Chung was threatened by private developers. The “Nam Chung Land Nurturing Movement” was launched, and nearly a hundred supporters invested money and time to lease more than 100 dou of farmland from local villagers ( including fish ponds), approximately 800,000 square feet, in order to preserve the natural landscape of Nam Chung and promote local sustainable agriculture.
Entering 2013, the core members of the original Land Nurturing Movement were reorganized. The new members decided to change from passively defending the land to actively building a nature-loving community. They established an association with a mission to promote holistic living, sustainable agriculture and community building. They have delivered a lot of nature-based activities over the years.
Since 2016, the community has begun to recruit young interns, and has accumulated a group of people who care about sustainable living, ecological farming, well-being and other fields, and acquiring related hands-on skills. Even though they are from different backgrounds and age group, they all learn and gain a lot from each other. An eco-community in Nam Chung is quietly being formed.
By 2018, the core members of the community at that time decided to formally register as a body corporate in order to more effectively promote public education and activities within Hong Kong. The corporation was finally named “Partnership for Nature Education and Conservation” (PNEC), and was formally established in 2020.
The name of the corporation comes from the fact that there are many abandoned fishponds in the area of Nam Chung and Luk Keng, some of which are affected by the influx of sea water and grow into dense reed beds. It is named after this amazing scenery as the reeds blossom.
Visions
Global level– To create a sustainable future where communities of all beings co-exist in partnership with each other
Local level– To practise sustainable, simple and self-empowered living
Personal level– To realize transformation – changes from the inside out – at individual, society and world level.
Principle and Value
The importance of Paradigm Shift
We must change the way people relate to nature and to each other. We should not regard nature as a resource that can be plundered at will, nor treat others as objects of exploitation or competitors. We need a holistic world view, affirming the interdependent relationship between people and nature. We want to reconnect with our inner self, community and nature, and building a sustainable living with peace from within.
Holistic Sustainability
With reference to the theoretical framework of “Global Ecovillage Network-GEN” and “Gaia Education”, we understand sustainability in 4 dimensions: ecology, economy, culture and worldview. We use it as a code of practice for comprehensive design and practice in the community. (For more information, see the Gaia Education website.)
Agriculture-based
Sustainable agriculture are the foundational practice of “Reed Blossom Community” in order to learn from the land. We hope to bring people and communities with healthy, non-toxic crops and increase local food self-sufficiency. Because of farming, we deeply feel that human beings need to rely on the land to survive; because of sharing food, we realize the beauty of nature, the preciousness of life, and the meaning of labor.
Living and Learning Community
Learning comes from living, and living comes from learning. The two are inseparable. We are a living and learning community, living, learning, sharing and growing together.
Hand, mind and heart
The modern education system puts an uneven emphasis on the mind. Meanwhile people are increasingly alienated from nature- all things and land are regarded as objects that can be exploited and utilized at will. Nature is where life, living and livelihood lie. We advocate regarding nature as a teacher, and guide everyone to develop a “heart” that connects people and nature, a “hand” that can be put into practice, and a “mind” that can learn with love and compassion.
